Fix the “A Required CD/DVD Drive Device Driver is Missing” error message when installing Windows 7

by

Updated April 2025: Stop these error messages and fix common problems with this tool. Get it now at this link

  1. Download and install the software.
  2. It will scan your computer for problems.
  3. The tool will then fix the issues that were found.

Fix the "A Required CD/DVD Drive Device Driver is Missing" error message when installing Windows 7

Are you worried about the error message “A Required CD/DVD Drive Device Driver is Missing” when installing Windows 7 from a USB drive? Are you looking for a way to resolve the issue? If your answer is yes, you can get the solutions provided by IR Cache in this post.

A USB drive is one of the most common media for installing Windows today. However, if you try to install Windows 7 or Windows Vista using a USB drive, you may encounter the following error message:

“The required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing. If you have the driver disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive, please insert it now”.

How can I fix the missing CD/DVD driver in Windows 7? You can try the following solutions prepared by IR Cache to solve this problem.

What causes the message “A Required CD/DVD Drive Device Driver is Missing” when installing Windows 7?

What causes the message "A Required CD/DVD Drive Device Driver is Missing" when installing Windows 7?

The problem is related to the fact that the USB drive is not recognized by Windows PE (Windows Preinstallation Environment). Windows PE is built on top of the Windows 7 kernel and is used to prepare your computer for a Windows installation. So if a USB drive is not recognized by Windows PE, you could have this problem and the system could not be installed.

This problem occurs because the computer you are installing Windows 7 on has the latest motherboard (next generation) and USB 3.0 ports. And you all know that Windows 7 is very old (it supports USB 2.0 ports). This means that there is a mismatch between the USB drivers. You will only encounter this problem when installing Windows 7 via USB. When installing from CD this problem does not occur.

Try the following solutions to resolve the problem.

Follow these steps to fix the “A Required CD/DVD Drive Device Driver is Missing” message during Windows 7 installation



Updated: April 2025

This tool is highly recommended to help you fix your error. Plus, this tool offers protection against file loss, malware, and hardware failures, and optimizes your device for maximum performance. If you already have a problem with your computer, this software can help you fix it and prevent other problems from recurring:

  • Step 1 : Install the PC Repair and Optimizer Tool. (Windows 10, 8, 7, XP, Vista).
  • Step 2 : Click Start Scan to determine what problems you are experiencing with your computer.
  • Step 3 : Click Repair Allto resolve all problems.

download



Follow these steps to fix the "A Required CD/DVD Drive Device Driver is Missing" message during Windows 7 installation

Disable the driver signature enforcement

Driver signing ensures that only drivers that have been sent to Microsoft for signing are loaded into the Windows kernel. This prevents malicious software from injecting itself into the Windows kernel.

Some users have disabled driver signing and have been able to bypass this problem after performing this step. After completing this step, you can install drivers that are not officially signed.

Make sure you know what you are doing and only install drivers you trust. To disable driver signatures, follow these steps:

  1. Restart your computer and wait for it to shut down completely.
  2. Turn the computer on and press the F8 key every second or so during the boot process until additional boot options appear.
  3. When the menu appears, scroll with the arrow key to “Disable driver signature enforcement” and press “Enter”. Continue with the boot process.

This is a temporary solution. You will need to repeat this process every time you want to use unsigned drivers.

Permanently disabling the driver signing application:

You can try to permanently and completely disable the driver signature application using the commands.

  1. Press “Windows” + “R” to open a startup window.
  2. At the command prompt, type “cmd” and press “Shift” + “Ctrl” + “Enter” to boot with administrator privileges.
  3. Enter the following commands in sequence and press Enter:
    bcdedit /set testsigning on
    bcdedit.exe -set loadoptions DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
    bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING ON
  4. You should get an “Operation was successful” message.
  5. Now close the prompt and you can install all the drivers without the need for a digital signature.

Using the USB3.0 Creator Utility

The Intel USB 3.0 Creator Utility is a tool to add USB 3.0 driver support to your Windows 7 installation media. Most users reported that the lack of USB3 drivers was the main reason for the problem. Therefore, follow these steps to use the USB Creator Utility to prepare the USB flash drive:

  1. Be sure to turn off your computer completely.
  2. Use another computer’s Internet connection, then download the file “win7-USB3.0-creator utility.zip”. After downloading, you can unzip the zip file as desired. Download the file win7-USB3.0-creator-utility.zip.
  3. Unzip the zip file and run the “Installer_Creator.exe” file in the zip file.
  4. Click “Yes” and Windows will ask your permission to run this file. Please let it run. After allowing this operation, the “USB 3.0 driver creator” utility will open in front of you.
  5. Click on the “Browse” icon (3 dots), then select the USB drive (the Windows 7 bootable USB drive).
  6. Click the “OK” button.
  7. Click the “Create Image” button Once clicked, the installation will begin. This will take some time, so wait for the message “Upgrade complete”.
  8. After receiving this message you can close the utility and disconnect your USB drive (flash drive) from your computer.
  9. Your USB flash drive is now ready and the USB 3.0 drivers are loaded. You can use this
  10. USB flash drive to install Windows 7 and on next-generation computers.
  11. Connect this USB drive to the computer where you want to install Windows 7. Plug this
  12. Windows 7 bootable drive into a different USB port on the computer, not the same one you plugged it into last time.
  13. Boot the computer from the USB drive and hope that the problem is now solved.

Disconnect the USB drive and insert it again

You should rule out that the error message “A Required CD/DVD Drive Device Driver is Missing” when installing Windows 7 is caused by a random or one-time problem with the installation USB drive or the USB port it is plugged into or some other incredibly common problem.

  1. To fix this problem, simply unplug the Windows 7 USB drive, wait a while, and then plug it back into the USB port.
  2. Then try booting from the USB drive and installing Windows 7 to see if the error message persists.

Disconnect the USB drive and insert it into another USB port

You may get an error message “A Required CD/DVD Drive Device Driver is Missing” when you install Windows 7 from a Windows 7 USB drive because there is a problem with the USB port the USB drive is connected to.

If there is no problem with the USB port, the USB port you are using may be a USB 3.0 port, and as we said before, the Windows 7 installation environment simply does not support USB 3.0, which means that it may not be able to read the installation files on the USB flash drive.

  1. In this case, you can get rid of the error message by simply disconnecting the USB flash drive from the USB port it is plugged into and plugging it into a different USB port on your computer.
  2. It would be very helpful if the USB port you are plugging the flash drive into is a USB 2.0 port.
  3. Also make sure that the USB ports do not have any voltage drop issues, as these can interfere with the ISO installation.
  4. After plugging the USB flash drive into a different USB port, try booting from the USB flash drive and installing Windows 7 to see if the problem is resolved.



APPROVED: To fix Windows errors, click here.



Frequently Asked Questions

If you see the error "No driver for the required CD/DVD drive", you can try to fix it simply by unplugging the USB drive and plugging it back into your computer. You will then be able to install Windows 7 using the USB drive without any problems. If the error persists, try a different USB port.

  1. Switch to a USB 2.0 port.
  2. Set the partition as active.
  3. Create a new disk.
  4. Turn on the xHCI handoff option in your BIOS.
  5. Switch everything to legacy mode and set the DVD or USB as the boot device.

  1. Remove any CDs that might be in the drive.
  2. Click Start, then type Device Manager in the search box.
  3. Double-click on the DVD/CD-ROM drives.
  4. Right-click on the drive name and select Uninstall.

  1. Turn off your computer completely.
  2. Open your computer to install your CD or DVD drive.
  3. Remove the drive bay cover.
  4. Set the drive to IDE mode.
  5. Insert the CD/DVD drive into the computer.
  6. Connect the internal audio cable.
  7. Connect the CD/DVD drive to your computer with the IDE cable.