CD-R not being written on a CDRW device. CPU has DVD-rom device too.

[optimizer]

Hi,

I have a computer with a "HL-DT-ST CD-RW GCE-8400B" which I think is made by LG Electronics (Goldstar).

When putting a new CD-R into it and trying to write from MS Explorer (preinstalled "developed under license from Roxio"), it looks like it's trying to write and then goes into the finalization stage then stops and says it may have corrupted my CD.

I tried an old CDRW that I had written to before. I see the files on it. (Note, the CDRW is reading files fine - intstalling software from it no problem). I tried to write a little test.txt to it, and it say's there is no cd in the drive...

I tried again after a re-boot:

I tried writing to the CD-RW first this time, and it wrote to the cd like it always had (except when it failed after the failed CD-R attempt)

I tried writing to my new CD-R’s (I’ve never had a need for them until now).

It says:

1/ Writing the data files to the CD – Est = 5 secs

2/ Performing steps to make the CD….

3/ Cannot complete the CD writing wizard

I’ve noticed that somewhere in the process MS Explorer drops down from Drive E (CD-RW) to the next avail drive mapping…

I'd installed ISOBURN 1.5 from www.paehl.de recently, could/would it have altered anything/drivers that would stop the drive working.

I'd searched for drivers, but Win XP home says there are no newer ones.

If it's a driver issue (it looks like there are 6 files - cdrom.sys GEARAspiWDM.sys, imapi.sys, pfc.sys, redbook.sys, storprop.sys - do any of these relate to ISOBURN - I happen to have a Samsung DVD-ROM separate drive too, so not sure if any of these drivers relate to that too (it looks like they probably do), but those 6 are what show up in the Driver File Details window for the cd-rw), what do I do with them.

It looks like it's an SP2 file

On the Driver tab: Driver Version = 5.1.2535.0

On the Driver Details button: 5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158) is on all the MS entries.

The *WDM.sys and PFC.sys, don't have checkmarks next to them - MS products - the others are Gear software and Padus.

I wonder if this means the SP2 update hosed the CD - if so, how do I get the old drivers back, or will they work (if they ever did - unfortunately, I never did a CD-R to know (data not Muzac)). Not sure if the SP2 upgrade keeps an old driver to restore to.



Some other questions

I’ve also noticed the files on my CD-RW cd’s that I’ve created say "access is denied" when I try to delete a file or change it’s properties from read-only. I’m the Admin, so why would that be happening on a RW disc?

In Win XP Home, where can I see the checkbox to set Autorun on/off?

Thanks for your help

[xpuser357]

From what I read you do not have any burning software but what is written
In XP windows. I do not believe XP has a program to erase what is on CD
to reburn. Your rewriter should have a Program to access your REWRITER
If not You need to go out and buy Nero 6.6 or any other Burning software
besides what is loaded in XP That will do what you want.

[optimizer]

Thanks.
Well, I know it is able to burn to a CD-RW disc - just not to a CD-R.
These CD-R's are 700MB, not 650MB, but the computer isn't 5 years or more old, so I would think it should be able to handle it. HIGH-SPEED.
I'm not sure what the issue is with the "access is denied". Maybe standard Win XP Home is just inadiquate and can't handle CD-RW's? - it seems like there is some software in it licenced from Roxio though.
Who knows, maybe there is something simple that I just don't know about the process. You used to have to format them first, so I don't know if that is still an issue, but havent' seen anything saying you have to (New Imation CD's, just bought the other day).

[optimizer]

OK, well, I've studied the current modern CD writing process a bit more.

So Windows XP is inadequate and can't process a CD like a hard disk (You'd think those people who wrote DOS long ago could handle a round disk writable medium), or at least utilize some decent technology from someone that knows how. This used to be the whole point of us buying operating systems.
Back to the subject....
So the CD-RW cd's can't be simply used like a regular hard or floppy disk. You just keep writing to them until they are full, or until you want to erase the "WHOLE" (can't erase part of it) thing.
But your NERO etc 3rd party software will probably allow the essential features missing from Win XP (I'll have to check out this in Linux - standard, or software needed?).

So I tried again.
Writing using the CD-R failed as it did before.
I tried writing to the CD-RW right after that, and it worked fine again.
For both, I tried slowing from FASTEST to 16X (it's a 40X max write).
I also noticed that even after the CD-R failed (and informed it could be corrupt), it was recognized as 702MB free - RAW format. The CD-RW is CDFS format.

During the finalization stage of the CD-R, I hear a lot of noise like the drive is trying - stopping- trying- stopping-trying etc (kinda like most workplaces air conditioner's when they are of the blink (most of the time )).

So it's the CD-R CD that's failing, and CD-RW's work fine?????
Do you think all these fresh CD-R's I've been trying are all destroyed?

Thanks

[optimizer]

ISOBURN's Mr. Paehl say's it's nothing to do with his software - it installs no drivers etc.

[optimizer]

The CD-RW produced an error again.

Insert a writable disk to continue
There is no disk in the drive
Please insert a writable cd into the drive ?:\

I decided to go into properties . I switched the "enable write to cd" off and then back on.

The Cd-rw appeared.
I could write to it.

I thought I'd try putting a cd-r in and switching the option on and off.

No luck.

I returned to the cd-rw. It didn't seem like it had written everything, and the total of the bytes used and free was nowhere near 650mb.

[confus-ed]

..I'd searched for drivers, but Win XP home says there are no newer ones.

If it's a driver issue (it looks like there are 6 files - cdrom.sys GEARAspiWDM.sys, imapi.sys, pfc.sys, redbook.sys, storprop.sys - do any of these relate to ISOBURN - I happen to have a Samsung DVD-ROM separate drive too, so not sure if any of these drivers relate to that too (it looks like they probably do), but those 6 are what show up in the Driver File Details window for the cd-rw), what do I do with them.

Look at my sticky at the top of this forum section, & you've here managed to figure out what I normally get folks to self diagnose, by using the 'class filter driver load order tool' ...

CD's & DVD's don't strictly have drivers in windows from 9x onwards, much of their function is handled by system files doing the job of a driver, what they have instead is 'class filter drivers' which add functionality for a particular product (usually some burning application, e.g. nero, but also 'virtual drive' type products, like alcohol 120, daemon tools etc..)

Trouble is these 'class filter drivers' don't 'know' about any others that might get installed (well they do, but windows is so cobbled together that the inheritances & 'forwards' {an inheritance that will be granted later} can't propogate correctly), so if you get more than one of these present, or them installed in the wrong order, you get issue..

A good starting point to try & fix this, is to set a restore point, remove any & ALL burning type programs (re-run the test tool I mentioned, or re-examine the tabs in device manager to make sure all ''class filter drivers' are gone {the only 'ok' values for cd/dvd filter drivers' are 'impai' &/or 'redbook'}) & then try the bit, again in my sticky, called the 'upper & lowers filters fix' (this references a registry key which needs editing), then add back just one burning product & test ..