In some cases, Windows 8 doesn’t recognize CD and DVD drives even if the installation was performed from that drive. It doesn’t even appear in Device Manager.
To fix this issue a quick workaround is needed.
- Open a command prompt as an administrator.
- Issue the following command:
1reg.exe add "HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\atapi\Controller0" /f /v EnumDevice1 /t REG_DWORD /d 0x00000001 - Reboot the computer
After the system is back on its feet, the DVD drive should be recognized and usable again.