Computer Info:
Microsoft Windows XP
Media Center Edition
Version 2002
Service Pack 2

HP
AMD Turion 64 X2 Mobile
1.61 GHz, 960 MB RAM

Total Memory Capacity: 99.2 G
The hard drive is a Toshiba MK1234GSX

I put this in the hardware forum, although my instinct is that it is most likely a registry issue.

I'm not sure when the problem began because I don't necessarily use my CD/DVD writer a lot, but recently I wanted to burn some video to a blank DVD and I realized that my E: drive was gone.  This has happened before a long time ago but the old fixes that worked then are not working now.

*The upper/lower filters thing will not work (they're not even there in my registry).
*My E: drive is not listed under My Computer, nor is it listed under the device manager - there is not even a menu for CD/DVD Drives at all.
*If I go under Computer Management>Storage>Disk Management I see my C: drive, my D: drive (which is a recovery partition), and then a partition labelled "1.00 GB NTFS HEALTHY (Unknown Partition)."  I cannot assign a drive LETTER or do anything to the unknown partition - the only option available is to DELETE it.  Additionally, it says that of the 1 GB, there is 48 MB of free space.
*If I try scanning for new hardware, it is to no avail.
*I have run CCleaner and WISE Registry Cleaner, along with two virus scanners.
*System restore does not restore my CD/DVD drive.

Hardware wise, everything SOUNDS normal.  It open and closes normally, the light blinks normally, and I can hear everything moving like the disc wants to run, but Windows doesn't notice.  My CD/DVD drive is also recognized by the BIOS.

I've made it a habit to check for the E: drive when I start the computer, and sometimes (rarely) it does appear.  It is only listed as a CD drive in these instances, and usually I still can't burn anything to DVD (the presence of the "Record" tab notwithstanding).

I know Roxio software can cause this problem, so I did everything I could to wipe my computer of that (including entries in the registry).

I also deleted Nero, in case that was causing an issue, and while I was less involved in making sure all traces of that are gone, I did use Revo Uninstaller Pro to GET rid of it.

In the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CD Burning (hitting the + sign by CD Burning) I see folders for AudioBurnHandlers and ExcludedFS.  I don't remember seeing those before and I'm not sure if they were added by Roxio or some other software.  I am afraid to outright delete them in case they are vital.

Are there any other register repairing programs I can use that will clean up unwanted entries?  Or any other suggestions as toward recovering my E: drive, short of formatting my hard drive?

Thank you for any tips!DO NOT use registry cleaners. Ever.

Did you recently install iTunes by any chance?No I have never installed iTunes.Okay. Let's make sure the drive works. Please insert a BOOTABLE disc and make sure the drive is the first item in the bios boot order. Reboot. Does the system boot to the disc?