I am using a PC running Windows XP Home Edition, updated to the SP3 service pack and all subsequent security updates. I use Nero 6 Reloaded to burn DVDs, and all of a sudden I'm getting Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) errors from all of my recorded discs. The DVD writer used to work properly. It burns DVD-R discs at 8x (4x DVD-R DL - double-layer discs), but there is no brand-name on it. Can you tell me what could be causing this to happen?

Answer

You might be able to find out what the manufacturer of the drive is by having a look in the Windows Device Manager by clicking the + beside DVD/CD-ROM drives. (Enter devmgmt.msc in the Start => Run box to open the Device Manager. In Windows Vista, enter that command in the Start => Start Search box and in Windows 7 enter it in the Start => Search programs and files box.) Alternatively, you can use the free Belarc Advisor that creates an analysis of the hardware and software on a personal computer. Look under FREE DOWNLOAD on http://www.belarc.com/.

This is what the Belarc Advisor says about the DVD drive/writer and hard disk drive on my laptop PC:

Drives
97.40 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
57.37 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space
PHILIPS DVD-RAM SDVD8821 [CD-ROM drive]
TOSHIBA MK1032GSX [Hard drive] (100.03 GB) -- drive 0, s/n 467H1534S, rev AS021G,
SMART Status: Healthy

When you know the make/model of the writer, you should be able to visit its manufacturer's website for the drive's latest device driver and the latest firmware update (if one is available for that particular model). You should only use the firmware that is designed for use with a particular make and model of drive/writer, otherwise you could ruin the drive. It is always a good idea to have a DVD writer that is running the latest firmware, because it is what provides disc-compatibility. If a particular make (Verbatim) and format of disc (DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, etc) is included in the firmware, the drive will be able to use it, if not it probably won't be able to.

Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) error messages most commonly occur when a CD/DVD drive is trying to read data from a damaged CD or DVD. The drive will probably grind and whirl as it attempts to read the disc again and the PC may become slugglish. After trying several times, it gives up and displays the error message.

The problem can be hardware-related (loose cables, failing drive), software-related or damaged media (discs). Often just checking and cleaning the disc is the easiest way to overcome the problem. However, all of your discs are producing the error message, so cleaning probably won't work.

If different clean discs produce the error, it is probably a hardware issue. To find out if the discs are faulty, if possible, try using them in another drive.

Another common cause of the errors message is improperly burned CDs and DVDs - especially those that suffered buffer underuns. USB DVD burners can give rise to this problem if the burning speed is set too high, so setting the burning software to burn at a slower speed might fix the problem.

If your discs are damaged, you need a recovery tool if you want to recover your files. CDCheck 3 works for CDs and DVDs. Free for personal use, it checks the integrity of the disc and then provides you with the option to recover the files.

The writer might have developed a fatal fault. CD/DVD drives - even the best name-brand drives - can sometimes be functional one day and non-functional the next.

If the drive itself is not at fault and the discs themselves are not faulty, the first action to take when troubleshooting the burning of CDs or DVDs is to try burning them at a slower speed, because the maximum burning speed of the drive might be exceeding that of the discs. You set the burning speed in the burning software. If a slower speed corrects the problem, you may need to use that slower speed until your current stock of blank DVDs/CDs is used up. Then make sure when you buy new discs to obtain a type that specifically supports your DVD/CD burner's highest rated speed. It will say what burning speeds are supported on the disc-container's package label.

You don't say which brand(s) of discs you are using. Never buy cheap, no-brand discs. You should always buy brand-name discs. Not very long ago, Tom's Hardware Guide found that discs made by Verbatim were the most drive-compatible make.

Note that with the cheaper CD/DVD blank discs, a specified maximum burning speed isn't necessarily a guarantee that they'll function properly at the full burning speed.

If that doesn't work, try different burner software just to make sure that yours isn't to blame.

Before you spend money, try the excellent free program CDBurnerXP Pro 3 from http://www.cdburnerxp.se/. The critics are raving about it. "CDBurnerXP is a free application to burn CDs and DVDs, including Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs. It also includes the feature to burn and create ISOs, as well as a multilanguage interface. Everyone, even companies, can use it for free. It does not include adware or similar malicious components."

If it's not a software problem, try uninstalling and then reinstalling your current software, using the latest device drivers and firmware for the writer and any patches from the software vendor's site.

If the problem still occurs with discs that work on another PC, the cause is probably a hardware problem with the DVD writer. Perhaps its insides may be have collected large dust bunnies that can be the cause of otherwise unexplained drive errors. These can be removed by opening the tray to the drive and then blowing them loose and out with a can of compressed air that can be obtained from most good computer shops.

Open the case and make sure that the drive is very securely screwed to the case at all four points, because the vibrations caused during use can make a loose drive malfunction. Make sure that the screws that are being used are short, because it is possible to screw a drive's mechanism up by using fastening screws that are too long.

If none of the above suggestions work, the lens of the CD/DVD burner may be unclean.

Note that the chances of damaging the drive increase markedly if you have to mess about with its optical mechanism, but you may as well try using a lens-cleaning kit, because if using one doesn't work, you'll probably have to buy a new drive. DVD writers are very cheap. You can buy brand-name drives for under £20.

You can try using a search phrase such as clean + dvd + lens (as is) in the Google search box at the top of this page to find cleaning advice and suitable vendors of the cleaning kits.

Note that the latest-standard Blu-ray writers are currently much more expensive, but most of them can also write to the recordable CD and DVD disc formats. A couple of years from now, you will probably be able to buy a Blu-ray writer for £20.

Here is an example:

LG GGW H20L Super Multi Blue Blu-ray writer - £135 (April 2009) -
Supported disc formats and writing speeds:
BD-RE / HD DVD-ROM combo drive - Internal - Serial ATA - Read speed: 40x (CD) / 12x (DVD±R) / 8x (DVD±R DL) / 6x (BD-R) / 4.8x (BD-R DL) / 3x (HD DVD) / 3x (HD DVD DL) - Write speed: 40x (CD) / 16x (DVD±R) / 4x (DVD±R DL) / 6x (BD-R) / 4x (BD-R DL) - Rewrite speed: 24x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW) / 5x (DVD-RAM) / 2x (BD-RE) / 2x (BD-RE DL)

Computer diagnostics: How to solve or fix common desktop and laptop PC problems

To diagnose and troubleshoot specific and general problems with Microsoft's software (Windows 95, 98, Me, XP, Vista, Internet Explorer, and Outlook Express) using the MS Knowledge Base, visit the Diagnostics page on this site.

Click a relevant link below to visit the information it describes on this website:

1. - Recovering and repairing Windows XP when a computer crashes or fails to boot

2. - Recovering and repairing Windows Vista when a computer crashes or fails to boot

3. - Windows Vista problems: How to fix problems with Windows Vista

4. - Recover, restore and repair Windows 7 (Win7) when a computer crashes or fails to boot

5. - Windows 7 problems: How to diagnose and fix problems with Windows 7

6. - Windows XP: How to troubleshoot and fix shutdown, restart (reboot), and startup problems

7. - Typical DLL (Dynamic Link Library) device driver problems

8. - Software problems: How to fix problems with Windows, programs, and utilities

Also visit the Software pages on this site for more information on specific software-related information and problems.

9. - Motherboard and power supply problems: How to fix common problems with faulty motherboards (mainboards) and power supplies (PSUs)

10. - RAM memory problems: How to fix problems with the Random Access Memory

11. - Hard disk drive problems: How to fix computer hard disk drive (HDD) problems

12. - CD/DVD drive problems: How to fix problems with CD and DVD drives and discs

13. - Processor problems: How fix common processor (CPU) problems

14. - Video/graphics card problems: How fix common computer video and graphics problems

15. - USB and FireWire problems: - How to fix common USB and FireWire problems

16. - Network problems: How to fix common wired and wireless networking and internet problems

17. - Laptop/notebook problems: How to address or fix the most common laptop/notebook problems

How to fix problems with device drivers in Windows XP and Windows Vista and Windows 7

Although the information on the following page is specific to Windows XP, much of the advice is relevant to the earlier versions of Windows. Click here! to read Troubleshoot Device Driver Problems. Click here! to go to Tips for fixing common driver problems in Windows Vista. Those tips should also be applicable to Windows 7.

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Visit the Build a PC page for information on how to build a desktop PC and solve self-build problems, and visit the other pages, such as the Video/Graphics, Sound, Motherboards, and Monitors pages for more problem-solving information, all of which can be accessed via the menu items and jump menu on the orange navigation bar, or via the site search engine at the top of each of the main pages.

The Tips & Tricks pages of this site contain additional useful tips, tricks, and problem-solving advice.

The safest way to upgrade RAM memory: Use the UK and US Crucial Memory Advisors

Paul Mullen, who was the highly-respected computer guru of the Helpfile at ComputerShopper.co.uk - "I have recently been buying my memory only from Crucial Technology. I would rather pay the extra cost than waste time trying to track down the obscure program faults that bad memory can cause."

The best way to choose RAM memory for a brand-name desktop or laptop computer, or memory for a particular make/model of PC motherboard is to make use of the Crucial Memory Advisors (provided under the brief guideline on the minimum memory requirements for Windws XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7). If the Crucial memory you receive does not work, you are guaranteed a refund and standard shipping is free.

The memory requirements of the versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7

Most of the versions of Windows Vista require more RAM memory to run optimally on a computer that doesn't use memory-hungry applications than Windows XP. A video-editing application is an example of memory-intensive software. Only Windows Vista Home Basic has a recommended minimum amount of memory of 512MB, which is the same amount recommended for Windows XP. Windows Vista Home Premium, the most popular version, and Windows Vista Ultimate require a recommended minimum of 1GB (1024MB) of memory, which is twice the amount of minimum memory recommended to run Windows XP. Note that if you are using a 64-bit version of Windows, up to 4.0GB, it requires twice the amount of memory as a 32-bit version, which can only use a maximum of about 3.5GB. For more information on computer memory, read the RAM pages of this site, which includes information on the lower memory requirements of Windows 7.

UK - Crucial Memory Advisor - UK

USA - Crucial Memory Advisor - USA

How to Use the Crucial Memory Advisor

For example, if your computer has an Asus motherboard, open the menu, scroll down to ASUS, and click GO. If, say, you have a Dell computer, scroll down to DELL, and do likewise. You will be taken to the relevant information on Crucial's website.

If you don't know the make and model of the motherboard installed in your computer, here is a good free utility - Belarc Advisor - that creates an analysis of the hardware and software on a personal computer. Look under FREE DOWNLOAD - http://www.belarc.com/. Another utility that also provides detailed information on the memory itself is CPU-Z.

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