Device Driver Gridlock?

http://www.pchell.com/hardware/cd_drive_error_code_39.shtml

Pay careful attention while doing this. If you delete the wrong thing in your registry, it's big trouble.

Go back to a restore point from before you installed the Acsoft software.

Check, and double check the info on the Arcsoft software to make sure that it is compatible with Windows Vista. If it isn't, then see if you can get the proper driver for the Arcsoft that will work with Vista.

If that doesn't work, take it to a professional. DO NOT mess with the registry. It is the quickest way to turn your computer into a doorstop.

I would start with deinstalling the DVD on teh Systemspage and restart teh computer.

If the DVD is connected properly it should reinstall automaticly.

Try this first and see howit works.

if you know where the driver is on the harddisk rename it rather than delete and tray again.

Let me know how you go.

W.

Get away from Vista as fast as you can. Vista is basically UNFIXABLE......even MS has accepted that. New Vista CDs go for less than $10 on ebay! I wonder why?????

I would recommend either Win7 or WinXP, depending on your finances.......

Even if you fix this problem which is most likely Vista, not the DVD, you still will get other problems later......

By the way, was the software Vista compatible even, or was the DVD old and made before Vista was around? You should always make this check each time no matter what OS you are running, many forget.

If the software is older (or newer!!) than Vista, you can always go online and download updated (down dated?) drivers and software from the manufacturers home page......

I have seen people drop a Vista install dead in its tracks (who cares? ) with software written for Win98!!!! We had to re-install the OS.....Vista is supposed to know and NOT install old software, but it appears not to know or understand that.....

WINDOZE is the proper spelling by the way,,,,,,,,,,

I had the identical problem when I installed Kodak software on my machine with Win 7.

The solution in post #1 fixed it.

kramarat, kilowatt0, guest #3, AndyGermany:

Thanks, 'guys,' for the excellent suggestions—and for that excellent Luna moth pic—from which, having just taken my first look at Office 2007, I think I'll try using to create a list bullet character (but, I digress)—and I'm not sure but that all of them would work . . . but I'm not quite sure about "de-installing" on the "systems" page . . . or even un-installing on the programs page. Anyway, it just so happened—and it was strictly happenstance—that Kilowatt0's was the one that fixed (or shall I say, reversed) the problem, insofar as I can tell . . . it went like this.

While waiting for your replies, I continued looking on the Web for a DVD driver update, with not much luck until finding and downloading, from a Texas concern, a monitoring and fix-all solution for the problem (a problem which, based on my search, appears to be commonplace; and finding an update to use for write-over is further complicated by the fact that the purveyor is not a single company but a joint venture between Toshiba and others . . . with no apparent/published name). Anyhow, just as I was about to set up and run the saved application download, I read the Agreement and, finding mention of commercial licensing fees, decided to keep looking rather than proceed.

Just after posting this thread, and as if by serendipity while continuing to look for a solution, I got a pop-up notification from the Dell Support Center icon in the system tray about things unrelated to the problem. After reading, and being reminded of that support asset, I requested Dell to perform a system checkup, in which all appeared to be normal, except for a mention of the drive problem (actually a firmware problem as I was to learn;while also learning that the aforesaid joint venture evidently includes Dell) . . . and was eventually led to a troubleshooting routine which, essentially led me down the same path I had already trod—except for the final step, which was the suggesion to try resetting the system back to an earlier restoration point, prior to any installations that might have affected the DVD drive.

So that is what I did—not quite fathoming how that could possibly work (until learning of the "firmware" aspect)—choosing a restore point about a month ago just to be sure. When that was done, back came the optic drive on the (My) Computer page; and back came optic drive accessibility . . . which allowed me to go ahead and load Office 7000 to complement (and untie my hands from) the Works application that came with the machine.

So as best I can guess, it must have been that ArcSoft attempt: even though the that CD was able to run and install the programs before it could not run the second time. I'm tempted to try that camera CD again just to find out, but based on the wise suggestion, will probably look for an upgrade first. What's curious about all of this—and there's kramarat (I think it was) to thank—is how this problem came up for both of us when trying to load camera company software.

So once again thank you all for all the great help.

As for the Luna moth, well do I remember, when living in that region, the care one had to take when driving out of the region to avoid inadvertently transporting viable numbers of that fiendish insect.

And Andy—having had XP for so many years (and Vista for about a year), I can certainly empathize with you in regard to Vista—I've certainly had my share of grief as well—but, not being a large corporation, I am not in a position to not plan for eventual, albeit piecemeal, graduation to W7; especially now that MS support for XP has (for the most part) come to an end.

The major problem I have in going forward from my one Vista (ultimate) system, is the afford-ability of essentially re-buying the equivalent (W7 Ultimate) of a system I so recently purchased; or paying less (a little less more) to get a downgrade! (Seems to me that's the kind of . . . depreciation acceleration only affordable to those who can pass on the cost . . . The problem going backwards, on the other hand, is that XP is essentially "out of the loop" in terms of networking: Vista and its offspring, W7, talk to each other via network; as can Vista and XP with some effort; but W7 and XP are strictly not on speaking terms, as I have been given to understand.

So having one incidence of all three (this Vista laptop, a Vista with W7 upgrade in hand on the desktop-HDTV hybrid, and XP on the main (XPS) machine, I guess I'm stuck . . . with eventually relegating XPS and XP to a diminished role, possibly to mostly offline "air flight simulation" gaming. That's a shame because with all its speed, power, and capacity assets, it is still my best performing machine overall.

Glad it worked out for you.

Cheers.