How to restore if CD-ROM is not working anymore?

Question

I have a Satellite A45-S250 (Jan 2004) with XP SP3, still working, but the built-in Pioneer DVR-K120 CD-ROM has stopped reading any CD's. No FDD. Available boot options HDD, FDD, CD-ROM, LAN. No USB option.
I have made Drive Image PQ-backups every now and then on USB-HDD's, but it needs a bootable CD to restore drive C: (as all System Restore disks need).
The computer acted a bit funny lately and I tried to use the Windows System Restore but no one of 5 restore points succeeded.
What options do I have to get the system back to an earlier date when the CD-ROM does not work?
I have uninstalled the CD-ROM drivers and tried to install new drivers from the Toshiba website without success.
Same drivers still there and the CD-Rom tries a lot without success. Only Eject works.
I have tried to investigate the LAN boot option but have not found instructions that I understand to use.
Do you (or anybody) have instructions (and experience) how to boot from LAN ?
It would help to load the USB drivers so that I can use my separate USB CD-ROM writer to get the bootable CD to work and get the stored image back to C:, or use the factory restore disks.
I have 3 other computers with XP networked with this Toshiba on a wireless Netgear router.
At boot with LAN option it shows my MAC and needs some input. What should the input be?
Or should I buy a new internal CD-ROM? Which type would fit in this laptop?
Since this is a general question that many must have had (or are going to get), I am sure that an easy fix would be available. I am looking for some help.

Answer 1

Welcome to recovery disk **bleep**, I can use the company.
If the CD won't work, you pretty much have a problem.  In your case I suspect this is one of two things:
1.  Device driver problems, or
2.  Your CD has died
Before doing anything else, try Control panel, System, Hardware, Device Manger.  On the View menu, click the "show hidden devices".  Uninstall all the drivers for any CD drives shown, and while you are at it uninstall the IDE / ATA controllers.  Shut down the computer, then restart.  Windows will load and "rediscover" all the devices you just deleted.  Sometimes that works.  If it still doesn't work go back into the Device Manager and see if there is a yellow exclamation point on the CD-ROM that could point to a resource conflict.  The driver details for the yellow objects will give you some hints on what to look for.
If not, you may have a failing CD drive.  However, before you despair totally, it might just be a connector problem.  I don't know your model, but most CD's slide out by pressing a moveable tab on the bottom of the case, or by removing a single screw.  Remove the CD drive (it will just slide out).  Say a small prayer.  Reinsert the CD, giving it a firm shove with your thumbs when you do.  If it was just a loose connector, you might get lucky and reseat it successfully.  Also, check the lens on the CD for dirt / dust / last weeks lunch.  The lens can be cleaned with a special CD cleaner, or a cotton swab with some alcohol.
If the CD is well and truly dead, you have two options.  FIrst, you can obviously replace the CD.  Your friendly computer store will have a replacement and they are not terribly expensive.  You might need to reuse the Toshiba mounting rails and bezel to get it back in your unit the same way, but those are normally easy to change with a screwdriver. 
The other option is to put the recovery disk in a USB attached CD-ROM drive and see if you can boot that way.  Obviously you will need to physically remove the other drive, and maybe play with the BIOS boot priority (from Toshiba HW Setup in Control Panel) so that it boots from the CD first and not the HDD.  Some Toshiba models let you temporarily tweak this by pressing "C" or "F12" at power on instead of using the setup utility (try that first).