Question
 

What do I do if my computer won't identify my disk drives? Note that they aren't hard drives - they're disk drives. I go into my computer and they don't show up but they're installed. Any suggestions on drivers or whatever, or where to go? Thanks,

-Daniel

That actually happened to me in my last Windows install. I'm not sure why it happened or how to fix it, but if I opened an explorer window and went to the drive's address by typing in F: [for example], then I'd still be able to get into the drive.

Not exactly a solution, but it's worth trying.

[Either that, or check Device Manager to see if they're disabled?]

Did you make any changes to your computer? Install new OS or drive? Did it just stop showing one day for no reason?
Are the cables of your drives correct and secure?

In Control Panel, does "Add new hardware" find the drives again?

Or in Device Manager .. Action > Scan for hardware changes..
Are your drives listed at all under DVD/CD-ROM drives ?

I googled around a bit and found these keywords..
XP upperfilters

That may or may not be the solution to your problem. Read the pages before you attempt anything. Google around some more if it isn't.