Fix Missing DVD Drive: Clear Upper and Lower Filters

If your CD or DVD drive has suddenly disappeared from File Explorer or shows an error code (such as Code 19, 31, 32, 39, or 41) in Device Manager, corrupted registry entries are usually the cause. This guide explains how to restore access to your optical drive by removing the corrupted UpperFilters and LowerFilters registry values using the Windows Registry Editor.

Step 1: Open the Windows Registry Editor

  1. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type regedit and press Enter (or click OK).
  3. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), click Yes to grant administrative permissions.

Step 2: Navigate to the Optical Drive Class Key

In the Registry Editor, use the left sidebar to navigate to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

Tip: Make sure you select the exact GUID {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}, as there are several similar keys under the Class folder.

Step 3: Locate and Delete Filter Values

  1. Click on the {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} key in the left pane.
  2. Look at the right pane for any of the following entries:
    • UpperFilters
    • LowerFilters
  3. If you see UpperFilters, right-click it, select Delete, and click Yes to confirm.
  4. If you see LowerFilters, right-click it, select Delete, and click Yes to confirm.

(Note: Depending on your system, you may only see one of these values, or you may see UpperFilters.bak or LowerFilters.bak. Do not delete the .bak files; only remove UpperFilters and LowerFilters.)

Step 4: Restart Your Computer

  1. Close the Registry Editor.
  2. Restart your computer.

During the reboot process, Windows will automatically detect the DVD drive and reinstall the standard drivers without the corrupted filter configurations.

Step 5: Verify the Drive

Once Windows restarts: * Open File Explorer and click This PC to verify that your CD/DVD drive appears under “Devices and drives.” * Alternatively, open Device Manager and expand DVD/CD-ROM drives to ensure the drive is listed without a yellow exclamation mark.