I have had this problem for 3+ years on 5 or 6 different computers
(and using maybe 5-6 different brands of CDs) - so it is not the
hardware nor the media. Always on Win-XP Home edition.
This happens about 50% of the time for me and it is getting
frustrating and expensive:
1. I put a blank CD in the drive.
2. WinXP recgonizes the CD and pops up the explorer window (blank of course)
(if I go to my computer, and right click on the CD-drive E: and look
at properties, I see the the disk has 0 bytes used, 702 MB free )
3. I drag the files (say 600Mb worth) into the CD Drive (E:) window
4. I click the option (on the left side of the explorer window) that
says "Write these files to CD" ...
5. It prompts me for the CD name and I click next
6. The status bar says it is writing to CD ...
7. then after 10-15 mins I get the message "Cannot Complete the CD
Writing Wizard" .. There was an error in the writing process, the disc
may nolonger be usable"
8. When I check the disk properties - there are now 0 bytes free ...
or sometimes 0 bytes used and 0 bytes free.
Nothing I can do will write the the disk and I need to toss it.
AGAIN - this happens on many different computers with many different
brands of disks (so it cannot be a hardware problem, or bad luck with
disks).
The Windows CD wizard works about 50% of the time. (so therefor I am
wasting half the disk and hours of time).
*** this is not just with the CD wizard - I have tried 4 different CD
writing programs aside from just the Winxp CD wizard (Nero, Roxio,
DirectCD and a freeware one) .. again, on 6 different computers and
many different brands of CDs. Half the CDs are now expensive
coasters as a result.
What am I doing wrong? How can I correct this. (ie I am looking for
settings etc, not for someone to sell me new software).
Thanks |
Request for Question Clarification by
denco-ga
on
07 Nov 2006 13:10 PST
Howdy vodguy-ga,
Greatly appreciate your patience with this troubleshooting process.
Chances are you have a background process that is interfering with you burning
your CDs. Please review the following O'Reilly article for some general tips.
http://www.windowsdevcenter.com/pub/a/oreilly/windows/news/pchardnut3_1000.html
Here are some XP specific tips that you should examine.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/324129
Please examine the above, try the tips, especially shutting down program that
are running in the background, and report back here your results. Thanks!
I strongly suspect a program (antivirus, etc.) running in the background
because people tend to have a favorite program that they install on their
computers.
Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher
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Request for Question Clarification by
denco-ga
on
14 Nov 2006 16:11 PST
Howdy vodguy-ga,
If you don't mind, we can resume the troubleshooting process.
If I am correct, you have tried disabling some background processes, that is,
programs that might be running at the same time you try burning CDs.
If you could detail those steps and programs for me, and detail what programs
you might still have running in the background when you then tried to burn the
CDs, that would go a long way to figuring out your problem.
It is common for people to install/use the same programs (QuickTime, Nortons,
Office, etc.) on all of their machines, and thusly lend, unknowingly, to a
common problem.
As well, do you have equally bad performance if you lower the burn speed?
Much thanks for your patience with all of this.
Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher
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Clarification of Question by
vodguy-ga
on
21 Nov 2006 07:02 PST
It's hard to reply to the GA researcher through all the noise of
commenters that haven't read my question, or my subsequent details of
all the troubleshooting that I have gone through thus far (again -
this happens on more than one computer - and now with FOUR different
CD writers ...).
I just bought a new pack of memorex CD-R *52x, 700Mb). And tried
everything again - and created another 'coaster'.
When I insert the CD, WinXp says "CD Drive E:" and offers me choices,
and i choose "open writable folder using Windows Explorer".... I
then check to see that I have 702Mb free.
Right now i am using CDBurnerXP Pro 3 (please, no more comments and
suggestions about the burner - I have used them all and the burner s/w
is not the problem!).
after about 20 seconds I get "Writing error [3- Error ocurred writing
data to disc.] Unknown writing error" .. and I now have another
coaster. (the CD now hs 0 bytes free). Each one of the burner
software I use has this kind of nonspecific error.
Again - this happens on more than 1 computer.
I have no background s/w running (I even went into MSconfig and
started disabling just about everything that ever was installed).
Yes, the player works (again this is a problem on both my laptop and
desktop - and I have had this problem for years, on different
computers). I am able to read other disks, and write abotu 40% of
the time (it's like a slot machine).
Does this info clarify and help?
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Request for Question Clarification by
denco-ga
on
21 Nov 2006 15:11 PST
Thanks much for the feedback, vodguy-ga. It is greatly appreciated.
Please try the following.
- Insert a blank CD in your burner
- When prompted. choose Take no action, OK
- Run CDBurner XP
- Select "Create a new DATA CD ..."
- Select a few files, and click on Add
- Select Let me choose settings from the Burn menu
- Set the writing speed to 4x, make sure Buffer Correction is activated
- Click on Write Disc
Please report back here if you have a good CD or a coaster. Thanks!
Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher
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Clarification of Question by
vodguy-ga
on
22 Nov 2006 06:28 PST
OK - more info
1. I have been slowing down the speen throughout this whole process
(from 48 to 16 to 8 to 4)... there really does nto seem to be a big
difference in the write reliability. I am still at about 75% of the
disks being ruined.
2. I have shed just about every process (now via windows task manager)
3. *** As per some of the links originally given, I noticed something
interesting (though not sure if it has a correlation)
a. start->run->services.msc /sz
b. IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service
c. it is set as automatic, but much of the time its status is at "stopped"
d. if I press "start" manually, it seems to make a difference,
sometimes but after every single "cannot write to disc" event, I check
back and the IMAPI status goes back to stopped.
So - the speed is not exactly the solution ... (have about 20 ruined
CDs now). But maybe the above is relevant?
Please not again, that this is not specific to one computer! Nor does
it seem to be specific to any one CD writing program.
Thanks for the help!
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Request for Question Clarification by
denco-ga
on
22 Nov 2006 16:55 PST
Howdy vodguy-ga,
With the procedure that I provided I am just trying to create a predictable
environment to work within. As you are currently using CDBurner XP, it was
just something with which you are familiar.
There seems to be problems with the "Open writable folder" process for other
people, so that is why I eliminated that as part of my directions.
With the computers in question, are these "off the shelf" computers, or by
any chance do they they have CD burners that you have added? Thanks!
Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher
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Clarification of Question by
vodguy-ga
on
23 Nov 2006 08:12 PST
re: off-the-shelf vs ...
All of the computers that have exhibited this behavior are off the
shelf. (the general issue again is one where *whatever* CD writing
program I have 40-50% of the time just says 'cannot write to CD'
somewhere in the middle of the process')
Desktop is an Emachines T3302 2GHz, 1.45MbRam, AMD 3300 processor.
Win XP Home Edition, SP2.
Notebook: Gateway MX7118 (2G of ram) (not in front of it right now
for the rest of the info) ... so let's deal with the desktop right
now.
Both have combo CD-RW/DVD drives ... pretty standard/ And during this
process, I am unloading just about everything (that it will let me)!
(from MSconfig, AND from the taskmanager)
Again - I am certain that this is not machine-specific ... as I have
had this problem on different machines, for years (it has just gotten
more critical, or worse). Also, from doing a lot of research on the
web, it seems this is quite a common problem for a whole lot of
people.
CD burning software - the problem is consistent with the latest
versions of Windows CD wizard, Roxio, Nero, And CD BurnerXP Pro.
Oddly, if memory serves, I don't seem to get the problem when I write
to the SONY DVD Architect Studio (burning CD-Rs, not dvds). But I may
be wrong on that one.
I hope this additional info helps.
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