CD - R regonsie disc problem.

[Nyg]

Hi

The cd -rw in my HP suystem has started the follwoing problem.

When I insert a new blank cdr or rw it does not see it and the writing software asks for a disc to bew inserted.

But if I install a disc with something already written to it it sees it ok.

If I insert a music disc or program disc it sees it fine and reads perfectly.

The only problem with the drive is when I insert a blank cdr or cdrw.

Thanks

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2 heads are better than 1, but 1 is better than a committee.

 

[SuaveRick]

I had that problem with one of my old CDRWs. The lens was shot when it came to reading recordable media, it read others just fine but not recordable. You might want to try another drive if you have one available to you.

 

[Nyg]

Thanks for the reply,

But the lens must be ok because it will record to a disc that already has something on it but will not record to a blank disc.

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2 heads are better than 1, but 1 is better than a committee.

 

[cdogg]

What software are you using?

What option in the software are you selecting?

Are you making a Data or Music CD? If Data, are you trying to format it so that you can drag/drop files to it?


~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind";
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[rpearson]

Be sure Auto Detect is configured on that particular Optical drive. Also, you can try rebooting with that blank CD in the drive and it should then be seen after booting to the GUI.It sounds like a buggy drive, so you may need to get a new one.I think you can get them now for around 20 bucks.

Provide more info on the system, like OS version,etc, and I can try to be more helpful.

Good Luck...

 

[Nyg]

Hi

Cdogg

We are using record now.

Irrespective of whether the software is fired up the drive still does not see a completely empty cd it will only read one with some data on it, it only needs to be 1kb but it seems enough for the drive to register.

When you put the cd in the drive the drive light flashes but does not go constant (normal).


Cablepuller

We will try booting with the cd in the drive however I would not want to do this everytime we want to record a cd.

I also agree it is probably a buggy drive and they are only £20 (UK) so that is the easy option.

But as with most of us on here I prefer to try and fix rather than buy.

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2 heads are better than 1, but 1 is better than a committee.

 

[rpearson]

What OS are you using? This is helpful when troubleshooting.Some buggy issues are fixed with a reboot as youve probably tried already.

Assuming you have Windows installed.The operating system itself will not tell you if the CD is blank(Except for error messages upon trying to access a blank CD through the OS).The fact that you tell us that it will read programs,play music,etc.,its seems everything is fine with the device and its drivers.I would try reinstalling the burning software at this point.If you have XP on this machine, use the native CD burning program to test the device: Right click a file(create a notepad test doc for the test)\choose Send To\then choose your CDRW drive\you will then get confirmation from XP to burn the file)I would also recommend running a virus scan.Also take a trip to the device manager,in any version of Windows,to check for device issues.It might not be a bad idea to install a different burn software for troubleshooting sake.



("prefer to fix rather than buy")
Not only is replacing the drive the easy way out, but there really isnt a way to repair faulty optical drives,other than cleaning them, or resolving OS or other software issues it may have.

 

[Lemon13]

have you tried another medium yet? it seems it cant read the info track.
try reinstalling the burner software, you might have a faulty aspi driver.

 

[BadBigBen]

I may be wrong, but it doesn't seem to be a problem with the Hardware, but with the 'thinking of the subject/problem'... I've yet to see a OS that would read a BLANK CD-R/RW...

For CD-RW discs to be used they need to be formatted like any other MEDIUM (HD, FDD, ZIP, USB, Flopticals, MO's etc.) before one can use them... update Firmware if problems arise in recognition of MEDIA or do a Burn Software update, or go with a better Burn Software like NERO, ie.

For CD-R, you need to have the BURN SOFT running in order for the use of them... if this doen't help, you need to update your Firmware for the CD drive aswell as update your Burn Software, as then it seems that the drive doesn't recognize the MEDIUM in use... updating the Burn Software can also help as it may have parameters for certain Media that the drive in use may not have (no support for Firmware anymore - discontinued drive, etc.)...

Ben

 

[cdogg]

For CD-RW discs to be used they need to be formatted like any other MEDIUM

Ben,
Well that's only true when you are formatting a CD-RW to act as a floppy with "drag & drop" file access (aka Packet Writing on the fly). CD-RW and CD-R are virtually identical to burning software programs like Easy CD and Nero Burning ROM, with the simple exception that CD-RW's can be erased. For example, if I want to burn data to a CD-RW, all I would have to do is pop in a brand new CD-RW and choose to make a Data CD in Nero. No formatting prior to burning is necessary in that case.


Nyg,
The next thing I would try is to uninstall/reinstall your software, followed by using another like Nero 6 (there's a demo available for download at their site).


~cdogg
[tab]"All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind";
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[BadBigBen]

cdogg - thnx for pointing that out... I forgot that not all people are that informed as you or I and just took that as a given fact... *humbly bows (seriously meant no ironie there*

Ben

 

[EaseMyPain]

Yeah update your firmware for your drive. Thats sorts out a load of problems.

 

[hiya5150]

i have a similar problem. my cd burner/dvd drive (from lg running on win xp) will read blank cd's as well as audio cd's (only those with NO DAMAGE whatsoever) and data cd's no problem. but it will not read any game cd's i.e. scrabble, boggle etc. (it pretends nothing is in there)or audio cd's that are even slightly scratched and read fine in other cd drives.

VERY FRUSTRATING. should i try reinstalling the driver? should i buy a cleaning cd? what are my options?

P.S. this same drives is VERY PICKY with the cd's it will burn on. i've tried several brands, it won't burn on memorex or even on SONY CD-R's!! when burning is finished, and i check the cd, it's blank. it works fine with others like td-k, k hypermedia sony cd-rw's so i can work around it.

 

[BadBigBen]

hiya5150 - Normally, one thread per problem/user... I would suggest that you update the firmware and Burn-Software you are using on that drive, this will ensure that more and different media can be burned... about the reading or better said not reading of certain Games/CD's etc. well this could be a problem with the alignment of the burner, can others read your burned CD's or have you burned Audio CD's and are they playable in a normal CD player? if not, then this indicates a misaligned or dirty drive!

As most CD burners are cheap these days, I would suggest you get yourself another Burner (doesn't have to be top of the line) if the above suggestions don't help... btw they go anywhere between $20 to $40 these days...

Ben