Burner doesn't actually burn

[Burch]

Last month, I burned a disk using Creator Class v7; everything indicated success. But the disk was not readable. Windows Explorer couldn't read it (a long pause of 15 to 20 seconds after I right-clicked on it); Creator Classic couldn't read it. When I repeated the process with a rewritable, it could not be read *and* it had to be erased before it could be burned-to again.

 

The burning was on a 4-year-old HL-DT-...GMA4020B (Hitachi-LG). I used several brands & types of media, that I've been using for several years with never a problem.

 

I bought a new HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-H10N earlier this week -- same result!

 

I found a topic on a *very* similar problem at http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=205734 [The originator has not posted any responses as of right now; he did not mention what software he was using.]

 

I'm suspicious now of the new second harddrive (internal Maxtor) that I installed late November -- maybe its drivers messed up something else (the burner, or Roxio, or something). But I did get a few good burns after that install and before the first bad burns. I had also added memory, and have removed and retested, with no change (so reinstalled the new memory).

 

Creator Classic is the only part of Roxio that I actually use. Any advice? Thanks.

 

Larry

(A Roxio user since [Adaptec] ECDC v3.5)

 

 

Gateway 700S (4 years old)

Windows XP Home SP2

Roxio v7

[gi7omy]

That's the main thing - if all works. You could spend days theorising as to what the problem was but in the end, so long as it's fixed, that's all that matters

[Burch]

I don't do no automatic Windows updates; I don't do no manual updates (not since installing SP2 a couple of years ago). I'm running IEv6 and WMPv10. So I'm pretty much backlevel on anything from M$, and from a lot of other vendors. And that's fine with me -- very few problems.

 

I'm ashamed that I failed to include the text of Windows' error message: "Windows cannot read from this disk. The disk might be corrupted, or it could be using a format that is not compatible wih Windows."

 

That quote is actually from the other guy's posting at CDFreaks; he did also finally say that he uses Nero.

 

A couple of nights ago, my daughter had sucessfully burned a cd using WMPv10 (on my machine), so I suspected that maybe only Roxio might be messed up. But last night I was unable to burn using WMP. I had never tried to use WMP to burn, so I'll ask her to try with WMP again tonight.

 

Anyhow -- since he isn't using Roxio, then it's quite unlikely that Roxio is (or has) the problem. But thanks for listening, and if ideas arise, please repond!

[Burch]

Problem is now resolved!

 

My daughter showed me how to burn using WMP; that was successful. I also burned with freeware CDBurnerXP Pro 3, so looks like the problem was confined to Roxio.

 

My Gateway computer has a System Restore function, which I had never even looked at before. But it showed me that on Nov 23, between installing Napster and removing Napster, there was an entry for "Removed Roxio Burn Engine".

 

I then used System Restore to *restore* the "Roxio burn engine" item, and now Roxio burns satisfactorily.

 

I was doing the Napster stuff in November only because I just happened to discover, looking at Windows Task Manager, that DirectCD was running (I've never used DirectCD, wasn't aware it was being loaded), so I went through the recommended procedure to remove DirectCD -- and lost the burn engine along the way.

 

And I found that the DirectCD that was being loaded was actually for ECDC v5! I have now completely removed v5, including editing the registry to remove the startup of v5 DirectCD also.

[Guest ml]

Has Windows Update automatically installed Internet Explorer 7? That 'breaks' EMC 7 (and other programs).

 

You'll have to uninstall Internet Explorer 7 and use IE 6.

 

If that doesn't work, you can try a Windows\ Add Remove Programs\ Roxio\ Change\ REPAIR.

 

Also, check to see if there are any updates/firmware on the website of your computer/dvd burner manufacturer. Or try reinstalling the burner. From other postings on these boards, it seems that some Windows Updates are changing the settings and deleting some files that burners need to operate.

[golinux]

Thanks for reporting back that you've gotten things working. Your post may help someone else in the future.

[gi7omy]

In hindsight that could have been the root cause - two packet writing programs there without being spotted (no packet writing s/w ever gets along with any other - they all want to hog the drive)

[grandpabruce]

Has Windows Update automatically installed Internet Explorer 7? That 'breaks' EMC 7 (and other programs).

 

You'll have to uninstall Internet Explorer 7 and use IE 6.

 

If that doesn't work, you can try a Windows\ Add Remove Programs\ Roxio\ Change\ REPAIR.

 

Also, check to see if there are any updates/firmware on the website of your computer/dvd burner manufacturer. Or try reinstalling the burner. From other postings on these boards, it seems that some Windows Updates are changing the settings and deleting some files that burners need to operate.

 

 

And while you are at it, dump WMP 11, another killer Microsoft app.

[Burch]

In hindsight that could have been the root cause - two packet writing programs there without being spotted (no packet writing s/w ever gets along with any other - they all want to hog the drive)

 

Well, no, Daithi, not *two* packet-writers. I had only one, ECDC v5; and did not remember having ever tried to use it. That would have been more than 2 years ago. And I did the Napster stuff because I assumed the DirectCD was the EMCv7 version, so during the re-install-then-remove-Napster (or whatever) I seem to have perhaps taken a choice that did something not intended with the burn engine.

 

But we're cool now, since we're burning again.