I have a Compaq Presario...
512 MB DDR SDRAM mem; 80 GB DMA hd. I use Windows XP.

I haven't used my DVD-ROM for probably 3-4 months. Last night I tried to install a new program and also tried running MUSIC CDs but found it inoperable. The indicator light goes on, and I can hear it running but it is otherwise dead, with no error message whatsoever.

About a month ago I got rid of a virus which perhaps this may be a lingering result of.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated... LarryA virus won't affect hardware...
Travel to Device Manager and LOCATE the drive in the listing...right click it and SELECT remove/uninstall.
Re-boot the machine and TRY it again.
If it doesn't work you need to swap it into another machine to see if the drive has failed.Sorry for the delay, had to leave for a while...

It seemed like it un-installed OK, but obviously takes it upon itself to reinstall as I get a reminder that "a new program has been installed" without me prompting it to do so. It also indicates that the DVD-ROM running properly...nevertheless the problem still exists...