My pc wont recognize my lite-on combo sohc-5236v as a cd writer o

my pc wont recognize my lite-on combo sohc-5236v as a cd writer or dvd player i have a gateway pc 2.0 ghz and the drive is oem i can use it to burn cds but i have to use system restore to go back a little ways and it works but not unless i restore and then undo my last restore point i have installed alot of programs since that restore point and dont want to lose them by leaving it restored to an earlier time help