New Windows XP CD/DVD drive slows down intermittantly

They may look like one combined drive but they will be individual ones.

I would check to make sure that the heat sink compound between the Heat sink and CPU has not dried out. This paste is supposed to stay somewhat soft and conducts heat away from the CPU. It can be purchased at Best Buy if you need some. Had the same problem recently with a Acer desktop. When I started it up the CPU fan just took off and would never slow down. Never could get windows to load either. Cleaned off the old compound using regular alcohol and put in new compound and it was quiet as could be. Windows loaded right up and it is working great. Heat is a major issue with the speed of CPUs these days. Hope this helps

Try cleaning it using a CD cleaning kit... If that fails to work - replace the drive. Repairing will cost as much as a new drive!

try to boot in "Last good known configuration settings" by restarting your pc and then press F8 before windows appear and then select the boot option i mention above. if this not work since you said that it can't boot to safe mode, your other option is to repair the windows or else reformat it. when you repair the windows you must have windows xp home edition cd installer, you load it to your cd/dvd rom and then restart your pc and press F2 or DEL button before windows appear in order to go to setup bios settings. in bios settings, you choose boot order setup and setup first priority to cd/dvd and press F10 by saving the changes and then press any key when you see the prompt so that it can boot up to windows xp home cd installer and then follow screen instruction that you arrive to windows repair option.

Kindly install a new microsoft windows xp service pack 1. your problem will be resolved

Open "My Computer".
Insert a CD-disk into the drive, while holding-down the LEFT-SHIFT key.
Does the label under the CD-icon change?
Remove the CD-disk.
Does the label under the CD-icon change?
Insert a DVD-disk into the drive, while holding-down the LEFT-SHIFT key.
Does the label under the CD-icon change?
Remove the DVD-disk.

If no changes in the icon, after the above, it's time to spend $40 to replace the "dead" drive with a new CD/DVD writer.

it will say it on the front of the dvd tray if you just see DVD then no, if u see r/rw or just rw, then you do have it

If you cannot read those CD-disks in _any_ computer, then the disks are "bad".

If you can read those CD-disks, then it's time to replace the CD/DVD drive. Find a smaller computer-store -- often they will remove the "dead" drive, and install the "new" drive, for $0.00, or for a small fee, if you buy the new CD/DVD-writer from them.

Are you a smoker? Its possible that a good bit of cigarette smoke buildup has accumulated on the CD burner's internal laser lens. One of those cheap CD cleaner disks might work to clean the laser lens, but usually one would have to open up the CD drive and carefully clean the lens using ear swabs moistened with isopropyl alcohol.

Get the printer specification and purchase any printer that has what you want that specifices that it has a driver for the windows (Which) 64 bit system. Xp?  VISTA? NT?