Run disk from portable disk drive

Fafhrd · 16 May 2017

There is probably no driver for optical disk.

There is no technical support for HP available for the next day or so - Wanacrypt ??

Run disk from portable disk drive-image.png

You see Ryan to get help they want your product number, or else there are 2066 pages of support to go through:

NavyLCDR · 16 May 2017

The disk management screenshot shows that the drive is not being recognized by Windows. Is there an exclamation point for a piece of hardware or any "unknown devices" showing in Device Manager? Have you looked at the manufacturer's website for the external disk drive to see if they have a Windows driver available? Windows 7 driver might work, Windows 8 driver would most definitely work, of course Windows 10 driver would be the best.

SIW2 · 16 May 2017

From the link I posted hours ago:

"In Windows, search for and open Device Manager
If DVD/CD-ROM drives is not in the list, skip to Resetting the computer power."

Fafhrd · 16 May 2017

SIW2 said:

https://support.hp.com/gb-en/document/c03370738#c01895589_resetpower

Didn't really give a lot of information to the OP.

HP Support - resetting notebook power to detect DVD said:

Step 4: Resetting the computer power

Under certain conditions the drive might lose communication with Windows even after restarting Windows, which can cause problems with CD or DVD detection. Resetting the computer power can fix this problem. To reset the drive, follow these steps:

Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds to turn your computer completely off.
Wait until the computer fully shuts down, then disconnect the power cord from the computer.
If you have a notebook computer, remove all batteries from their compartments, wait 10 seconds, then reinsert the battery (or batteries). If your notebook computer has a battery that is sealed within the computer's case, a battery that cannot be removed easily, skip this step.
After waiting at least 10 seconds, reconnect power to the computer.
Turn on the computer and wait for Windows to start. If any messages open stating that Windows is installing new hardware, wait for Windows to finish before checking to see if the CD/DVD drive is available.

If the drive is still missing after resetting power, check the drive cable connections on desktop computers, or clear the upper and lower registry filters for notebook computers.

"RESETTING" is a loaded word with Windows versions 8 - 10 and refers to a Windows recovery function with potentially unfortunate consequences for the unaware.

The STEP 4: instructions are a little more complete, but omit an important step. The drive with disk inserted must be connected to the laptop before restarting the laptop. Then, if the USB and DVD drivers are loaded at boot time, the DVD may be available for use.