[ddouglass]

Sorry I missed the "laptop" in your first post. No software is needed for installing a cd drive.
A couple of things come to mind for this. First make sure Autorun is turned off.
Second make sure that none of the burner programs are set to run at start up. These you can find by right clicking on Start. Then click on Explore All Users. Then open Programs/startup and delete any shortcuts to Nero or Roxio. Reboot your computer and see if the drive shows up.