CD/DVD Drive/Writer Problems: Fixing Problems with CD and DVD Drives - Page 1

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CD/DVD DRIVE PROBLEMS - PAGE 1

Visit the Disk Drives section of this site for information on internal and external hard disk drives and CD/DVD drives/writers.

Click the relevant link below to go to that Q&A article. Use your browser's Back button to backtrack.

1. - Information on CD/DVD disk drive problems in the Microsoft Knowledge Base

2. - How can I replace my Dell Inspiron 6000/6400/9200/9300/E1405/E1505 laptop/notebook PC's DVD drive?

3. - DVD movie problem: my computer and the DVD drive work properly, but the sound is crackly and the picture is jerky

4. - Reinstalling a DVD decoder: My Dell Inspiron PC has stopped recognising (US: recognizing) DVDs

5. - How can I turn off the AutoPlay list of options that comes up when I insert a CD or DVD or install a USB flash drive?

6. - When I insert a CD in my CD drive a message come up saying "Please insert disk in drive E:"

7. - My DVD drive won't work after I removed a virus

8. - My home CD player won't play CD-RW discs

9. - How can I drag-and-drop and copy files directly to recordable CD and DVD discs in the same way as I can to a hard disk drive?

10. - My DVD writer won't write some CDs at the rated speed

11. - The BIOS and the Device Manager show them, but My Computer doesn't recognise my CD and DVD drives

12. - When I Insert a blank CD the whole system locks up

13. - The speed of a CD-RW burn and the quality of the discs?

14. - CD-to-system incompatibility

15. - Problems saving a database to CD-R and CD-RW discs

16. - How to avoid buffer underruns when 'burning' files to a CD/DVD

17. - Upgrade your 'firmware'

18. - Chkdsk in Windows XP is "Unable to read security descriptors"

19. - Windows XP can only burn read-only files to CD media

20. - My DVD writer/burner won't burn to no-brand DVD-R, DVD+R, and DVD-RW discs

21. - When ripping audio CDs in iTunes the last track very often much longer than the actual track, so how can I edit the MP3 file to remove the blank bit?

Information on CD/DVD disk drive problems in the Microsoft Knowledge Base

How can I replace my Dell Inspiron 6000/6400/9200/9300/E1405/E1505 laptop/notebook PC's DVD drive?

Problem

I accidentally dropped my Dell Inspiron 6400 laptop PC when the optical Phillips DVD +/- SDVD8820 CD/DVD writer was open, which killed it. The extended warranty does not cover accidental damage, and I don't have accidental-damage insurance cover for it. Can I install any make of laptop optical drive, or do I have to obtain the same make and model? A Google search for the drive only located eBay as a source for second-hand drives, but I would rather have a brand-new drive. Could I buy a replacement from Dell?

Answer

You should buy the same make and model of CD/DVD writer because the laptop was designed to fit it. Another make/model might not fit.

This is the kind of information supplied on sites that supply replacement laptop parts:

"Do I have the right part? These drives are designed to specifically fit only the mentioned make and model laptops. Match the description, picture, and any part numbers associated with the part to our list."

The same drive has been used with a different outer plastic faceplate in different Inspiron models, including the 6000, 6400, 9200, 9300, E1405 and E1505, but you can easily unclip the faceplate on the existing drive and use it on the replacement.

Dell can supply you with a brand new drive over the telephone, but for some reason not from its website. You can find the contact number on its website. It is unlikely to be the cheapest source, so try using Google again to look for cheaper suppliers. There is a Google search box at the top of this page that can be used (with its Web radio button enabled). The drive shouldn't cost more than about £30/$60.

For the easiest replacement, obtain the exact Dell part number for the drive. It might be printed on the drive's label. If not, try visiting http://support.dell.com/. Enter your service tag and then select original configuration. Visit the following page for more information:

Dell Replacement Spare Parts and Upgrades:

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/selector.aspx?ref=myaccount&id=cps&appIndex=dellspct&c=us&l=en&s=gen

Replacing the drive yourself shouldn't present you with any difficulties. Just remove the drive as shown in the service manual. If cables are attached to the drive remove and attach the cables to the same connectors on the replacement drive. Dell provides a service manual for all of its PCs. The information is also available from Dell's website. Here is the information in the service manual for the optical drive:

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins6400/en/sm/opdrive.htm#wp999869

It looks from that page as if there are no cables; the drive plugs into the computer automatically when you insert it.

If you don't need to use the computer on the move, you could buy an external USB DVD writer. Desktop PC external drives that have a desktop-sized drive in an external case are the cheapest and the fastest. They can be plugged into a USB port on the laptop. If you need to use the drive on the move, you should buy a portable drive, which houses a laptop-sized DVD writer in an external case. Portable USB drives are not as fast as external desktop USB drives. If possible, for the best results, you should use a portable drive's mains power adapter.

You can make use of the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled) to search for information and vendors of external desktop and portable DVD writers. The LG GSA-E50N portable drive and the Samsung Super-WriteMaster SE-S204 desktop external drive are both excelent products and both of them can be purchased for under £50/$100 (March 2008).

DVD movies problem: my computer and the DVD drive work properly, but the sound is crackly and the picture is jerky

Problem

My Toshiba Equium A100 laptop/notebook computer runs Windows XP Media Center. It has an nVidia GeForce Go 7300 graphics processor, a 1.6GHz processor, integrated Realtec audio. I can use WinDVD, which was pre-installed, and Nero 7 Premium, which includes Nero Show Time. When the computer plays DVD movies the sound is crackly and the pictures are slightly jerky. It used to play DVDs without any problems. Otherwise, the computer itself and the DVD drive work properly. I have tried reinstalling Nero, but not WinDVD, because I have to run the Recovery CD that restores the system to the state it was in when it left the factory.

Answer

The jerky pictures and poor sound quality are most probably caused by the IDE controller (the computer has an IDE hard disk drive) not being set to Direct Memory Access (DMA) mode, which allows the DVD drive to transfer data directly to the RAM memory instead of via the processor. The alternative mode is called PIO mode, which makes use of the processor. During a DVD movie, the processor's workload gets too heavy and the stress on it makes the video become jerky and the sound quality deteriorate.

The following article should contain all of the information you need to fix the problem.

DMA reverts to PIO - http://winhlp.com/node/10

Reinstalling a DVD decoder: My Dell Inspiron PC has stopped recognising (US: recognizing) DVDs

Problem

My Dell Inspiron 1150 desktop PC that runs Windows XP has suddenly stopped recognising DVDs, but, for some reason CDs are still recognised. Dell's support suggested that it was a corrupt DVD decoder and that I should perform a system recovery that involves restoring the computer to the state it was in when it left the factory. I am not keen on doing that because I would lose all of my customised settings and it would take me a long time to download and reinstall all of the security updates, the applications that I installed myself, and all of my data files that I have backups of. So, I'd like to know if I can just restore the DVD decoder without having to lose everything else.

Answer

First try playing different DVDs, preferably pressed DVDs instead of home-recorded DVDs, in order to make sure that you didn't just try to play a bad DVD.

Dell used to provide Recovery CDs with all of its computers, which it still does with its business computers. You can still buy the Recovery CDs as an option during the purchase of a home computer, but for the last few years, in order to cut costs, if the purchaser doesn't buy the CDs, Dell uses a recovery partition on the hard disk drive where all of the recovery files are stored. The recovery procedure is started from the command prompt, which you can open by entering cmd in the Start => Run box in Windows XP, and in the Start => Start Search box in Windows Vista.

It would be time-consuming and difficult to describe how to remove and reinstall the DVD decoder, so Dell's support suggested the easiest method of recovery from the company's point of view, and the worse method from your point of view. In any case, the problem might not even be software-related. It could easily be caused by faulty hardware. Sometimes, even though a drive can recognise and read CDs, a hardware fault could prevent it from recognising and reading a DVD.

That said, the cause of the problem is more likely to be software-related, so, I suggest using the Windows DVD Troubleshooter. To run it in Windows XP, click Start => Help and Support. Under Pick a Help Topic, scroll down to Fixing a problem and click on it. In the window that comes up find Games, Sound and Video problems, and in the right-hand window, click DVD Troubleshooter. To find it in Windows Vista, enter DVD Troubleshooter in the Search box of its Help and Support.

This MS Knowledge Base article provides other suggestions: How to troubleshoot common problems that may occur when a Windows XP-based computer cannot read a CD or a DVD - "This article describes how to troubleshoot common problems that may occur when a Microsoft Windows XP-based computer cannot read a CD or a DVD in a disc drive. This article contains several methods that you can use to try to resolve these problems." - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/321641

If you don't have the CD that contains the DVD decoder software, it might be difficult or impossible to locate. Usually, the DVD decoder software that comes with a DVD drive or PC has a condition of its licence that it can only be distributed with the DVD drive for which it is licensed, which means that it is not usually made available as a download. Fortunately, your PC uses Sonic Solutions software, which can be downloaded from Dell's Support site here: http://support.dell.com/.

You could also try using a free 30-day trial of Cyberlink's PowerDVD software from http://www.cyberlink.com/multi/download/download.html. It is generally regarded as being superior to Sonic Solutions software and the Windows Media Player. If you decide not to buy Cyberlink's PowerDVD and uninstall it after the trial period, it leaves behind the MPEG2 codec, which allows you to play DVDs using the Windows Media Player.

If the problem is hardware-related, you'll have to replace your PC's DVD drive.

How can I turn off the AutoPlay list of options that comes up when I insert a CD or DVD or install a USB flash drive?

Question

My computer is running Windows XP. Every time I insert a CD or DVD or install a USB flash drive it presents a list of options, including Open folder to view files and Edit pictures. I want to do my own thing, so is there any way to turn off this list, or modify it so that it has options that I can use.

Answer

This feature is called AutoPlay. You can use Microsoft's TweakUI utility to turn it off.

Visit this page to obtain TweakUI for Windows XP, which is part of the PowerToys:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

Click the + beside the My Computer category in TweakUI, and then click the + beside AutoPlay. Select the Types category. It presents the enabled options, which are Enable AutoPlay for CD and DVD drives and Enable AutoPlay for removable drives [USB flash drives, etc.) Remove the check marks in their boxes to disable AutoPlay for those types of drives.

To modify what each option does on the AutoPlay list, or remove and entry, select the Handlers category.

If you want a specific AutoPlay option to be selected automatically, the setting for each device has to be set individually by clicking on the entry for the device (e.g., a DVD drive) with the right mouse button in My Computer, and then clicking Properties. The settings are under the AutoPlay tab.

You can choose the listed options to set for a number of categories of files, such as Music files, DVD movie, Music CD, etc.

Note that you may have to activate the Removable Storage service in order to make the changes stick.

To do that follow this clicking path: Start => All Programs => Administrative Tools => Component Services => Services (Local). In the right window, scroll down to Removable Storage. Double-click on it. Under Startup type, you can choose the Manual or the Automatic option. Choose the latter option.

When I insert a CD in my CD drive a message come up saying "Please insert disk in drive E:"

The AutoPlay Repair Wizard

Problem

I have a fault with my CD drive. When I put a CD in, I get the message "Please insert disk in drive E:". I have tried another CD drive that I know works and I get the same message. I think this is a software problem. Does anybody know of a fix for the fault. I don't want to re-format the drive and reinstall Windows XP. The drive is connected to it's own IDE cable and is set as a master drive.

Answer

Try using the Autoplay Repair Wizard. - "The Microsoft AutoPlay Repair Wizard scans your computer devices to find defective AutoPlay settings, and attempts to fix those it finds." It can be used on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 systems. -

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=C680A7B6-E8FA-45C4-A171-1B389CFACDAD&displaylang=en

My DVD drive won't work after I removed a virus

Problem

My Acer laptop computer, running Windows XP, has suddenly stopped recognising the DVD drive after I removed a virus. When I open Device Manager, there is a yellow exclamation mark beside the DVD drive which says: "Successfully loaded device driver but cannot find hardware (Code 41)". I Uninstalled the DVD drive by right-clicking on its entry under DVD/CD-ROM drives and rebooted. Windows reinstalled it, but the same problem still exists.

Answer

That error and a number of other error codes can be reported for a DVD or CD writer if something has damaged one of the filter drivers, which are called Upper Filter and Lower Filter drivers in the Windows Registry. They can be installed by CD-writing software such as Roxio Easy CD, or by DVD players such as PowerDVD, or by programs such as Musicmatch Jukebox.

Microsoft describes the problem in MS Knowledge Base article 314060 - CD-ROM access is missing and messages cite error Code 31, Code 32, Code 19, or Code 39 after you remove Roxio Easy CD Creator in Windows XP at http://support.microsoft.com/?id=314060.

The article applies to Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional It implies that the problem is caused only by Roxio software, but the error can occur with any type of CD-writing or DVD software. Error messages that may occur when you try to access your CD or DVD drive include:

1. - Windows cannot start this hardware device because its configuration information (in the Registry) is incomplete or damaged. (Code 19)

2. - This device is not working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device. (Code 31)

3. - A driver (service) for this device has been disabled. An alternate driver may be providing this functionality. (Code 32)

4. - Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)

5. - Windows successfully loaded the device driver for this hardware but cannot find the hardware device. (Code 41)

However, there are other causes for these and similar messages. The solution provided below applies mainly to CD or DVD drives. For other explanations, read this MS Knowledge Base article - http://support.microsoft.com/?id=310123.

Uninstalling and then reinstalling CD-writing and DVD software may cure the problem, but in other cases, such as yours, the Windows Registry has to be edited in order to fix it. Making erroneous changes to the Registry can render a computer unbootable, so before you edit it, use Windows XP's System Restore to create a restore point that will allow you to restore it in Safe Mode, or export the keys from the Registry editor by using its File => Export feature. For more information, enter the word Registry in the Search box of Start => Help and Support.

Enter regedit in the Start => Run box to run the Registry Editor and click on the + signs to expand and highlight the following keys:

H_KEY _LOCALMACHINE => SYSTEM => CurrentControlSet => Control => Class => {4D36E965E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE 1 0318}

There should be many keys called {4D36E965E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE 1 0318}

If you want to export a copy of the values, select File => Export and enter a suitable filename, which will be saved as a .reg file that can be restored just by clicking on it. When you select a particular key, in the right window, for some of them, you should see keys called UpperFilters and LowerFilters. Select each such entry in turn, right-click with the mouse on it, and click Delete. After closing the Registry Editor, you should be able to use the CD/DVD drive again. However, you may have to reinstall software that accesses the drive, such as CD writers and DVD players.

My home CD player won't play CD-RW discs

Problem

I have a PC that runs Windows XP Home Edition on 512MB of RAM. I have been burning music files to rewritable CD-RW discs. The files are written to the CDs and play from the CD-RW drive, but won't lay from my home CD player and the multi-CD player in my car. I have tried using the Acoustica CD Burner, Nero, Windows Media Player, and the Real Player CD Burning. The CD-RW discs are all new but are cheap at £4.99 for a pack of five. Do I need to buy more expensive discs?

Answer

You should use CD-R discs instead of CD-RW discs. the CD-RW standard is associated with several compatibility issues that don't trouble the CD-R standard. CD-R discs that you burn files to are designed to replicate the way in which pressed CD's function as closely as possible. As you should know, the music CDs that you buy in the shops are not burned, they are pressed like vinyl LPs are. However, CD-RW discs use a different technology that makes them have a lower reflectivity and signal modulation than pressed CDs and CD-R discs. Consequently, many home and car CD players can't read them.

There is a standard called MultiRead that some home and car CD players support and which allows them to read CD-RW and CD-R discs, and pressed CDs. But no CD players that were manufactured before late 1999 support the CD-RW standard. Moreover, even newer players don't support MultiRead. To find out if a player supports it, you would have to check its specifications.

Also note that CD-RW discs are usually recorded using a multi-session format, while single-session discs are burned to an entire disc at a time, which isn't practical for rewritable discs. Many CD drives and players are multi-session compatible, but many are not.

In any case, why use reusable CD-RW discs for music when the write-to-once CD-R discs are much cheaper. Surely, if you want to play the music on your PC, home, and car players, you don't want to erase it.

How can I drag-and-drop and copy files directly to recordable CD and DVD discs in the same way as I can to a hard disk drive?

Question

In Windows XP, how can I drag-and-drop and copy files directly to recordable CD and DVD discs in the same way as I can to a hard disk drive? That is, without having to start my burning software.

Answer

Packet-writing software enables a user to drag-and-drop files to blank recordable DVDs or CDs using Windows Explorer, My Computer, and the standard Save functions from within applications.

There are two leading software packages that work in that way with most CD/DVD writers. Drag to Disc, which used to be called DirectCD, is part of Roxio's Easy Media Creator. InCD is part of the Nero suite. Both of those packages can use rewritable media, such as CD-RW and DVD-RW discs, but only Roxio's Drag to Disc can write to write-once media, such as CD-R, CD+R, DVD-R, and DVD+R discs.

Cyberlink PowerDVD software comes bundled with many desktop and laptop PCs. It features drag-and-drop recording to DVDs.

Visit http://www.cyberlink.com/multi/download/download.html to download a trial version of that software.

Hardware-based packet writing has been made possible by the Mount Rainier standard, which means that the CD/DVD writers themselves support packet-writing. Many CD-RW writers are Mount Rainier compatible, but, so far, very few DVD writers are. Therefore, if you have a DVD writer that doesn't support that standard, you'll have to use packet-writing software.

The versions of Windows Vista for home users, released on January 30, 2007, support the Mount Rainier standard natively.

My DVD writer write won't write some CDs at the rated speed?

Problem

I buy DVD-R and DVD+R discs in spindles of 25 for my LG GSA-4082B DVD-RAM writer. The drive has been able to write successfully to most of the brand-name discs that I've bought at their top-rated speeds. However, with DVD-R discs made by Datawrite, the drive doesn't recognise them to be as fast as their highest rating; they write at about half that speed. An 8x disc writes at 4x, a 4x disc writes at 2x, etc. However, 8x DVD+R discs made by Datawrite write at 8x.

Answer

It isn't uncommon for DVD writers to fail to write to some brands of disc at the full rated speed. The drive's firmware has to be able to recognise the make of disc. Moreover, 8x DVD-R discs were relatively new when your drive became available. That means that some brands of disc probably are not included in the drive's compatible media list that is in its firmware, so, updating it might fix the problem.

There is a firmware update for that drive available from the LG site: http://www.lge.com/. The firmware's update version is .A208. Installing it is supposed to improve writing performance. Note well that you must read the instructions carefully before you install the update. Firmware is region-specific, so only use the download for your country.

Even with the latest firmware installed, some brands of disc just aren't compatible with some brands of drive. Either buy only the most expensive, top-quality brands that tend to be the most compatible, or find out by trial and error if a brand is compatible. Note that in its extensive testing of CD/DVD drives, Tom's Hardware Guide has discovered that discs made by Verbatim are the most compatible with most brands of drive.

Note that Datawrite (and some other brands) don't make their own discs. The company uses its name on discs made by several manufacturers. That is why some of its discs work at full speed with the drive and others don't. If you don't want to be disappointed, it's best to buy discs made by companies that manufacture their own discs, such as Verbatim.

DVDINF Pro - is a free utility that provides all the details you might want to know about an installed DVD drive, including the driver and version of firmware being used - http://www.dvdinfopro.com/.

The Firmware Page - Update Your CD/DVD Drive Firmware. Most users know that they can update their BIOS but not many know that they can also update the firmware of (most) CD and DVD drives. This site has full details plus some handy tips for overcoming the region locking on your DVD drive. - http://forum.rpc1.org/portal.php

The BIOS and the Device Manager show them, but My Computer doesn't recognise my CD and DVD drives

Problem

I have a Dell Dimension 2400 that I am running Windows XP Home Edtion on. About a week ago, it stopped recognising my DVD-Rom and CD-Rom drives. They both show up in the BIOS and in the system, but not in My Computer. When I go to the drives in the Device Manager, there is a yellow icon with an exclamation mark in it.

Answer

Try installing the fix on this page:

Restore CD/DVD Drives to Explorer - http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/xp_cd_dvd_fix.htm

When I insert a blank CD the whole system locks up

Question

I have a system running Windows Me and Pentium 3 processor that has the following drives installed on the two motherboard channels, using the latest 80-conductor IDE ribbon cables:

Primary IDE Channel - a 60GB hard disk drive as master

Primary IDE Channel - a DVD-ROM drive as slave

Secondary IDE Channel - a 30GB hard disk drive as master

Secondary IDE Channel - a CD-RW drive as slave

I have used this configuration because I've read that for the fastest copying the source and destination drives should be on different IDE channels. The CD-RW drive came with Nero 5.0 copying software.

There is no problem playing data or music CDs or DVDs in the relevant drives, but when I insert an unformatted CD-RW disc or a blank CD-R disc in the CD-RW drive, the whole system locks up until I remove the offending disc.

Possible solutions

There are several possible causes, so you should follow these troubleshooting steps in the order of their listing:

1. - Uninstall any software that accesses CDs/DVDs when they're inserted in a drive. Use the software's uninstallation option or Windows' Add/Remove Programs utility if the program doesn't have its own removal tool. The Windows Media Player, Media Match, and Real Jukebox are the most common programs that do this, but there are others.

2. - Make sure that only one software program that burns CDs is installed, and that only one version of it is installed. Different versions could be installed to different locations. Other CD-burning software could be interfering with Nero 5.0. It is also possible that a CD-burning program that you have previously uninstalled is doing so, because the uninstallation routine did not remove all of the Windows Registry entries properly. If this is the case, the only way to remove them is to search the Registry for references to that software by entering the term regedit in the Start => Run box and then use Edit => Find => Find Next. If doing that (and none of the following steps) solves the problem, a fresh installation of Windows would be necessary to remove the offending entries. If necessary, see the Software page on this site for links to sites providing information on how to reinstall Windows.

3. - Restart the system in Safe Mode by either holding the Ctrl key or by repeatedly pressing the F8 key during the start-up process. The boot menu that offers Safe Mode as a choice should be made available. Use the right mouse button to click on My Computer, left-click Properties, and then click on the Device Manager tab. In Windows 2000 and Windows XP, the Device Manager is under Hardware. Click the + sign beside the CD/DVD headings, and then select any CD and DVD drives, and use the Remove button to remove them. There may be multiple entries for a particular CD/DVD drive. Removing all of the entries can often solve peculiar problems with one or more of the drives. When you reboot into Normal mode, Windows will reinstall the drives automatically. You can then check in Safe Mode to make sure that only one instance of each drive is installed. You have to look in Safe Mode because the multiple instances do not appear in Normal mode.

If you require more detailed information, try using a search phrase such as: clean + "device manager" + "safe mode" in the Google search box at the top of this page.

4. - In the Device Manager, have a look under the Hard disk controllers heading to see how the IDE controllers are described. If the descriptions for the three controllers use wording such as Standard IDE Controller, then Windows has loaded its standard IDE controllers and you should install the correct controllers (busmaster drivers) created for the relevant chipset on the motherboard. The correct controllers for the motherboard's chipset are usually described using the maker's name, such as ALi, VIA, and Intel. You do that by downloading the latest IDE driver file from the system's motherboard's website, or from a brand-name computer's site, if you have one. If necessary, look under the letter I on the Links page of this site for some links to free utilities than can identify your motherboard. If you have the correct driver file installed but you haven't downloaded and installed the latest driver file, you should do so. While you are there also obtain any other updates such as the AGP driver, the USB Controller, and the latest BIOS file. Running the standard Windows IDE controllers or old proper controllers can be the cause of problems such as the one under consideration.

5. - Disabling DMA (Direct Memory Access - search the Disk Drives page on this site for information on it), can often cure the problem - and other peculiar problems. This is usually done via the Settings tab for a particular drive listed in the Device Manager where there is a checkbox called DMA that can be checked or unchecked. Sometimes the DMA setting has to be disabled in the BIOS, and sometimes there is no DMA setting and you have to run a utility (which should be listed under the Programs menu if you installed the correct IDE controllers), or it is done by reinstalling the IDE drivers and then disabling DMA option during the installation routine. For example, the Intel 815E chipset uses a utility called the Intel Ultra ATA Companion. The VIA four-in-one IDE busmaster drivers allow the DMA option to be set or disabled via a utility run from the Programs menu, or by reinstalling the drivers.

6. - Some CD-RW drives will not function unless they are installed as a master drive, so, if this is not the case make it so, preferably as the only drive on the IDE cable. If doing that cures the problem, you can try other combinations of IDE drives, such as having a hard drive attached to the same cable.

7. - Try disabling the auto insert notification setting for all CD/DVD drives. You will still be able to start the CD formatting or burning process manually. This setting appears under the Settings tab for a particular drive in the Device Manager.

8. - Check the CD/DVD drive's manufacturer's site for a firmware update. This is not a software driver, it is similar to the programming used in the BIOS. It reprograms the programming that is hard-coded into the drive and which is responsible for controlling its operations.

9. As a last resort, if the BIOS file installed isn't the latest one, download the latest file from the PC maker's or the system's motherboard maker's site, and reflash the BIOS. Specific instructions on how to do that should be available from the same source as the file.

10. - Try a different brand of blank CD-R discs, because some CD/DVD drives don't work with some brands. Tom's Hardware Guide has stated that it finds Verbatim discs to be the most compatible with most drives.

11. - If you have a cheap CD-RW (or DVD-RW) drive, replace it with one that has been given good reviews. Click here! to go to the page on this site devoted to CD/DVD drives. It provides reviews of drives. You can use the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled) to look for other reviews of a particular drive. See the Build a PC set of pages on this site for information on how to install IDE/SATA drives.

The speed of a CD-RW burn and the quality of the discs?

Questions

I have purchased a new 40x12x48 CD-RW drive, and now I want two questions answered. First, when you buy CD-R and CD-RW media, how does the speed affect the quality of the final burn, especially when burning at higher speeds? - Second, should you use the best quality blank CDs?

Answers

Last question first. - The 10x (or any x specification) is not a designation of quality, but just the recommended burning speed. For instance, a 40x CD can be burned at 40x or lower, but a 10x CD may or may not burn at 12x.

I personally have never experienced any difference in quality when burning a CD at high compared to lower burning speeds. However, sometimes you may need to burn at a lower speed in order to avoid a buffer underrun error. You should go ahead and buy CDs that have high recommended maximum burning speeds (as long as they aren't too overpriced), and just burn them at the maximum recommended speed. CD-Rs and CD-RW discs are so cheap nowadays that everyone can afford to experiment. With CD-RW discs you can erase any faulty burns and redo them, but you will have to throw away any aborted CD-R discs.

CD-to-system compatibility/incompatibility

Question

I have created a CD full of images. The CD works fine on my Windows XP machine at home and on your Windows NT machine at work. But a second home computer running Windows 98 SE will not even recognise the CD. That computer does not have any problem recognising any other CDs, so I want to know if there is a way to make that CDs run on it.

Answer

You are experiencing the often-perplexing realm of CD-to-system incompatibility. Several factors can come into play with regard to system incompatibility, such as is the CD a CD-R, or a CD-RW disc?

CD-RW discs are far less compatible in older machines than CD-Rs, so you may be able to resolve the problem by copying the data to a CD-R disc. If it already is a CD-R, you may be able to solve the problem by copying the data to a different brand of CD-R disc.

When I first started creating CDs, the JVC CD player in my car would play from every brand of CD-R except HP CD-Rs, and my Sony 6-disc CD changer would play from almost every brand of CD-R except Sony CD-Rs. Strange but all too true. So, you should try a different brand of CD-R discs..

If a computer is elderly in computing years, and cannot read any brand of CD-Rs, then it is the CD-ROM drive that is out-of-date and incompatible, and you will have to replace it if you want to read CD-Rs on that computer.

A good Q&A on the type and quality of CD discs to use for burning

From the Lockergnome Windows Fanatics newsletter dated 26 November 2003

Ken Colburn of Data Doctors answers Bill, who asks:

Q: I noticed that there are two different types of blank CDs on the market: data and music. Is there any real difference and, if so, would the quality of the sound suffer by burning a music CD on a blank data CD?

A: The debate about blank CD quality and how to determine the best discs has been raging since the concept of burning your own CDs was introduced.

Blank CDs that are labeled as "music" discs are specifically intended for use with consumer, stand-alone audio CD recorders. If you make your discs on a standard computer CD burner, then there is no need to be concerned with what the disc has been labeled. My understanding is that the RIAA worked with manufacturers of stand alone, audio only CD recorders to create this special type of disc so that it could get a small piece of every 'music' CD sold.

Anyone that has burned any quantity of CDs has likely noticed that certain discs seem to last longer or take more abuse than others. There is no way to tell which discs are going to work better for you because there are so many variables, including your CD burner, the discs' manufacturing process, the dye formulation and, of course, how you care for your discs.

Every CD/R and CD/RW has specific information encoded in the 'pre-groove' section of the disc that includes the manufacturer, the dye formulation, Absolute Time In Pre-Groove (ATIP), certified writing speed, and actual time available on the disc. Much of this information can be helpful, not from a specific technical standpoint, but from the standpoint of what seems to be working well for you. Just because a big name brand is stamped on the label of a blank disc, it does not mean that it was actually manufactured by that company. A free download called 'CDR Media Code Identifier' allows you to place any blank media in your burner and quickly view some of the pre-groove information.

When you find discs that you feel are working better for your use, then you can look at specific things like the actual manufacturer or type of dye used to help make future selections.

The folks at CD Media World have lots of technical data about CD media and have posted some extensive test results on various manufacturers of blank media. According to their various tests, Imation, TDK, Sony, Kodak, Ricoh Premium and Phillips Gold and Silver discs all scored well.

They also list actual factories that scored poorly in their tests that include Ritek and Fornet (this is what will appear in the 'Disk Manufacturer' section of the CDR Media Code Identifier program).

CD Media World echoes the same sentiment that I have preached for years when it comes to technology: never buy the lowest priced items!

In the case of blank CDs, steer clear of those cheap no-name bulk CD offers unless you don't care about how long the disk will last. And don't pay extra for 'audio' CDs for your computer's CD burner!

Problems saving a database to CD-R and CD-RW discs

Problem

You have created a database with MS Access that is 2MB in size. You used Adaptec's Easy CD Creator - Standard Edition to burn the database to both CD-R and CD-RW discs. But whenever you attempt to open the database from either type of disc, the message "The database K.M.S. is read only" appears.

You want to know how you can transfer the database to another computer so that data can be added to it and design changes can be effected.

Solution

Easy CD Creator creates a disc that can be used in the same way as a CD-ROM disc is. CD-ROM discs are read-only, so you can't write to CDs created with Easy CD Creator. Even if you copy the files from the CD to the hard drive, they will be set to read-only. You have to right-click on each file, click Properties, and then uncheck the Read-only box.

However, the Universal Disk Format (UDF) allows you to write to CDs in the same way as you can write to floppy disks, but you need to use software that can use this format. Adaptec's Direct CD is a program that provides this facility. Note that the computer to which you want to transport the database has to have CD-writing software installed on it that can handle UDF.

It is not advisable to access a database directly from a recorded CD, because database software writes to many different records in various parts of the file, and, because of the nature of CDs, accessing the information will be very slow as the blocks of data are copied to the hard drive, Windows finds the relevant data within them, and then brings it to the screen. The best method is to copy all of the files to the hard drive, work on it there, and then copy the modified version back to the CD. This method is especially effective when using CD-R discs that can only be written to once.

How to avoid buffer underruns when 'burning' files to a CD/DVD

When a CD/DVD writer 'burns' files to a CD/DVD disc, it needs to stream the data without any kind of interruption. If an interruption of some sort occurs, the disc is ruined. A CD/DVD-R disc has to be thrown away, but a CD/DVD-RW disc can be wiped and re-recorded.

To prevent this from happening, CD/DVD writer manufacturers have built memory buffers into their drives.

This buffer is used to provide a steady stream of data during the 'burning' process. However, there may be what are called buffer underruns if certain activities take place, such as browsing a webpage, or the scheduled running of a utility. The buffer runs out of data because it has not been continuously fed, the burning process fails, and the disc is ruined (CD-R/DVD-R discs), or has to be wiped CD-RW/DVD-RW discs) and re-recorded.

Some modern CD/DVD writers claim to provide protection against the occurrence of buffer underruns. A programmed response halts the 'burning' process when it detects that the buffer is in danger of being emptied. Burn-Proof, SafeBurn and Smart-Burn are some of the names given to this feature. It doesn't always work, but it is generally very effective.

The following are ways of avoiding buffer underruns.

Upgrade old, slow hard disc drives to newer, faster models.

If necessary, upgrade your whole computer. Early Pentium models are not up to the process, but a processor running at 200MHz and higher (with sufficient RAM to run the operating system and burning software without using the virtual memory swap file), should be sufficiently fast.

Buy a burn-proof drive.

Never shake or move the computer while the 'burning' is taking place.

Close any start-up programs (enter msconfig in Start => Run), and disable scheduled activities.

Install the CD/DVD writer on a different IDE channel on the motherboard from the main (boot) hard drive. See the Build3 page on this site for information on how to do that.

Run the Disk Defragmenter utility on the hard drive that contains the operating system (Windows/Linux/OS X), and do anything else that speeds up hard drive access, such as making sure that DMA (Direct Memory Access) is enabled for the drive in the Device Manager.

Record directly from the hard disk drive instead of from another CD/DVD, or other recorded media. For instance, when copying CD/DVD's, copy the data to the hard disk drive, and then burn it to CD/DVD discs. You can create an ISO image on the hard drive of a CD/DVD or program that you want to record, and then 'burn' the image.You should also not attempt to 'burn' files across a network.

Set the 'burning' software to 'burn' at a slower speed that the drives maximum recording speed.

Upgrade your 'firmware'

Most CD-R and CD-RW drives have upgradable operating software usually called 'firmware' stored in flash ROM (read-only memory) inside the drive itself. Upgrading this 'firmware' to the latest version can often solve problems such as the inability to read certain kinds of discs, or errors when burning CDs.

To check your current firmware version, go to the Device Manager as before, find the entry for your CD-R or CD-RW drive, double-click the drive's icon, and click the Settings tab. Compare the firmware version and drive model number listed there with the latest version available on your drive manufacturer's website, and, if a newer version, download the upgrade. If the drive is old, it may no longer be supported with new firmware, or it may not be supported at all if, say, it was made by a no-name manufacturer in the far east. Follow the instructions that should accompany the download, or be available on the same site, to reflash the firmware precisely or you may render the drive useless.

Note that if you have a Creative and Iomega drive, these two companies actually purchase their drives from various manufacturers, and are not good at producing firmware updates. Check www.cdrinfo.com for information about firmware and other cd-r/rw matters. For example, this site has reported that problems with an Iomega drive that was manufactured by Plextor were cured by flashing the latest firmware from Plextor's website. - Take great care when flashing firmware - flashing the wrong file (designed for another product) can kill a CD drive.

Also see The Firmware Page - http://forum.rpc1.org/portal.php

Chkdsk in Windows XP is "Unable to read security descriptors"

The Chkdsk HDD utility that is part of Windows XP can be used with any of the latest large HDDs. Click here! to go directly to information on it in the Recovering Windows XP page on this site. Use your browser's Back button to return here.

Problem

When Windows XP boots, it runs the Chkdsk hard-drive utility automatically. Chkdsk stops working, and an error message saying: "Unable to read security descriptors" come up. Windows XP can boot past this error message, but another error message comes up that contains Windows\system32\Nvcpl.dll. You have scanned the system with Norton Antivirus, and Trend's free online virus scanner, but both found nothing.

Answer

A Google search found that Nvcpl.dll is part of your nVidia video card's drivers. (To find out what happens, you can try using the file name in the Google search box at the top of this page.)

Downloading the latest driver file from http://www.nvidia.com removing the old drivers by using Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel, installing the standard Windows VGA driver by using the Update Driver option for the named video card under Display adapters in the Device Manager, and then installing the latest nVidia file for the video card, might remedy the situation, but, unfortunately the problem is probably the result of a corruption of the setup on the hard disk drive.

There is probably something seriously amiss with the New Technology File System (NTFS) being used by the hard disk drive. If Chkdsk - the equivalent of the ScanDisk utility in Windows 9.x systems - can't fix it, then I don't know of a tool that can fix it - safely.

Usually the only solution is to reformat the hard disk drive and reinstall Windows. Unfortunately, there may be physical damage to the drive, such as bad sectors.

A security descriptor is an entry in the NTFS that describes the owner of a file or folder, and the permissions (set in Windows) that are associated with it. Damage to these descriptors would make all of the files, or part of them, inaccessible on the hard disk drive.

If this is the case and you want to save the inaccessible data, the best option would be to read the files with software that can ignore the security features in Windows XP.

This can be done by using a version of Linux that can be booted from its CD. Knoppix Linux comes on a single bootable CD. You can use this version of Linux from the CD without ever installing it on the hard drive. Unless yours is a very new system that it doesn't have the device drivers for, it should install the device drivers for the motherboard, video card, sound card, USB devices, and the hard drive from the CD.

There are many download pages for Knoppix Linux, including its home page. I haven't provided it because it keeps changing. To find them, enter knoppix in the Google search box provided at the top of this page, with the Web radio button selected.

Boot disks of the above-mentioned kind can use the NTFS file system, and therefore allow you to access the folders and files in Windows XP. If there aren't too many, a handy way to save files would be to save them to a USB flash drive (memory stick), or, if there are too many files to make use of that method, if you have a separate CD-writer, use Linux to burn them to recordable CDs. You could also install another hard disk drive and copy the files to it.

Norton's Ghost 2003 has an option that works with some damaged drives. It is a DOS-based program that can run from a floppy disk. You would use it to copy the files from an NTFS partition to another hard disk drive. But beware, because it may copy the corrupted part of the NTFS (file system) that is preventing access to the data in the first place.

If the problem with the hard disk drive was caused by physical damage, having recovered any data, you would have to trash it. But if the problem was caused by a corrupt NTFS, you would be able to keep the drive in use after the drive has been reformatted, and Windows XP has been reinstalled from its CD, not from a system backup, because it may also have copied the corrupt part of the NTFS.

Windows XP can only burn read-only files to CD media

Problem

A user has an LG CD-RW drive in a system running Windows XP Home. When she uses the facility that is built into Windows XP to burn (save) data to CD-RW discs, the recorded files are read-only and therefore cannot be edited. She wants to know if there's a way of saving data files so that they can be edited and then saved back to disc.

Answer

Unfortunately, the CD-writing software that is part of Windows XP Home edition only supports the creation of read-only files. Very probably Microsoft doesn't want to muscle in on too many areas of software development in order to give third-party developers a chance.

Therefore, alternative third-party software, such as the free software detailed in the blue box below, is required to create discs that can be edited and then re-saved.

But, before she uses a third-party alternative, she should disable the built-in Windows CD-burning software. Doing this avoids any conflicts that may arise between the two programs. The service is called the imapi CD-writing service, and it's disabled in the Control Panel under Administrative Tools => Computer Management => Services.

My DVD writer/burner won't burn to no-brand DVD-R, DVD+R, and DVD-RW discs

Problem

My Compaq Presario R3250EA notebook computer is about a year old and runs Windows XP Home Edition. The computer has a Toshiba SD-R6252 1a11 DVD writer. I have discovered that when I try using no-brand DVD+R, DVD-R, and DVD-RW discs that I purchased from a supermarket (the packaging has the supermarket's name on it), the DVD writer refuses to burn to them using Nero Express. It ejects them with a message to use a writeable disc. However, it will burn to Imation, Memorex, and Maxell discs. Can you please tell me if there is a way to fix this problem?

Answer

I have come across the reverse problem in which a DVD writer refuses to burn to brand-name discs but will burn to no-brand discs. It is unusual but it can happen. DVD writers can be fussy about the brands they accept, but it's usually the cheaper discs that have no printed name on them that they don't like.

The problem could be caused by a faulty drive, but the cause is more likely to be outdated firmware installed in the drive.

During their manufacture DVD writers are programmed with a firmware database that contains the names of supported brands of disc. Firmware is software code that is permanently stored on a EEPROM flash-memory chip. CD/DVD drive manufacturers often update the firmware in order to fix compatibility issues of this kind.

The Toshiba SD-R6252 DVD writer was only supplied to HP/Compaq, so Toshiba doesn't supply firmware for it. However, the support section of the HP site lists firmware updates for three different DVD/CD combo drives that were fitted to your notebook's model. There is a firmware update for your model with a version number 1A14 called Softpaq 28709, which can be downloaded from ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp28501-29000/sp28709.exe. It is fairly old, but it recognises more brands of disc that the drive's original firmware. All you have to do is install by clicking on the downloaded file.

When ripping audio CDs in iTunes the last track very often much longer than the actual track, so how can I edit the MP3 file to remove the blank bit?

Problem

I rip CDs in iTunes. I have noticed that the last track is very often much longer than the actual track itself. I suppose that this is some kind of anti-piracy measure. How can I edit the MP3 file to remove the blank bit at the end?

Answer

The extra-long last track could be the result of copy protection, but it is usually just a hidden bonus track that is part of the last track but separated from it by a long period of silence.

To cut the play length in iTunes, use the mouse or touch pad to right-click on the file and then select Get Info. Under the Options tab, place a check mark in the box beside Stop Time and change the time to when you want the track to stop.

For more control over the length and size of the file, you can try using an MP3 file editor, such as the free version of WavePad from http://www.nch.com.au/.

"Q. Is WavePad really free? Yes. We make WavePad free in the hope you will like it and buy WavePad Masters Edition in the future."

It displays the file graphically, allowing you to see where the blank section starts.

PC Buyer Beware! Copyright © Eric Legge 2004-2008. All rights reserved.