CD drive recognition problems

Topic

New Reply

XP can recognize a CD if the contents are on the CD.
XP can’t recognize a blank CD when I want to transfer files from computer to CD
Sometimes, if I load blank CDs in both CD and DVD drives, it will copy the files,
but most times, It stubbornly states “there is no CD in the drive”, and wont do anything.
I’m trying to do backup files, and this is driving me nuts.
Thanks for any suggestions or tips/.tricks, etc.

Reply | Quote

Replies

Are the new CDs formated? This may be the problem?????? Not sure if this would cause your problem or not!

Reply | Quote

I suspect a drive problem. The CD/RW drive should report the CD status to Windows and it seems this is not happening. Can you try another drive?

cheers, Paul

Reply | Quote

I was also going to add that either drivers or the optical drive might be the culprit. I would first try the manufacturers web site for updated drivers. At the price of drives today it might be just as easy to get a new one with more features. I would consider a DVD-RW drive rather than CD drive since the DVD drive will also read CDs.

Reply | Quote

Although I have never formatted a CD in the past, and have made many CDs of files, photos, etc., I’m willing to give it a try.
Now, how do you format a CD???
If it helps, this is a home XP computer with DVD and CD drives.

Reply | Quote

Right click the CD icon. It should give a format option. I would tend to think it’s more the drivers or drive itself, but it’s worth a try.

Reply | Quote

Format is only applicable to re-writeable CDs, not CDROMs.

cheers, Paul

Reply | Quote

Hey folks, I’ve seen this before many times on machines that have had more than one burning program, especially when one trial program expires and is uninstalled and the user goes back to another program. The first thing to do is go to device manager and uninstall the device and let windows find it again. If that doesn’t solve the problem, shut down the machine and reseat the drive’s cable at both ends, maybe replace the cable. I have also unplugged the drive, booted up, started the burning program, shut back down, plugged the drive back in, and tried again. A good registry cleaner (CCleaner from Piriform.com, JV16 Power Tools from Macecraft.com) may help too. Also, it’s always a good idea to blow out the dust and check all screws for snugness when hardware is misbehaving.

Reply | Quote

Had this problem in the past. Shut-down. Open the CPU tower (case). Clean out all the dust-bunnies and pay particular attention to the power supply area. Unplug and replug all cables to the DVD and CD drives. Restart.
The power supply cannot provide the proper voltage to the DVD/CD drive if it is overheating even slightly due to dust, and cable connections will film over with corrosion over time. It’s worked for me on two occassions of having the same problem. Should be a simple maintenance job. Cheers – bobbmtn

Reply | Quote

hanks to all who answered. Just as mysteriously it started, it has stopped. I’m seriously considering
buy a new drive, since this one is getting “old” (years), but it never gave me a problem or a hint
of a problem when it started acting up. I finally got the DVD drive to copy the files, although
it kept identifying the files as music, which was a pain. Thanks again for the ideas.

Reply | Quote

Don’t forget to check the Master/Slave jumpers on the back of the CD & DVD players.

Reply | Quote

Don’t forget to check the Master/Slave jumpers on the back of the CD & DVD players.

good thing to check, but remember only applies to IDE/ATA devices, not SATA.

might be worth taking the unit out of the PC, and seeing if you can get the housing off, normally a few screws, and pop the bezel off with a flat-blade and then get some compress air and give it a good blow out – assemble and then use a CD-Cleaner disc to make sure the lens is clear/clean. Or as you say, invest in a newer drive, with better speeds, Lightscribe etc. Just remember to check whether you need to hunt down another IDE drive, or if you can invest in a SATA unit if your board has the connectors.

Reply | Quote