A common Problem I have seen in Vista, even with new PCs, is that Optical drives (DVD, CD) don't work, at all. Usually removing the upper and lower filters from the registry will fix this.

Follow these steps:
1.Click Start, type the following and then hit ENTER

If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.

2.Locate, and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

CAUTION: There can be many instances of the registry subkey that is mentioned in step 2. You must make sure that you are in the appropriate registry subkey before modifying the UpperFilters and the LowerFilters values. To verify that you are in the appropriate registry subkey, make sure that the Default data value is DVD/CD-ROM and the Class data value is CDROM.

3.In the right pane, right-click UpperFilters, and then click Delete.

4.Click Yes to confirm the removal of the UpperFilters registry entry.

5.In the right pane, right-click LowerFilters, and then click Delete.

6.Click Yes to confirm the removal of the LowerFilters registry entry.

7.Exit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

Note: After you remove the UpperFilters registry entry and the LowerFilters registry entry, you may lose functionality in certain programs such as CD recording programs. In this scenario, you must reinstall any affected programs. If the problem recurs, contact the program vendor to determine whether an update is available for the program.