My computer can't detect my cd's

Hello,

im jasmine, just a few days ago i inserted a cd into my computer's cd drive. i hear the computer whir but nothing happens. when i go to My Computer, the cd doesn't show up. What may be the problem causing my computer to not be able to detect cd's and how might i solve this problem?
Thanks, jasmine
ps, i have a dell inspiron 530s with windows xp