CD Problem

[Antares 531]

I have another problem with my Windows 7 computer. It has a BlueRay
DVD ROM Compact Disk drive that has worked very well since I got this
computer about a year ago.

Recently, this CD Drive won't let me burn any files onto the disc. It
will still play music CDs, or let me open files that already exist on
a CD, but there is no option that I can find that will let me step
through the process of burning new files onto a blank CD.

When I open my Windows Explorer pane I see this CD drive listed as
BD-ROM Drive E. If I left click on it the "Insert a disc" pop-up opens
and a small "go around in circles" ring shows up on the screen. The
progress bar at the top shows a green bar progressing from left to
right, but no matter how long I wait, nothing more happens.

I've tried this with both CD-R and DVD+R new, blank CDs, but the drive
simply does not recognize a blank CD. I get the message, "Insert a CD"
but when I do it does not recognize it.

If I put a CD in with files already on it, I can do the above and see
a list of the files on this CD, then work with them in a completely
normal way, other than writing anything new to this CD.

Any ideas, anyone. Gordon

 

[Nil]

Any ideas, anyone.

I strongly suspect the drive is failing. I don't know of a convenient
way to test that, though. I swap in a known good one and if that fixes
the problem, I know where the problem lies.

These kinds of optical drives have a limited lifespan and are prone to
slow failure. Replacements are cheap. I'd be inclined to just buy a new
one.

The CD/DVD burner in my main computer has been getting flaky lately,
getting pickier and pickier about what it chooses to read. I know it's
on its way out.

 

[Paul]

I have another problem with my Windows 7 computer. It has a BlueRay
DVD ROM Compact Disk drive that has worked very well since I got this
computer about a year ago.

Recently, this CD Drive won't let me burn any files onto the disc. It
will still play music CDs, or let me open files that already exist on
a CD, but there is no option that I can find that will let me step
through the process of burning new files onto a blank CD.

When I open my Windows Explorer pane I see this CD drive listed as
BD-ROM Drive E. If I left click on it the "Insert a disc" pop-up opens
and a small "go around in circles" ring shows up on the screen. The
progress bar at the top shows a green bar progressing from left to
right, but no matter how long I wait, nothing more happens.

I've tried this with both CD-R and DVD+R new, blank CDs, but the drive
simply does not recognize a blank CD. I get the message, "Insert a CD"
but when I do it does not recognize it.

If I put a CD in with files already on it, I can do the above and see
a list of the files on this CD, then work with them in a completely
normal way, other than writing anything new to this CD.

Any ideas, anyone. Gordon

Please provide the make and model number of the drive.
I don't see that listed in your description. If a drive is
known to have particular kinds of hardware failures, giving
us that info makes it easier to spot.

Download a recent version of Nero Infotool. The main pane in
that tool, will display the read/write capabilities of the
drive. I've seen at least one Blu Ray writer, that has no
CD capabilities for example. Many others, can burn everything.

http://ftp6.nero.com/tools/InfoTool.zip

If a particular media type is marked as supporting both
read and write, then we can continue on looking at the problem.

Windows 7 has IMAPI V2 support. That allows more burning features than
previous OSes. WinXP could only burn a CD using IMAPI. The newer
version, IMAPI V2, supports at least the burning of a DVD, as well
as CD. More info here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_Mastering_API

Programs that burn optical media, like to add "filter drivers".
These are software shims, that add themselves to the driver stack
for the optical drive. Sometimes, a failure to support burning,
is related to an "Upperfilter/Lowerfilter" problem. THose are shim
locations in the protocol stack. If you mess with these, I don't
know what happens to the programs that put them there. They may need
to be reinstalled for all I know. For example, if you recently
installed iTunes, the iTunes installer includes optical media burning
software from GearSoftware. If you recently installed a new burning
program, that could explain the failure.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/982116

Note that there is more than one UpperFilter in the Registry. They're
sorted by GUID (a long string of numbers and letters). One of them,
for example, belongs to your keyboard - deleting it can cause the
keyboard to stop working. So randomly deleting every UpperFilter in
sight isn't a good thing to do. The previous KB link mentions
a specific GUID. I've seen, somewhere on the web, a list of
four different GUIDs that may be useful. I trust Microsoft
to know the safe ones to modify.

HTH,
Paul

 

[Antares 531]

Please provide the make and model number of the drive.
I don't see that listed in your description. If a drive is
known to have particular kinds of hardware failures, giving
us that info makes it easier to spot.

Download a recent version of Nero Infotool. The main pane in
that tool, will display the read/write capabilities of the
drive. I've seen at least one Blu Ray writer, that has no
CD capabilities for example. Many others, can burn everything.

http://ftp6.nero.com/tools/InfoTool.zip

If a particular media type is marked as supporting both
read and write, then we can continue on looking at the problem.

Windows 7 has IMAPI V2 support. That allows more burning features than
previous OSes. WinXP could only burn a CD using IMAPI. The newer
version, IMAPI V2, supports at least the burning of a DVD, as well
as CD. More info here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_Mastering_API

Programs that burn optical media, like to add "filter drivers".
These are software shims, that add themselves to the driver stack
for the optical drive. Sometimes, a failure to support burning,
is related to an "Upperfilter/Lowerfilter" problem. THose are shim
locations in the protocol stack. If you mess with these, I don't
know what happens to the programs that put them there. They may need
to be reinstalled for all I know. For example, if you recently
installed iTunes, the iTunes installer includes optical media burning
software from GearSoftware. If you recently installed a new burning
program, that could explain the failure.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/982116

Note that there is more than one UpperFilter in the Registry. They're
sorted by GUID (a long string of numbers and letters). One of them,
for example, belongs to your keyboard - deleting it can cause the
keyboard to stop working. So randomly deleting every UpperFilter in
sight isn't a good thing to do. The previous KB link mentions
a specific GUID. I've seen, somewhere on the web, a list of
four different GUIDs that may be useful. I trust Microsoft
to know the safe ones to modify.

HTH,
Paul

Sorry for the omission. I had to pull the drive out of the slot to get
this information;

Lite On IT Corp.
Model LH-20A1S15C
Manufactured April 2007

 

[Ed Cryer]

Please provide the make and model number of the drive.
I don't see that listed in your description. If a drive is
known to have particular kinds of hardware failures, giving
us that info makes it easier to spot.

Download a recent version of Nero Infotool. The main pane in
that tool, will display the read/write capabilities of the
drive. I've seen at least one Blu Ray writer, that has no
CD capabilities for example. Many others, can burn everything.

http://ftp6.nero.com/tools/InfoTool.zip

If a particular media type is marked as supporting both
read and write, then we can continue on looking at the problem.

Windows 7 has IMAPI V2 support. That allows more burning features than
previous OSes. WinXP could only burn a CD using IMAPI. The newer
version, IMAPI V2, supports at least the burning of a DVD, as well
as CD. More info here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_Mastering_API

Programs that burn optical media, like to add "filter drivers".
These are software shims, that add themselves to the driver stack
for the optical drive. Sometimes, a failure to support burning,
is related to an "Upperfilter/Lowerfilter" problem. THose are shim
locations in the protocol stack. If you mess with these, I don't
know what happens to the programs that put them there. They may need
to be reinstalled for all I know. For example, if you recently
installed iTunes, the iTunes installer includes optical media burning
software from GearSoftware. If you recently installed a new burning
program, that could explain the failure.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/982116

Note that there is more than one UpperFilter in the Registry. They're
sorted by GUID (a long string of numbers and letters). One of them,
for example, belongs to your keyboard - deleting it can cause the
keyboard to stop working. So randomly deleting every UpperFilter in
sight isn't a good thing to do. The previous KB link mentions
a specific GUID. I've seen, somewhere on the web, a list of
four different GUIDs that may be useful. I trust Microsoft
to know the safe ones to modify.

HTH,
Paul

That was my hunch too. Third party drivers installed surreptitiously.

He should look in Device Manager; all the drivers installed for the
BlueRay drive.

Burning programs fight in hyperspace; but they do fight; often very
illegally.

I've not seen a complete refusal to burn, but I have seen
slowed-slowed-slowed burning.

Ed

 

[Paul]

Ed Cryer wrote:

That was my hunch too. Third party drivers installed surreptitiously.

He should look in Device Manager; all the drivers installed for the
BlueRay drive.

Burning programs fight in hyperspace; but they do fight; often very
illegally.

I've not seen a complete refusal to burn, but I have seen
slowed-slowed-slowed burning.

Ed

Yeah, I've seen "slow to the point of lockup" burning, if the
computer has a "virtual CD" software installed, and you attempt
to run a burner program with it active. The burner program
thinks the virtual CD (which is read-only), is a device to be
burned, and then the two pieces of software "get into a knife
fight". Very nasty. Reboot time.

Paul

 

[Peter Foldes]

locations in the protocol stack. If you mess with these, I don't
know what happens to the programs that put them there. They may need
to be reinstalled for all I know. For example, if you recently
installed iTunes, the iTunes installer includes optical media burning
software from GearSoftware. If you recently installed a new burning
program, that could explain the failure.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/982116

Just adding the following to Paul's excellent post

Applies to Windows 7 also
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/939052/en-us

--
Peter
Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

 

[Paul]

Sorry for the omission. I had to pull the drive out of the slot to get
this information;

Lite On IT Corp.
Model LH-20A1S15C
Manufactured April 2007

It's a DVDRW drive, according to this. Unless that "15C" on the end
of the part number has some significance I'm missing.

http://www.liteonit.com/global/inde...sk=view&id=199&Itemid=67&limit=1&limitstart=1

"LH-20A1S: Features

Write
DVD+R 20X maximum by CAV
DVD-R 20X maximum by CAV
DVD+R9 8X maximum by Zone CLV
DVD-R9 8X maximum by Zone CLV
DVD-RAM 12X maximum by PCAV

ReWrite
DVD+RW 8X by Z-CLV
DVD-RW 6X CLV
Read 16X maximum by CAV
Access time 160ms

CD Family Write
CD-R 48X by CAV
ReWrite
CD-RW 32X maximum by Z-CLV in UltraSpeed disc
Read 48X(7200KB/sec) maximum by CAV
Access time 160ms"

A DVDRW would use two lasers, one for DVD and one for CD.

The reviews here aren't kind. Click the "Feedback" tab for more info.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106057

Paul

 

[Antares 531]

I have another problem with my Windows 7 computer. It has a BlueRay
DVD ROM Compact Disk drive that has worked very well since I got this
computer about a year ago.

Recently, this CD Drive won't let me burn any files onto the disc. It
will still play music CDs, or let me open files that already exist on
a CD, but there is no option that I can find that will let me step
through the process of burning new files onto a blank CD.

When I open my Windows Explorer pane I see this CD drive listed as
BD-ROM Drive E. If I left click on it the "Insert a disc" pop-up opens
and a small "go around in circles" ring shows up on the screen. The
progress bar at the top shows a green bar progressing from left to
right, but no matter how long I wait, nothing more happens.

I've tried this with both CD-R and DVD+R new, blank CDs, but the drive
simply does not recognize a blank CD. I get the message, "Insert a CD"
but when I do it does not recognize it.

If I put a CD in with files already on it, I can do the above and see
a list of the files on this CD, then work with them in a completely
normal way, other than writing anything new to this CD.

Any ideas, anyone. Gordon

Thanks to all of you for your answers. I am thinking that the solution
to my problem is to go to Best Buy and get a replacement CD drive.
Samsung? What would be the best way to go?

 

[relic]

Thanks to all of you for your answers. I am thinking that the solution
to my problem is to go to Best Buy and get a replacement CD drive.
Samsung? What would be the best way to go?

In Device Management, delete the drive's _Controller_ and reboot. That's the
only way Windows will reinstall ALL drivers that have anything to do with
the drive. If that doesn't work, then you can go buy a new drive.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

It's a DVDRW drive, according to this. Unless that "15C" on the end
of the part number has some significance I'm missing.

http://www.liteonit.com/global/inde...sk=view&id=199&Itemid=67&limit=1&limitstart=1

"LH-20A1S: Features

Write
DVD+R 20X maximum by CAV
DVD-R 20X maximum by CAV
DVD+R9 8X maximum by Zone CLV
DVD-R9 8X maximum by Zone CLV
DVD-RAM 12X maximum by PCAV

ReWrite
DVD+RW 8X by Z-CLV
DVD-RW 6X CLV
Read 16X maximum by CAV
Access time 160ms

CD Family Write
CD-R 48X by CAV
ReWrite
CD-RW 32X maximum by Z-CLV in UltraSpeed disc
Read 48X(7200KB/sec) maximum by CAV
Access time 160ms"

A DVDRW would use two lasers, one for DVD and one for CD.

The reviews here aren't kind. Click the "Feedback" tab for more info.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106057

Paul

And although the OP called it a Blu-ray ROM drive, there's no indication
of that on the Newegg site or on your quoted specs.

 

[Paul]

Thanks to all of you for your answers. I am thinking that the solution
to my problem is to go to Best Buy and get a replacement CD drive.
Samsung? What would be the best way to go?

Last one I got is an LG GH24LS50 for $30. I don't have much test time
on it yet, so can't say whether it's good or bad. It's a bit on the
noisy side, at least compared to the quietest optical drives I own.

The reason I bought that, was my previous purchase of a GH22LP20 was
flawless and it still works. I bought the $30 one, to add to a new build.

Paul

 

[Antares 531]

In Device Management, delete the drive's _Controller_ and reboot. That's the
only way Windows will reinstall ALL drivers that have anything to do with
the drive. If that doesn't work, then you can go buy a new drive.

Thanks. I just tried that and it seemed to go through the process of
removing, then re-installing the driver upon boot-up, but the problem
remains the same.

I can put a fresh new CD-R or DVD+R disk in the drive, then try to
copy a file to this CD. The next event is that the CD drive door
slides out and a message appears on my screen, "Insert a disc. Please
insert a writeable disc into drive E:.

I've tried several new and used CD discs but they all are rejected.
Yet, I can read files from an existing CD that had the files copied
onto it some time ago. Also this CD will play music CDs just as it
always has. Gordon

 

[GreyCloud]

Thanks. I just tried that and it seemed to go through the process of
removing, then re-installing the driver upon boot-up, but the problem
remains the same.

I can put a fresh new CD-R or DVD+R disk in the drive, then try to
copy a file to this CD. The next event is that the CD drive door
slides out and a message appears on my screen, "Insert a disc. Please
insert a writeable disc into drive E:.

I've tried several new and used CD discs but they all are rejected.
Yet, I can read files from an existing CD that had the files copied
onto it some time ago. Also this CD will play music CDs just as it
always has. Gordon

Not sure if there is a test program for your device or not. You might
google a bit more for any test programs for the electronics interface
for your particular model. If it is indeed a Blu-Ray player, the cost
shouldn't be too bad to replace. But I'd check out the various brands
and then check epinions or some other source. Good luck.

 

[Stan Brown]

Thanks. I just tried that and it seemed to go through the process of
removing, then re-installing the driver upon boot-up, but the problem
remains the same.

I can put a fresh new CD-R or DVD+R disk in the drive, then try to
copy a file to this CD. The next event is that the CD drive door
slides out and a message appears on my screen, "Insert a disc. Please
insert a writeable disc into drive E:.

This sounds more like a driver problem to me than a hardware problem.
If it was hardware, i.e. the laser still working well enough to read
but not to write, then I'd expect the burning software would come up
and try to burn but fail.

Is there a way to designate an optical drive as read only? If you
had somehow (without realizing it) got the drive designated as read
only, that might do it.

I don't pretend to have the answer here, but hopefully someone who
knows more than I can answer that question about some sort of
software switch that inhibits all writing via an optical drive.

Someone suggested downloading a test program that displays the
properties of the drive. I think it would be interesting to see if
that program thinks the drive has write capability.

 

[Ed Cryer]

This sounds more like a driver problem to me than a hardware problem.
If it was hardware, i.e. the laser still working well enough to read
but not to write, then I'd expect the burning software would come up
and try to burn but fail.

Is there a way to designate an optical drive as read only? If you
had somehow (without realizing it) got the drive designated as read
only, that might do it.

I don't pretend to have the answer here, but hopefully someone who
knows more than I can answer that question about some sort of
software switch that inhibits all writing via an optical drive.

Someone suggested downloading a test program that displays the
properties of the drive. I think it would be interesting to see if
that program thinks the drive has write capability.

That was certainly the case under XP. You could tick/untick a box on the
disc's Properties.
In Win7 there seems to be something similar if you look at the
Properties/ Recording dialogue page.
I'm not sure here, but the OP might gain some insight by looking at what
there is on there; something greyed out or not enough disc space or
whatever.

Ed

 

[Antares 531]

Last one I got is an LG GH24LS50 for $30. I don't have much test time
on it yet, so can't say whether it's good or bad. It's a bit on the
noisy side, at least compared to the quietest optical drives I own.

The reason I bought that, was my previous purchase of a GH22LP20 was
flawless and it still works. I bought the $30 one, to add to a new build.

Paul

Thanks, Paul. I plan to go to Best Buy tomorrow and see what they have
in stock. I really don't need a sophisticated CD setup. Maybe I'll
just buy an old fashioned CD-R read/write drive. I will check the
model number you gave, above, and see if they carry this one. Gordon

 

[Antares 531]

That was certainly the case under XP. You could tick/untick a box on the
disc's Properties.
In Win7 there seems to be something similar if you look at the
Properties/ Recording dialogue page.
I'm not sure here, but the OP might gain some insight by looking at what
there is on there; something greyed out or not enough disc space or
whatever.

Ed

Ed, I looked, but didn't find this check box. I haven't changed any of
my computer's drive settings for a long time, and this CD drive was
working well until a few days ago. I'm wondering if some automatic
update that downloaded and installed itself may have caused this
problem.

I did delete the CD from Device Manager, where it was shown as ATAPI
BD O DH401S ATA Device. Then, I re-booted and Windows detected and
installed this driver again. No improvement in the way it works,
unfortunately.

Gordon

 

[relic]

I did delete the CD from Device Manager, where it was shown as ATAPI
BD O DH401S ATA Device. Then, I re-booted and Windows detected and
installed this driver again. No improvement in the way it works,
unfortunately.

NOT the CD Drive! That doesn't work.

Delete the *Controller* (IDE Channel, or Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host
Controller) that it's attached to, then reboot and let Windows reinstall
_ALL_ of the drivers.

If you don't know which controller it's attached to, expand the DVD/CD-ROM
drives and delete controllers until the correct drive disappears. You won't
cause any harm if you just deleted all of the controllers to get the one
your DVD is attached to.

 

[Ed Cryer]

Ed, I looked, but didn't find this check box. I haven't changed any of
my computer's drive settings for a long time, and this CD drive was
working well until a few days ago. I'm wondering if some automatic
update that downloaded and installed itself may have caused this
problem.

I did delete the CD from Device Manager, where it was shown as ATAPI
BD O DH401S ATA Device. Then, I re-booted and Windows detected and
installed this driver again. No improvement in the way it works,
unfortunately.

Gordon

So then, tell us what settings you have on the Properties/ Recording
dialogue page.

Also tell us what driver names are given in Device Manager.

Ed

P.S. There's always the standard way back; system restore point.