Protected-Mode CD-ROM Drive Support in Windows

ID: Q151634

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

This article discusses protected-mode CD-ROM drive support in Windows. The following topics are discussed:


MORE INFORMATION

Determining If Windows Supports Your CD-ROM Drive in Protected Mode

Windows does not include protected-mode drivers for specific CD-ROM drives. Instead, Windows provides protected-mode access to CD-ROM drives by including protected-mode drivers for the SCSI, IDE, and proprietary controllers that CD-ROM drives are connected to. The CD-ROM controller may be built into the motherboard, a separate controller, or a sound card. If Windows includes a protected-mode driver for the device that your CD-ROM drive is connected to, your CD-ROM drive is most likely supported in protected mode.

Windows includes protected-mode drivers for proprietary CD-ROM controllers from the following manufacturers:
In addition, Windows includes protected-mode drivers for many sound cards and SCSI and IDE controllers. To determine if Windows includes a protected-mode driver for the sound card or SCSI or IDE controller that your CD-ROM drive is connected to, follow these steps:
  1. In Control Panel, double-click Add New Hardware.


  2. Click Next, click No, and then click Next.


  3. Click the type of device that your CD-ROM drive is connected to in the Hardware Types box, and then click Next.

    If your CD-ROM drive is connected to a sound card, you need to determine what type of CD-ROM controller is built into the sound card. It will be a SCSI controller, an IDE controller, or a proprietary CD-ROM controller. To determine the type of CD-ROM controller built into the sound card, consult the sound card's documentation or manufacturer. Note that the manufacturer of the sound card may not be the same as the manufacturer of the controller built into the sound card.

    If the CD-ROM drive is connected to a SCSI controller, click SCSI Controllers in the Hardware Types box. If the CD-ROM drive is connected to an IDE controller, click Hard Disk Controllers in the Hardware Types box. If the CD-ROM drive is connected to a proprietary CD-ROM controller, click CD-ROM Controllers in the Hardware Types box.


  4. Click the manufacturer of the device that your CD-ROM drive is connected to in the Manufacturers box. If the specific device that the drive is connected to appears in the Models box, Windows includes a protected-mode driver for the device and the CD-ROM drive is most likely supported in protected mode.

    If the manufacturer of the device does not appear in the Manufacturers box or the specific device does not appear in the Models box, Windows does not include a protected-mode driver for the device and the CD-ROM drive is not supported in protected mode.


For information about specific CD-ROM drives that require real-mode drivers to either work in Windows or be detected by Windows, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q131499
TITLE : CD-ROM Drives Requiring Real-Mode Drivers

Obtaining Protected-Mode CD-ROM Drivers from Other Sources

If Windows does not include a protected-mode driver for the SCSI, IDE, or proprietary CD-ROM controller that your CD-ROM drive is connected to, contact the manufacturer of the device to inquire whether a protected-mode driver that is compatible with Windows is available. If no protected- mode driver is available, real-mode drivers must be used.

Alternatives to Protected-Mode CD-ROM Drive Support

When you are using real-mode drivers for your CD-ROM drive, the Performance tab in the System Properties dialog box shows that your CD-ROM drive is using MS-DOS Compatibility mode. To prevent this message from being displayed, you must use protected-mode drivers for the CD-ROM drive.

If your CD-ROM configuration is not supported by the protected-mode drivers included with Windows, you should be able to use the real-mode drivers included with the CD-ROM drive to provide real-mode access to the drive in Windows. Note that Windows does not include real-mode CD-ROM drivers. If you must use real-mode drivers for your CD-ROM drive, use the CD-ROM driver included with the drive. For information about how to obtain, install, or configure the real-mode CD-ROM driver, consult the documentation included with the drive, or contact the drive's manufacturer.

If you do not know the correct syntax to load the real-mode CD-ROM driver, there may be a file named Config.dos in the root folder of the boot drive that contains the correct syntax. If the driver is not installed on the computer, you must reinstall it. For information about how to do so, consult the CD-ROM drive's documentation or manufacturer.

Notes:

Loading Real-Mode Drivers in Addition to Protected-Mode Drivers

In most cases, you do not need to load real-mode drivers in addition to the protected-mode drivers. For information about CD-ROM drives that are supported in protected mode, but require real-mode drivers to either work in Windows or be detected by Windows, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q131499
TITLE : CD-ROM Drives Requiring Real-Mode Drivers

NOTE: Even if real-mode drivers are not necessary for accessing the CD-ROM drive in Windows, they are necessary for accessing the drive when you boot to a Windows command prompt or you restart the computer in MS-DOS mode. Therefore, you may want to disable (instead of remove) the real-mode CD-ROM driver in the Config.sys file and Mscdex.exe in the Autoexec.bat file, and keep a copy of the real-mode CD-ROM driver on the hard disk. 


Keywords          : win95 win98 cddrive 
Version           : 95
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: March 4, 1999