Ask Me Help Desk - CD RW Problems

I have an Advent 7003 Laptop and can't get the CD RW Writer to write. It was quite expensive (£1,500) and is only a year and a half old!

I have had problems getting it to write to CD's from the beginning.

I have been told by friends that I need to buy a specific kind of Blank CD, so I've tried several different kinds, with little success.

I have been told that I should uninstall and re-install the software I am using... so I've tried that... Nero, Realplayer and Windows Media Player... didn't work !

I have been advised to try a CD Lense Cleaner... which I am about to go out and buy but have little hope of success.

Anybody know the website address of the manufacturer (of Advent Computers) as I can't find it... is the best solution to get the CD RW drive replaced... and at what cost...

Should I chalk it up to experience, bin it and buy a Toshiba ?

Ideas / Solutions welcome...

Quote:

I have had problems getting it to write to CD's from the beginning.

What sort of problems? Does the write process start and then fail or not start at all? Any error messages?

The more specific you can be, the more we will be able to help.

:)

~psi42

psi42 your advice is wellcome... :)

I shall try to be as specific as I can... I have a MS Windows XP Home Edition desktop

1) Just tried to copy a music CD... Nero read the CD fine.. but then...

The processor whrrrs and clicks starting and stopping it's abit noisier than one would expect.

The following messages appear in a dialogue box;

12:55:18 Analysing CD
12:55.18 The CD is copywrited
12:57:04 Reading of CD started
13:05:50 Reading of CD completed
13:07:13 Speed measurement started
13:09:30 Speed measurement completed: 38.2x (5,730/s)
13:10:00 Simulation started at 8x (1,200 KB/s)
MATA UJDA710
Track following error
Simulation failed at 8x (1,200 KB/s)

2) Tried to write four pictures to CD using CD Writing Wizard. The processor and CD whurred and clicked and then a dialogue box came up saying... 'Cannot Complete the CD Writing Wizard... There was an error in the writing process. The disc you have atempted to write may no longer be useable... there are then a list of options...
a) Eject this disk and try making another CD
b) Delete the files that are waiting to be written
c) Save the files so that I can try again later

CD software developed under licence from Roxio, Inc.
To close this wizard, click Finish'.

I have selected option (b) and clicked finish.

3) I tried to copy an Excel file to CD and got the message 'You do not have acess to the folder'D:\: See your administrator for access to this folder' that is the first time that has happened! Mmmm will have to look in control pannel for the answer to this.

With regard to the CD writing problem... what do you think ?

Supa A

Wow. I'd forgotten how obtuse some windows programs can be.

I'm afraid the only way I could possibly get you any constructive advice is if you could get the windows version of cdrecord to give you a proper error message...

Other than that, I'm out of suggestions.

~psi42

Posiibility: The music CD is *really* copy-protected (Nero always says a CD has a copyright, it even says so for my own back-up). You will not be able to copy that one.
Then, often, to write another CD, you must shutdown (power off) and restart the computer. Don't try again with the same music-CD, it probably is impossible.
With Nero you have to run the 'CD speed' and the 'CD drive speed' tests before trying to burn a CD. And again if you change the kind of CD you are using. Otherwise, burning will almost always fail.

I think we're on the right track here PS142... a windows version of cdrecord aye... does one exist ?

Is there no other means of getting a proper error message from Windows XP or something compatible ?

Before I consider the drastic and no doubt expensive option of replacing the drive (or indeed the Laptop!) I would like to be sure that the CD RW Drive is... for want of a accurate technical term, knackered!?

Urmod4u has suggested that rebooting and using different CD's might convince Nero to Burn... Mmmmmm

Strange…. That I had never made the connection between the infamous fifth Roman emperor (Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar) Nero to his friends and the software.

It was Nero's incompetence that resulted in the first Roman civil war they had for a century. The things he is famed for include the first persecution of christians and fiddling while rome burned…… Why would someone give software his name!? ….. :confused:

I shouldn't be surprised there are problems getting software named after a lunatic to work properly….

Nevertheless, I will try to copy other CD's and am popping down to the shops to see if there are any blank CD varieties I have not tried yet... I hold out little hope here….

However, I believe that the best answer would come from the results of a proper diagnostic test... but how can I achieve it……….. suggestions most welcome…

Hi,
It could be a bad CD-RW drive; However, don't do anything until you post back with any error messages; as another volunteer stated.
Could be your software, etc...
Best wishes,
fredg
PS; I use Nero Express, 5.5.
Works great with Win98SE.
I never use the "check speed" before copying or burning.
I never use the "validate or verify files" after burning.
Both just take up time.

ftp://ftp.berlios.de/pub/cdrecord/alpha/win32/

It took me a little while to find it. :)

I _think_ all you need it the cdrecord-<version>-win32.bin.zip. Hopefully that should contain everything you need. I'll bet there is a win32 GUI somewhere, but I really don't know where to find one.

Anyway, if you want to get this thing to work, unzip the archive to somewhere easy to remember, let's say C:\CDRECORD. Then (here comes the fun part), click Start-->Run, and type "cmd" in the box and hit enter. You'll be welcomed to microsoft's archaic, broken CLI. It is the internet explorer of shells.

Anyway, then try this:

Code:

cd \ cd CDRECORD cdrecord --scanbus

And post the result.

:)
~psi42