The optical disc drive is intermittently not displayed on a ThinkPad X300 computer that is running Windows Vista

Consider the following scenario:

• On a ThinkPad X300 computer that is running Windows Vista, you enable the Disable optical drive option in the IBM Power Manager utility.
• You leave the system idle for more than 10 minutes until the optical disc disk drive is powered off.
• You perform a suspend-and-resume cycle or a hibernate-and-wake cycle on the computer.

In this scenario, the computer's optical disc drive is intermittently not displayed in My Computer or in Device Manager.

To make the computer recognize the optical disc drive if the optical disc drive is not displayed, use one of the following methods:

• Scan for hardware changes in Device Manager
• Restart the computer

This problem occurs because of a bug in the Ataport.sys file.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for installing this hotfix.

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace a previously released hotfix.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Windows Vista, x86-based versions

Windows Vista with Service Pack 1, x86-based versions

Windows Vista with Service Pack 1, IA-64-based versions

Windows Vista, x64-based versions

Windows Vista with Service Pack 1, x64-based versions

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.