I got my dell vostro a860 in june 2009 ...now my problem is taht my cd/dvd doesn't work....sometimes i see it in my computer and device manage/but sometimes i don't...I bought 2 dell vostro A860...on one everything is perfec...on the other the cd/dvd rom is the problem....on both laptops i installed windows XP...

It may be bad. Has the laptop been damaged? Dropped? Open Device Manager, DVD/CD Rom drives, is it listed? In Start Menu, Computer, Is it listed? Try re installing the DVD rom driver, the MS Vista 32bit drivers can be found here: http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/04/Product/vostro-a860

Dvd needs replacing sometimes they just fail, like you can have hard ware and not software the reverse also applies
dvd are cheap enough now

What you can initially do is to update the driver.

1. Press on the windows key + R. A run box will appear.
2. Type devmgmt.msc then click on ok. The device manage will appear.

1. Click on the plus sign besides mice and other pointing devices.
2. Right click on the item that will be pertaining to your touch pad.
3. Choose update driver and let the internet work for you.

If this does not work, you will need to totally reinstall the driver.

1. On the same screen (device manager) right click on the touch pad driver again, the choose uninstall.
2. follow the prompts for uninstallation. You might wanna uninstall any mouse related drivers as well (these application can also cause conflicts thus causing your touch pad not to work)
3. download the touch pad driver available from the link I provided below.
4. follow the prompts for installation.
5. restart

Dell Vostro Driver list (click here to view all available drivers for your portable system)
Dell Vostro Touch Pad Driver (click here to download the touch pad driver)
It this does not work, you will need to call Dell Technical Support to have the laptop serviced. That is if the portable still has warranty. If not, then you will need to buy a USB mouse as a replacement.
for additional information visit Dell support website: support.dell.com

look in device manager, if you see a red x or a yellow sighn it may not be turned on ? or the device could be bad ? you might nedd a new sound card ? hope this helps !

visit this site: http://www.bioticaindia.com/dell-vostro-a860.html

install the proper drivers from the cd/dvd given at the time of purchase

click start, go to computer, right click the dvd icon and select format, format as a data disk and try burning again..
if the back of the dvd-r has two shades then its already been used and can't be used again.

You could have a partially defective hard drive and could fail permanently at any time.
Try reseating the hard drive and if you manage to get the laptop up and running, I would suggest you back up your data before the hard drive fails.

easy.
#does your laptop have a bluetooth connection?
#if not you will need a dongle.