problem with cd burning

uh, i have a problem with my laptop's cd burner (combo drive). it can play and read cd's/vcd's/dvd's but won't burn files on cd's anymore. my laptop is a toshiba satellite a40, purchased june 2004. it has 768mb ram (upgraded from 256mb)
, celeron 2.6mhz, and runs on winxp-sp2.
i discovered the problem only late october, when my software (nero 6) won't
verify contents on the cd's i burned using the laptop's combo drive. the laptop's nero 6 would burn cd's properly on external cd burners, though.
shortly before i discovered the problem, i found that the combo drive would lock up when i instructed nero to burn more than 1 copy of a disc (in the settings, when i specified 2 or 3 copies to be made). i didn't smell anything burning, though, and the burner would work well when i instructed it to burn one disc at a time.
is there some setting that i may have overlooked, or should i kiss the combo drive goodbye and buy an external burner?
i'd really appreciate any suggestions. thanks!

If I remember correctly, there is actually a different head in the drive for burning. - Have you tried cleaning the drive out? - If that don't help, you may be looking at replacing it.

hi, 3fingersalute. thanks for the suggestion. i borrowed a disc cleaner from a friend, it still didn't work out. the drive can still read cd's but no luck with writing files. to be sure, i used both nero 6 and roxio (built-in for winxp). nada.

i've also been looking for a possible replacement drive for the satellite a40. the ones i've seen so far being sold in metro manila are dvd burners for dell laptops, the hot-swappable ones. as much as possible, i avoid asking the official distributor because its prices are too high and most likely it's going to take 2 weeks just to 'replace' it. not acceptable for someone who needs to use the laptop literally everyday.

a standard cd drive cleaner would only be cleaning the read head, not the write head. - try blowing it out with air, if that don't work, possibly cleaning the head with a tad of alcohol.

then again, there might only be one head in new burners, i'm not really sure as its been years upon years since I've had one apart. :confused:

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Originally Posted by 3fingersalute

..then again, there might only be one head in new burners, i'm not really sure as its been years upon years since I've had one apart. :confused:

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'Tis me gets confus-ed & we can't have that spreading too far, as I'm sure you'll agree ;) - so I'll tell you that any unit described as 'combo' almost invariably will have dual lasers - it was considered a selling point once upon a time, but since generally it doubles your chance of unit failure, it wasn't such a smart notion at all ..

Because of the fact that this unit 'died slowly' (wouldn't initially do multiple copies, then wouldn't do any at all) I'd say that the writing head is damaged/impaired somehow. Judicious cleaning may rescue it temporarily, but I think you'd probably be better with a new one anyway by the sounds of matters & get faster writing speeds, more formats covered etc & personally for any laptop user, I always recommend, if replacing (outside of warranty), that unless they really can't put up with the inconvience that they buy an external unit (external writers have gotten much more reasonable price wise & if you 'diy' with say a usb enclose & an IDE writer, pretty cheap really), replacing with the exact OEM part is often 'stupidly' expensive ..

hi confus-ed! thanks for the input. i'll be looking for an external combo so my desktop pc and laptop can both use it, though my brother advised me to get an internal drive for the desktop instead. he said an hp external combo messed up their work twice.

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Originally Posted by hotpotato71

..though my brother advised me to get an internal drive for the desktop instead..

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Horses for courses methinks then ..my experience is that internal replacement units are as said 'stupidly expensive', & that sharing a unit in a desktop means lots of messing about with running cables (or buying wireless stuff), network permissions & firewall configuration & its 'fixed' - & hence why my general recommendation is an external usb unit is 'bestest' for most folks in most situations - how are you gonna use your burner if you 'go mobile' otherwise ?

I'd say a usb writer is no more or less likely to 'stuff up' any given write or read than any ide connected equivalent, its all in the setup of windows & burning software & the compliance of any given burner model..

Cost wise your brothers suggestion will be cheapest by about 50%, if you already have lan stuff, but if not - even two lan cards & a cable - will make an external usb about the same cost.

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Originally Posted by hotpotato71

hi, 3fingersalute. thanks for the suggestion. i borrowed a disc cleaner from a friend, it still didn't work out. the drive can still read cd's but no luck with writing files. to be sure, i used both nero 6 and roxio (built-in for winxp). nada.

i've also been looking for a possible replacement drive for the satellite a40. the ones i've seen so far being sold in metro manila are dvd burners for dell laptops, the hot-swappable ones. as much as possible, i avoid asking the official distributor because its prices are too high and most likely it's going to take 2 weeks just to 'replace' it. not acceptable for someone who needs to use the laptop literally everyday.

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Your saying you using two burning programs at once? that could cause the problem, and BTW CD cleaners and DVD cleaners are different you should invest in both.

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Originally Posted by slavedriver

Your saying you using two burning programs at once? that could cause the problem..

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Generally yes, but when its the win xp built in stuff, then its not ;) (well unless you are using some 'older' program that wants the windows burning service off). Its burning programs that introduce their own proprietry burning engines & therefore add 'a driver' (strictly this is a 'filter class driver' which applies to a class of device {any/all fitted} as opposed to 'for one device') which experience this issue .. :)

Btw what do you think the difference between a cd cleaning kit & a dvd cleaning kit is ? As I can't think there is any ? .. but I'm happy to be ed-ucated ;)