CD/DVD Optical drive appears and then disappears, replacement also does not show up

My laptop: HP Pavilion dv9601AU
I have read a similar post here but my problem is different. My problem is that the DVD drive *sometimes* show up in My Computer and *sometimes* dont. Even the BIOS does not detect it.  When I formatted my laptop with Windows 7, to my surprise it was gone. But it appeared again and I somehow installed all the required drivers from my driver DVD.... then it dissapered again. It never came back.
Failed attempt 1: I tried to re-format the PC using virtual drive but the problem persists.
Failed attempt 2: Thinking it to be a physical loose connection, I took it to local HP service station, they removed the drive, put it back firmly, but in vain.
Failed attempt 3: They attached other similar optical drive but to my surprise, the new drive was also not detected.
Failed attempt 4: I tried Microsoft's "Fix It" thing and also read about removing "upper filters" and "lower filters" in registry. However, I didnt have any of those filters entry in the first place so no question about making changes to the registry.
Facts:
1) The drivers are installed. There should not be any problem with the drivers.
2) The lens is perfect. I was able to install all the drivers from DVD when the drive appeared for a short period of time.
3) The HP logo tht appears upon starting the laptop lingers for a longer period of time compared to what it was doing so when the drive was fine.
4) The boot menu does not show the optical drive.
5) I live in India where normal room temperatures go upto 42 degrees Celcius and my laptop gets much much warm most of the times. I think some damage has been done to the internal circuitry.
Please, if somebody can provide me a solution to this. How can I get back my DVD Drive working. The support personnel here are having no clue (especially after learning the fact that their new optical drive also didnt show up) I hope I get some guidance from you guys as what should I do next. Please help me.
Message Edited by jal_desai on 10-09-2009 06:51 AM

I am having the exact same problem with my customer's dvd drive sometimes showing up during boot (BIOS) and sometimes not. Also ran full system diagnostic software and everything else tests fine, although the drive is not showing present. I have also tried 2 different drives but they do the same thing. I would go on to say that if you always left the dvd drive out of the laptop, your boot problems would probably go away. This would then tell you that it's not your drive at all, but the connections on the MOBO or the traces (wires) connecting the drive to the MOBO.
I work on computers and have for several years and most times this is related to a MOBO issue since that is the only item left in this situation. You know it's not the drive since it's been replaced with the same issue so drivers/firmware are not the case. I am assuming you have already updated the BIOS as well,  but this shouldn't matter. There could be a dirty contact, faulty component, or a bad trace (wire) on the MOBO which is almost always harder to fix and is better to just replace the MOBO. However, replacing the MOBO is usually expensive when you have to buy the part and then pay someone to install it making it not usually the best option. Even if it is a dirty contact, it was probably caused by something that was spilled which could cause problems later. In this case, I am probably just going to recommend disabling the internal dvd drive and buying a slim external usb dvd drive, and then saving their money for a new laptop. You will still have to wait through a slower boot while staring at the HP screen, but I don't think replacing the MOBO is the most economical thing to do, unless you are the manufacturer and have several laying around.
I know this isn't good news, but it is what I've found to be the case in my experiences. Anybody else care to chime in?

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