Dvd-rw is not being detected by bios

Check the CD/DVD drives status in Device Manager.

1. Click the Start button. In the Start Search dialog box, type dev, then click Device Manager.
2. Locate the lDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. Click on the entry to expand the list and make sure there is not a down arrow in front of a device. If a device has a down arrow in front of it, right-click on the device, then click Enable.
3. Make sure there is not an exclamation mark (yellow splat) on the device. If a device has an exclamation mark, right-click on the device, uninstall and reinstall the driver.
4. Locate the CD/DVD-ROM drives. Click on the entry to expand the list and make sure there is not a down arrow in front of a drive. If a drive has a down arrow in front of it, right-click on the device, then click Enable.
5. Make sure there is not an exclamation mark (yellow splat) on the device. If a device has an exclamation mark, right-click on the device, uninstall and reinstall the driver.
6. Optical drive not detected
7. Check BIOS setup to verify if drive is detected outside of Windows.
   1. Press the F2 key repeatedly as the computer starts.
   2. Locate the page where drives are displayed. This varies between different motherboards. Please reference your User's Guide for specific model information.
   Desktop computers: Refer to the Drive Configuration page (or similarly named page), or the Standard CMOS features page to identify all Optical drives that have been detected. BIOS Setup will present a table which matches drive ports (drive connectors on the motherboard) to drives detected at a given port. Example pages are linked. Reference the Product pages for the specific model.
   Notebook computers: Refer to the Main page of the BIOS to identify optical drives that have been detected. BIOS setup matches a Drive Port name to a drive detected at that port. Drive Port names (left side) vary per the following examples:
   > IDE Primary/Master: [HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-T20N-] Left-Bay PATA: PHILLIPS CD-RW/DVD-ROM-(PM) Optical Drive: Optiarc DVD RW AD-7560A -(PM) DVD and CD drive names (right side) will include "CD" or "DVD" in the name.
   3. Inspect and reseat cables. Use proper Electrostatic Discharge procedures.
      
      1. Turn off computer and unplug power cord.
      2. Disconnect everything except the monitor and keyboard.
      3. Place computer on a stable work area with case cover facing up.
      4. Remove cover.
      5. Find internal drives.
      6. Inspect and reseat any cables to drives not detected. Click here for additional information about drives, motherboard connectors, and drive cables.
         • Check for broken connectors on drive, motherboard, and drive cables.
         • Check for bent or broken pins on drive, motherboard, and drive cables.
         • Check cable orientation.
         • If available, try a different cable. If drive works with new cable, the original cable is probably defective.

-it is possible that you the optical drive is loose. That can be resolved by re-seating the drive itself.
-first, shut the laptop down, unplug the AC adapter if it is plugged-in then remove thte battery pack of the laptop.
-you need some small philips head screw driver to unscrew just one screw that holds the optical drive located at the bottom of the laptop. You may need to consult the user's manual of the laptop.

Turn your computer off, and unplug the AC power.

Open up your computer, and unplug the "data" and "power" cables from the DVD-drive, and then reconnect them. Check that the "other" end of the "data" cable is firmly attached to the motherboard.

Reconnect the power, and restart the computer.
Press DEL to enter BIOS-setup mode.
Is the DVD-drive still not detected?

If it is not detected, it probably is electronically "dead", and needs to be replaced.

If you are asking for the information regarding the ODD here it is: DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) with Labelflash? drive supporting 11 formats * Maximum speed and compatibility: CD-ROM (24x), CD-R (24x), CD-RW (4x), DVD-ROM (8x), DVD-R (Single Layer, (8x)), DVDR (Double Layer, (4x)), DVD-RW (4x), DVD+R (Single Layer, (8x)), DVD+R (Double Layer, (4x)), DVD+RW (4x), DVD-RAM (5x) * Supports Labelflash? media to burn high quality labels directly on the disk. If not ( Cant read CD or DVD ) then most likely the lens on the ODD is already busted. or ODD cant be detected then just go to the Website support.toshiba.com and download the latest update for the ODD. And install the driver on your NB and restart the NB. If still the same then the ODD you have is already busted what you need to do is to buy a new ODD.

go to BIOS and enable the secondary drive auto detect.
if you manaully set the drive to primary, secondar. the system should be able to detect it as you have set it. if you select cable select or auto. the sytem will put the drive connected to the end of the IDE cable as primary.

Check the cables if they are connected properly and see if the cd/dvd rom is first detected in bios..

did you get and cd along with the drive from where you bought it ??
try to see in that ..the driver must be surely present there....
btw what is the operating system you are running on your dell...most of the operating system automatically detects any hardware changes....

just also see in bios whether your drive is detected at start up.

Check your different jumper settings in the drive; Is your CD RW drive set in the proper setup as a slave or master drive; or as a single drive.Check in your bios, in the disk management section if your CD RW is detected.

check the cables again

if noting then the drive is broken, repairs? if you have warranty get it replaced. if you dont buy a new drive.. they are quite cheap these days. 30usd I hear.

try the following

1.reseat the odd..u can find the steps at the below mentioned link
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins6400/en/om/parts.htm#wp1076794

2. reset the bios to defaults

3. remove the upper and lower filters
the registry path is
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

plz let me know if it helps so that we can check further possibilities and do rate the solution