I think this is a windows problem but I am not sure. Out of the blue my computer will not recognize my CD/DVD ROM. In the DEVICE MANAGER the drive is listed (HL-DT-ST-DVD+RW GWA4164B) and it has the yellow circle with the explanation mark. I cannot re-install the drivers from the DELL CD because the drive doesn't work. In addition, when I go to my computer, the drive is no longer listed.

I went out and bought a new DVD/CD today and installed it. Same thing, it showed up in the device manager but it will not work. The power to the drive is fine, I can open and CLOSE it. It just wont recognize anything.

Any clues? I'm totally stumped.If your Windows OS is newer than WinME the drives shouldn't need drivers.
Travel to Device Manager and right click each and select Remove/Uninstall.
Upon re-boot Windows will automatically re-install the devices and they should work fine.
Make sure the ribbon cables are snug and connected properly both to the drives and the motherboard.

Post BACK with your results...

P.S. You may want to try a brand new ribbon cable if the above does not work but try those first.