E Drive working irregularly

E Drive working irregularly
It's not Excel, but Works Spreadsheet. However, I'll see if Works can "detect and repair".

As for a driver clean, I'd appreciate some instruction.

Thanks.

STEP ONE - With the CD tray open, carefully blow compressed air in through the front of the CD tray opening. Do not blow with too high of a pressure as this may damage sensitive components. (You can also blow via a straw)

STEP TWO - Buy a lens cleaning kit. For cleaning CD players and DVD players I use the Memorex CD/DVD Laser Lens Cleaner for its quality and ease of use.

STEP THREE - Use the CD drive cleaning kit as directed. Directions for using the Memorex CD / DVD laser lens cleaner are as follows:

Insert the Laser Lens Cleaner into your drive.
Listen and follow the audio voice instructions to guide you through the cleaning cycle and audio system checks.
After use, store the Laser Lens Cleaner in its case to prevent brush contamination.

Also check the disks themselves for dust/scratches - clean with anti static cloth. For scratches; any mild abrasive like furniture polish, Pledge, or plastic polish works fine for removing disk scratches.

When you say the disk won't "play," that makes me think you are relying on the auto start function of the CD -- which might not be working.

Are you able to read the contents of the Works CD using Windows Explorer?

If so, do you see the setup.exe file?
If so, what happens when you double click that file?

Or, as an alternative to MS Works, have you considered the Open Office suite of programs, downloadable for free here:

http://www.openoffice.org/

The Open Office Calc program is a fine alternative to Excel. Something to consider.