jhoff

If anyone can help me with this I would be very grateful... My laptop (Vista, Compaq Presario V6000) only recognizes that I have a DVD/CD-ROM drive if the drive door is open. However, if the door is shut, the drive immediately "dissapears". When I boot up the laptop, the DVD/CD-ROM driver light blinks and makes a soft beep noise. The COMPAQ screen comes up but the system will continually restart unless I press the button to open the driver door, at which point Vista will load. Why might this be happening? I tried the registry edits suggested on the microsoft website (involving the upper/lower filters) but I had only lower filters and nothing happened. I'm frustrated because I just bought this laptop a few months ago, and have no TV, so I really rely on it to watch DVDs. It seems like it may be a physical problem.. however I have NO idea how to even open up a laptop, much less what to look for, so if anyone can guide me that would be great. Can anyone help?? Please? Thank you!