In XP or Vista, click start, then right click computer, from the dialogue box, click manage>device manager then look down the list until you see DVD/CD Rom drives (about four from the top), expand the tab.
If the dvd drive shows a yellow exclamation mark against it, then the driver is missing. Double click the device, select driver & click on update driver. Then ask windows to automatically search for drivers - it will go online & check for a new one. If it is missing a driver, chances are windows will install the driver.
If it fails to do so, try and find the manufacturer & download & install a driver from the website.
Sorry if I'm teaching your granny to suck eggs, but device manager is a great feature in windows.