[drummindog]

I am trying to remotely support a fellow who has emailed me some information---included below. This problem doesn't seem to make much sense, but maybe you could shed some light on a fix if you have seen this.

I asked him to test something by just reinstalling the product over itself to see if maybe it would correct something that is missing. Waiting to hear back on whether it does anything to correct it.

We are running Windows XP SP2.

From his email to me:
All of the new computers seem to have this issue - I have tried on all of the models except the premium laptops. The behavior of the CD-ROM drives is funny - For instance, if you have an audio cd in the drive, eject it, then put a CD-RW in the drive 20 minutes later, Windows still seems to think that there is an audio cd in the drive and tries to open the CD-RW with Windows Media Player. When you try to write files to a CD-RW drive, it tells you there is no disk in the drive

I have tried to use the DLA, formatting the disk, etc. This works, but not as well, but It still does not recognize the disk as a DLA formatted disk until you restart the computer. It does not seem to recognize a CD-RW disk at all unless it is DLA formatted and the computer is restarted.

We have several HP dc5700's that were hand loaded with Windows, they are able to use the Windows writing function with no issues, regardless of whether DLA is installed or not. I have also tried uninstalling Roxio altogether and this does not help the issue with Windows detecting a new CD format being placed in the drive.

Some stats on the program:
Module Name: Sonic DigitalMedia Plus v7
Build: 2.4.33a

Module Name: PX Engine
Build: 2.7.27a, 67

Module Name: Sonic Audio Module
Version: 2.0.4
Build: 204B28J, HPO

Module Name: Sonic Copy Module
Version: 2.0.4
Build: 204B28L, HPO

Module Name: Sonic Data Module
Version: 2.0.4
Build: 204B30G, HPO




Any Help is much appreciated!!

This post has been edited by drummindog: 07 November 2007 - 10:12 AM

[drummindog]

Anyone?

What? Too much detail in the original post?

Ok, cue the crickets....

[lynn98109]

Not sure what your friend is trying to do, but there's no way I'd have DLA running on any computer of mine - or any other Packet-Writing program (Roxio's Drag2Disc or DirectCD, Nero's InCD, etc).

Lynn

[Larry]

Well, this is a user message board forum, not a chat room or tech support for Roxio/Sonic, so getting answers is dependant on your fellow users being logged on and seeing your post. Which, with the product you are asking about, is not one very many of the regulars are all that familiar with. That aside.....

A few things to check on or try.

Try updating the PXEngine. That often helps with drive recognition issues. Here's the info for that:
**** PX Engine 3.0
http://images.roxio.com/en/support/pxengine3_00_58a.zip
It's also found in KB article here:
http://kb.roxio.com/content/kb/General%20I...mation/000008GN

Have them uninstall DLA.

Have them check and make sure they do not have IE 7 or WMP 11 installed. If the do, they need to uninstall both and rollback to IE 6 and WMP 10 (see MS website for uninstalling WMP 11, there are a couple steps involved).

[drummindog]

[quote name='Larry' date='Nov 7 2007, 10:40 AM' post='163823']
Well, this is a user message board forum, not a chat room or tech support for Roxio/Sonic, so getting answers is dependant on your fellow users being logged on and seeing your post. Which, with the product you are asking about, is not one very many of the regulars are all that familiar with. That aside.....

I appreciate your help. I will have them try it.

I am not sure why you felt you had to reply like you did. I was just being a little humorous.

[Larry]

Was just trying to be informative, nothing more

We see a number of posts where users think they're in a chat room or that they are contacting Roxio/Sonic directly and wonder why they aren't getting immediate responses. Using smilies in your post can help get the humor point across. It's hard to read the intended inflection sometimes in messages.

Let us know how the suggestions work out for you.

[drummindog]

Was just trying to be informative, nothing more

We see a number of posts where users think they're in a chat room or that they are contacting Roxio/Sonic directly and wonder why they aren't getting immediate responses. Using smilies in your post can help get the humor point across. It's hard to read the intended inflection sometimes in messages.

Let us know how the suggestions work out for you.

Will do. I never thought I was in a chat room or such, but have been racking my brain on this problem from 250 miles away from where the problem exists. I figured the cue the crickets comment might make someone laugh...oh well.

These types of problems can drive you crazy. The other thing about my job that can drive you crazy is the site techs that complain about a problem but then you cannot get them engaged in fixing it...they're too busy doing something else to even communicate with you.

[Larry]

Will do. I never thought I was in a chat room or such, but have been racking my brain on this problem from 250 miles away from where the problem exists. I figured the cue the crickets comment might make someone laugh...oh well.

These types of problems can drive you crazy. The other thing about my job that can drive you crazy is the site techs that complain about a problem but then you cannot get them engaged in fixing it...they're too busy doing something else to even communicate with you.

It was cute, and it did make me smile .

[gaper1]

If Roxio software is uninstalled, does the same issue happen with Audio CD and CD-RW?

Also, your co-worker can probably try to disable DLA all together and enable Windows Writing and see what happens.

[drummindog]

If Roxio software is uninstalled, does the same issue happen with Audio CD and CD-RW?

Also, your co-worker can probably try to disable DLA all together and enable Windows Writing and see what happens.

He has indicated in a previous email to me that it makes no difference whether Sonic is uninstalled. I have emailed the suggestions including yours (saw that idea in another post or forum somewhere) and we will see. Apparently the tech is stretched thin between sites.

I am going to test the PXEngine update on my test laptop.

Have you guys and gals seen the IMAPI 2.0 version for XP? I am going to test with that too. Apparently, OEMs and ISVs have encountered massive support calls and this updated IMAPI 2.0 version that was first developed for Vista is now available for XP. Check Microsoft.com for details...sorry for no link.

[drummindog]

He has indicated in a previous email to me that it makes no difference whether Sonic is uninstalled. I have emailed the suggestions including yours (saw that idea in another post or forum somewhere) and we will see. Apparently the tech is stretched thin between sites.

I am going to test the PXEngine update on my test laptop.

Have you guys and gals seen the IMAPI 2.0 version for XP? I am going to test with that too. Apparently, OEMs and ISVs have encountered massive support calls and this updated IMAPI 2.0 version that was first developed for Vista is now available for XP. Check Microsoft.com for details...sorry for no link.

Supposedly, IMAPI 2.0 will let you burn DVDs via the Windows Burner. Not sure about that one, but thought that is what it said in the article on it. Need to test that, but the Windows CD Burner worked flawlessly with a regular CD-R. This is with both the PX Engine update and the IMAPI 2.0 install. There might be hope yet!! Hopefully this will correct whatever his problems with CDRWs seems to be.

This post has been edited by drummindog: 14 November 2007 - 11:43 AM

[lynn98109]

There are 3 kinds of optical media:

• Commercially pressed discs, which have the pits and lands physically pressed into them (pits and lands are the physical equivalent of magnetic 0's and 1's)
• R discs, which have the pits and lands set by a laser "cooking" a dye - there are not quite as stable as commercially pressed discs, but close
• RW discs, which have the pits and lands set by the laser melting and re-crystalizing an aluminum alloy. At some point in time, the alloy was changed to make the discs less costly, and less reliable. You can't say in advance how long a given disc will last - usually months but it can be days or weeks or years, it varies from disc to disc - but it won't give you an engraved notice two weeks before it goes, it just goes when it goes.

A big variable was whether the RW discs were mistaken for a "great-big floppy-disc", and formatted. I thought that was how things worked. That adds the risks of Packet-Writing to the less-stable RW media, and tends to result in loss of data. I didn't believe it until I learned the hard way.

Lynn

[drummindog]

There are 3 kinds of optical media:

• Commercially pressed discs, which have the pits and lands physically pressed into them (pits and lands are the physical equivalent of magnetic 0's and 1's)
• R discs, which have the pits and lands set by a laser "cooking" a dye - there are not quite as stable as commercially pressed discs, but close
• RW discs, which have the pits and lands set by the laser melting and re-crystalizing an aluminum alloy. At some point in time, the alloy was changed to make the discs less costly, and less reliable. You can't say in advance how long a given disc will last - usually months but it can be days or weeks or years, it varies from disc to disc - but it won't give you an engraved notice two weeks before it goes, it just goes when it goes.

A big variable was whether the RW discs were mistaken for a "great-big floppy-disc", and formatted. I thought that was how things worked. That adds the risks of Packet-Writing to the less-stable RW media, and tends to result in loss of data. I didn't believe it until I learned the hard way.

Lynn

Yes, I remember seeing some of the posts you had for this. I understand the difference, but getting the products to work properly is a different animal altogether. It isn't that the data is gone, they just have issues with CD-RW disks in general. Would bet my bottom dollar that all works fine for CDs.

I told them that CD-RWs are a rediculous method for saving files and sharing them. Also, not a good idea for any CDs or DVDs of any flavor to be used if someone's personal data is what they are manipulating. They need an encrypted laptop with VPN access to a secure network share if they want to work on something at home.

But regardless, this is one of those cases where, "It worked before you upgraded to a new PC and we expect it to work exactly the same." Problem is that there could be a variety of scenarios with O/S versions, Service Packs, CD Burning Software used previously, and so on that you will never get it to work EXACTLY as it did before. Some people can't handle change no matter how small or minute it is.

This post has been edited by drummindog: 14 November 2007 - 01:21 PM

[drummindog]

Yeah, Windows XP will not recognize a DVD in the burner with IMAPI 2.0 like I seemed to have read/thought/inferred from the Microsoft site.
Maybe it is more of a Vista thing.

[lynn98109]

Yeah, Windows XP will not recognize a DVD in the burner with IMAPI 2.0 like I seemed to have read/thought/inferred from the Microsoft site.
Maybe it is more of a Vista thing.

I'm fuzzy about what you are saying here.

Do you mean that if you have a commercial DVD, WinXP can't recognize it?

Or that it won't reognize a DVD blank that you want to burn to? WinXP has no ability to burn DVDs. Windows didn't add that until Vista.

Or, how does Digital Media Plus come into the picture here?

Lynn

[drummindog]

I'm fuzzy about what you are saying here.

Do you mean that if you have a commercial DVD, WinXP can't recognize it?

Or that it won't reognize a DVD blank that you want to burn to? WinXP has no ability to burn DVDs. Windows didn't add that until Vista.

Or, how does Digital Media Plus come into the picture here?

Lynn

Apparently, I thought from something I read on the Microsoft site that it would be able to burn DVD's via the Microsoft burner on XP. This is not the case from my testing. This was not really a part of the topic, but was just added in by me as information in nature. Nothing to do with Roxio or commercially pressed DVDs.

[Beerman]

Hope you don't mind me jumping in but I did some searching and while I know very little of IMAPI 2.0, it appears there is a IMAPI update page for XP SP2. See if the info there helps you out.

[drummindog]

Hope you don't mind me jumping in but I did some searching and while I know very little of IMAPI 2.0, it appears there is a IMAPI update page for XP SP2. See if the info there helps you out.

Yes, that is one of the things I looked at yesterday.

[drummindog]

Well, I feel a little on the foolish side. The site tech neglected to tell me that they had installed or their WSUS server had installed WMP 11. Nice. To my defense, I could never get a solid answer on much of anything from him. It just goes to show you that as a tech you should never assume anything. In this case, I had to assume all was just exactly the same as the image we sent them with WMP 10 due to the lack of a pulse on his behalf. Sorry.
Thanks All.