Win7 and DVD/RW problem

[pikeman]

I recently built a Win7 system and it runs great except for a couple of issues I can't seem to sort out.
When I did my first startup I set the BIOS to boot on the DVD and it did so and Win7 installed very fast. No problems.
However, the DVD/RX is not present in Windows Explorer! It's visible to Win7 in "My Computer" though as drive E! (My HD is C and D)
It's also in Device Manager and reports itself as working properly. The driver is the standard MS driver.

I'm missing something here and can't figure it out. There is no apparent command in Explorer to make it appear there.

Anybody got the answer to this?

Thanks!
Pete

[cafed00d]

In Explorer, go to Tools | Folder Options | View tab, and uncheck the "Hide empty drive in Computer folder" option.

[pikeman]

Thanks for your reply. I was unable to follow the navigation path you identified - it simply isn't there. I wouldn't think that the version of Win& should matter, I've got Ultimate, and I have made no configuration changes to the OS. However I was able to locate the check box you describe and it was already unchecked.
Can you think of any other reasons the E Drive does not display?

Thanks!
Pete

[Deadeye81]

Hi Peter,

The menu bar that contains the Tools option that Peter referred to is hidden by default in Windows 7. If you want to always see the menu bar, click Organize | Layout | and select Menu Bar.

If you don't care to unhide the menu bar, you can also select Folder and search options under the Organize menu. You could also type folder in the Start menu search box, and Folder Options should appear close to the top of the search results list. You can then select the View tab to check the status of the Hide empty drive in Computer folder option.

Alternatively, if you like keyboard shortcuts, you can make the menu bar appear temporarily by pressing the Alt or F10 key. The menu bar will disappear again after you open a menu and execute a command, or if you click anywhere in Windows Explorer (or tap the Alt or F10 keys again).

[pikeman]

Thanks Gerald!
I am still thrashing around with Win7, and must observe that I think it's a bad idea to default to hidden menus. I like the option of hiding them once I've learned about them, but new users are not well-served by this practice! I've ordered Ed Bott's book on Win7 and as soon as it arrives will be mining it for details like this.
However, I must gibe MS credit for a good OS. I like 7, and think we're going to get along just fine.
Pete