Windows 7 can’t read DVDs after IT department revoked, then regranted “RemovableStorageDevices”

dvduacwindowswindows 7windows-registry

Problem

After my IT department revoked – then re-granted – permission to use "Mass
Storage Devices", my laptop's optical drive can no longer read DVDs or CDs. However, it appears to be able to write CDs and DVDs correctly.

Context

  • New laptop (3 months old)
  • Windows 7
  • Originally optical drive worked fine
  • IT department revoked "mass storage" which disabled both SD Card, USB,
    and DVD drive
  • At my request, IT department re-granted me permission to "mass storage" via the script below. According to our Windows guy, this should have made the DVD drive function again.
  • USB storage/SD Card now works, but optical drive cannot read DVDs or CDs.
  • I applied this 'Fix-It' from Microsoft: MicrosoftFixit.dvd.RNP.1502975461869821.1.1.Run.exe
  • I swapped the optical drive with a coworker's (also 3 months old) to check if I had a drive failure. The computer behaved the same with the other optical drive.
  • The computer can boot from the optical drive.

Additional oddities with optical drive

Some specific oddities with the optical drive:

  • It reads the "volume label" correctly (i.e. with the "Curious George" DVD, I see "CURIOUS_GEORGE" in the "Computer" window)
  • It appears to "write" correctly (i.e. Roxio burner successfully burned a CD. Note I did not test the resulting CD, however Roxio declared "success", whereas VLC and Windows Media Player fail noisily when trying to read)

Script

Our Windows guy supplied me with the following '.reg' code to restore "Mass Storage" . It worked to restore access to USB/SD cards, but not to optical drives.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\IBM\IGATEM]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\RemovableStorageDevices\{53f56308-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}]
"Deny_Execute"=-
"Deny_Read"=-
"Deny_Write"=-

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\RemovableStorageDevices\{53f5630d-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}]
"Deny_Execute"=-
"Deny_Read"=-
"Deny_Write"=-

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\RemovableStorageDevices]
"Deny_All"=-

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\RemovableStorageDevices\{53f56308-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}]
"Deny_Read"=-
"Deny_Write"=-

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\RemovableStorageDevices\{53f5630d-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}]
"Deny_Read"=-
"Deny_Write"=-

Any ideas on how to fix this?

Best Answer

I did a bit of research on this and I would tend to agree with FRob and Tiago that this is related to Group Policy and latent Registry entries, but since you are either a power user or local admin(inferred since IT had you run a .reg file).. I would suggest a simpler option.

Open computer management (hit the and type in "compmgmt.msc") then device manager and delete your CD/DVD drive. Then reboot. It will be re-installed and it will likely recreate any necessary registry key w/o you having to mess around in the registry or group policy. Deleting your DVD drive may sound drastic, but its really not a big deal. I assume you plugged the USB drive in and it installed drivers itself. It will do it again.

Good Luck,

Spencer

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