I have the same problem with just installed Ubuntu 8.04 on Lenovo laptop.

sudo dmidecode -s system-version
LENOVO3000 N200

$ uname -r
2.6.24-19-generic

CD/DVD device just simply gone:
$ sudo lshw -C disk
  *-disk                  
       description: ATA Disk
       product: ST9120822AS
       vendor: Seagate
       physical id: 0.0.0
       bus info: scsi@0:0.0.0
       logical name: /dev/sda
       version: 3.CL
       serial: 5LZ7L4F6
       size: 111GiB (120GB)
       capabilities: partitioned partitioned:dos
       configuration: ansiversion=5 signature=ed1f86f7

Here's output of command lspsi -vnn:
00:00.0 Host bridge [0600]: Intel Corporation Mobile PM965/GM965/GL960 Memory Controller Hub [8086:2a00] (rev 03)
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c16]
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
	Capabilities: <access denied>

00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:2a02] (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c18]
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 16
	Memory at f4000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1M]
	Memory at d0000000 (64-bit, prefetchable) [size=256M]
	I/O ports at 1800 [size=8]
	Capabilities: <access denied>

00:02.1 Display controller [0380]: Intel Corporation Mobile GM965/GL960 Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:2a03] (rev 03)
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c18]
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
	Memory at f4100000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1M]
	Capabilities: <access denied>

00:1a.0 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #4 [8086:2834] (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c23]
	Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 16
	I/O ports at 1820 [size=32]

00:1a.1 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #5 [8086:2835] (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c24]
	Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 19
	I/O ports at 1840 [size=32]

00:1a.7 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #2 [8086:283a] (rev 03) (prog-if 20 [EHCI])
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c25]
	Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 18
	Memory at f4704800 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1K]
	Capabilities: <access denied>

00:1b.0 Audio device [0403]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) HD Audio Controller [8086:284b] (rev 03)
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c19]
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 22
	Memory at f4500000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
	Capabilities: <access denied>

00:1c.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) PCI Express Port 1 [8086:283f] (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [Normal decode])
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
	Bus: primary=00, secondary=02, subordinate=03, sec-latency=0
	I/O behind bridge: 00002000-00002fff
	Memory behind bridge: f2000000-f3ffffff
	Prefetchable memory behind bridge: 00000000f0000000-00000000f1ffffff
	Capabilities: <access denied>

00:1c.1 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) PCI Express Port 2 [8086:2841] (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [Normal decode])
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
	Bus: primary=00, secondary=05, subordinate=05, sec-latency=0
	Memory behind bridge: f4200000-f42fffff
	Capabilities: <access denied>

00:1c.2 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) PCI Express Port 3 [8086:2843] (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [Normal decode])
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
	Bus: primary=00, secondary=06, subordinate=06, sec-latency=0
	Memory behind bridge: f4300000-f43fffff
	Capabilities: <access denied>

00:1d.0 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1 [8086:2830] (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c20]
	Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 20
	I/O ports at 1860 [size=32]

00:1d.1 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2 [8086:2831] (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c21]
	Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 21
	I/O ports at 1880 [size=32]

00:1d.2 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3 [8086:2832] (rev 03) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c22]
	Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 18
	I/O ports at 18a0 [size=32]

00:1d.7 USB Controller [0c03]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #1 [8086:2836] (rev 03) (prog-if 20 [EHCI])
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c25]
	Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 20
	Memory at f4704c00 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1K]
	Capabilities: <access denied>

00:1e.0 PCI bridge [0604]: Intel Corporation 82801 Mobile PCI Bridge [8086:2448] (rev f3) (prog-if 01 [Subtractive decode])
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0
	Bus: primary=00, secondary=0a, subordinate=0a, sec-latency=32
	Memory behind bridge: f4400000-f44fffff
	Capabilities: <access denied>

00:1f.0 ISA bridge [0601]: Intel Corporation 82801HEM (ICH8M) LPC Interface Controller [8086:2815] (rev 03)
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c28]
	Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0
	Capabilities: <access denied>

00:1f.1 IDE interface [0101]: Intel Corporation 82801HBM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) IDE Controller [8086:2850] (rev 03) (prog-if 8a [Master SecP PriP])
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c2b]
	Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 21
	I/O ports at 01f0 [size=8]
	I/O ports at 03f4 [size=1]
	I/O ports at 0170 [size=8]
	I/O ports at 0374 [size=1]
	I/O ports at 1810 [size=16]

00:1f.2 SATA controller [0106]: Intel Corporation 82801HBM/HEM (ICH8M/ICH8M-E) SATA AHCI Controller [8086:2829] (rev 03) (prog-if 01 [AHCI 1.0])
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c28]
	Flags: bus master, 66MHz, medium devsel, latency 0, IRQ 220
	I/O ports at 1c00 [size=8]
	I/O ports at 18d4 [size=4]
	I/O ports at 18d8 [size=8]
	I/O ports at 18d0 [size=4]
	I/O ports at 18e0 [size=32]
	Memory at f4704000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=2K]
	Capabilities: <access denied>

00:1f.3 SMBus [0c05]: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) SMBus Controller [8086:283e] (rev 03)
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c29]
	Flags: medium devsel, IRQ 10
	Memory at 50000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
	I/O ports at 1c20 [size=32]

05:00.0 Ethernet controller [0200]: Broadcom Corporation NetLink BCM5906M Fast Ethernet PCI Express [14e4:1713] (rev 02)
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c2c]
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 219
	Memory at f4200000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=64K]
	Expansion ROM at <ignored> [disabled]
	Capabilities: <access denied>

06:00.0 Network controller [0280]: Broadcom Corporation BCM94311MCG wlan mini-PCI [14e4:4311] (rev 01)
	Subsystem: Broadcom Corporation Unknown device [14e4:0465]
	Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 18
	Memory at f4300000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16K]
	Capabilities: <access denied>

0a:09.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394) [0c00]: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C832 IEEE 1394 Controller [1180:0832] (prog-if 10 [OHCI])
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c11]
	Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 16
	Memory at f4400000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=2K]
	Capabilities: <access denied>

0a:09.1 SD Host controller [0805]: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C822 SD/SDIO/MMC/MS/MSPro Host Adapter [1180:0822] (rev 19)
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c12]
	Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 18
	Memory at f4400800 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
	Capabilities: <access denied>

0a:09.2 System peripheral [0880]: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C843 MMC Host Controller [1180:0843] (rev 0a)
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c14]
	Flags: medium devsel, IRQ 11
	Memory at f4400c00 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
	Capabilities: <access denied>

0a:09.3 System peripheral [0880]: Ricoh Co Ltd R5C592 Memory Stick Bus Host Adapter [1180:0592] (rev 05)
	Subsystem: Lenovo Unknown device [17aa:3c15]
	Flags: medium devsel, IRQ 11
	Memory at f4401000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
	Capabilities: <access denied>

0a:09.4 System peripheral [0880]: Ricoh Co Ltd xD-Picture Card Controller [1180:0852] (rev ff) (prog-if ff)
	!!! Unknown header type 7f


If I set acpi=off as a kernel parameter then DVD device is available, but that is bad solution for laptop.

BTW,  Fedora 9 live CD on USB drive drive correctly detects both hard and CD drives.

I think this issue is related to bug #Bug #221895: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/221895