Both burner's won't read or write

[aslakeview]

I am having a devil of a time using my CD roms. On my HP lap top the CD rom doesn't recognize anything that I am trying to burn or read. When I tried adding an external CD burner it wouldn't read it either. I am using XP and have uninstalled Nero and reinstalled it without any success. I also get a screen that comes up now that tells me that it needs to shut down windows or it may cause severe damage to our computer. The external was working when I first started using it but now the blue screen of death comes up listing the information below. Every time this happens I get a different message posted. The last one a small bit of text that changes each time now Bad_Pool_Header before that Page_Faule_in_Nonpaged_area. I have the whole message if it needs to be posted. The green light is flashing on the LT. Thanks, Ralph.

[confus-ed]

..but now the blue screen of death comes up listing the information below. Every time this happens I get a different message posted. The last one a small bit of text that changes each time now Bad_Pool_Header before that Page_Faule_in_Nonpaged_area. I have the whole message if it needs to be posted. The green light is flashing on the LT. Thanks, Ralph.

Welcome to wd forums aslakeview.

The messages you've quoted can mean two things 'generally' - driver fault {so you get windows memory management issues} - or physical problems with memory - in which case try a memory tester e.g. Windows memory diagnostic

Can you confirm for me/us whether this happens just with the external unit connected (btw what is it? & how is connected?) or 'regardless' whether it is or isn't ? & does this have any impact on the pattern of errors generated ?

[aslakeview]

This problem is only happening with the external writer. The internal writer doesn't work at all and can not read or write. When I run Nero to burn a disk it always asks me to use a cd/rw disk but it still won't work with it, windows program keeps telling me to put in a disk. The external writer is connected via USB port. I am still getting the blue screen from time to time even with the external cd writer not connected, but it happens more often when it is.

[aslakeview]

I now have one other problem regarding the memory diagnostic download. I don't have a floppy on my laptop and since the burner doen't work I can not run it from the CD rom. Any other suggestions? Thanks.

[confus-ed]

I now have one other problem regarding the memory diagnostic download. I don't have a floppy on my laptop and since the burner doen't work I can not run it from the CD rom..

Catch 22 .. nobody who can make you a disk ? .. You can try this one :-memtest86 - from a 'prompt'; follow the instructions on this KB to start windows in 'safe mode with command prompt'; though the results aren't as reliable

Do you have anything else 'usb', to 'test' with ? & if you thought of somebody who could make you a disk, can you get them to test your writer ?

The more you tell me, the less I think this is a 'cd isuue' .. but more likely some issue with your laptop physically ..