how do i get my drives back?

[ange]

PLEASE HELP

i had to reformat my mothers computer everything went well untill i ran service pack 2 then the resoloution went and other things so i uninstalled service pack 2 and when i done this my dvd & cd roms went missing from #my computer# they also wont run anything also it has stuffed up my usbÂÂ! can someone please HELPÂÂ! ??? as without these it is hopeless i cant do anything any reply would be a GOOD ONE ***

[syphus]

Hi ange, welcome to itsallPC

I am not confident that we can recover from a Service Pack 2 uninstallation (you should have come here with the issues you described with SP2; they would have been much easier to fix!), but we can always try. I would urge you to reinstall Windows altogether and try again as this sort of thing usually causes numerous issues beyond those which are evident.

First thing to do is tell me about your hardware. We do have a post at the top of each thread entitled "Read this first" that will lead you here.

The second thing to do is open the Device Manager (click Start, Run type devmgmt.msc and hit enter). Check if there are any devices listed with a red cross or yellow exclamation mark.

[ange]

first up thanks for the replyÂÂ! ;D and also i would rather go with option a just to reformat but i feel powerless to do so without my drives
the information you asked for is (intel celron(r) cpu 1.8 ghz with windows xp pro installed)
and Device Manager Intel(r) 82371ab/ebpci to usb universal host controller has yellow! next to itÂÂ! ???
thanks and i cant wait for reply regrards ange

[syphus]

There are 3 releases of every Windows XP version: launch retail (no service pack); integrated service pack 1 and integrated service pack 2. If you installed Service Pack 2 on a launch retail and then uninstalled it, this is the sort of thing you could expect to occur. We need to determine if you have any SP level by looking in system properties (click Start, Run and type sysdm.cpl). Under the System header it will tell you the following:

Microsoft Windows XP
Professional
Version 2002
[service pack installed, or blank if none]

I also asked for more information. Just your CPU and Windows version is not sufficient, please read this. Try to imagine what else might be important; thinks like the RAM, Hard Drives etc. If you've experienced problems with the system before etc. Read the link, think about it. Reading this might also help.

These rules don't just apply to itsallPC, but any help forum. The difference is, we try to be careful about understanding the problem and variables rather than just jumping to wild conclusions.

[ange]

Hey there sorry i didnt reply sooner i have been run off my feet but i thought i should let you know i fixed the problem and thanx for your replies

cheers Ange