Problem seeing data on CD/DVD

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alienstew

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#14891 25-Jul-2007 14:37

I recently bought a new desktop running Windows Vista Home Premium. Mostly it is OK but I have one annoying recurring problem which I could use some help with.

I can insert a CD/DVD in the drive and all works as it should, then inserting the same disk at another time I get a message to the effect of "do you want to format this blank CD/DVD" when the disk is NOT blank. I can't the disk in Explorer (but I can if I use another computer). Last night this happened immediately after I burnt data to a CD, the CD is fine in any other computer but seen as "blank" in the one that made it.

I don't think I've altered any settings and not sure how to get the disk reliably recognized as containing data. I'm assuming Vista is the problem, of course I could be wrong, maybe it's the hardware/driver?

Any thoughts or suggestions gratefully received

rscole86

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#79613 25-Jul-2007 14:39

Firstly, what are you using to burn the disc? Vista's own burning software? Or someone elses?

Does this happen with one brand of disk? Or with a few different brands?

Are you making sure that you finalise the disc in Vista after burning it?

alienstew

58 posts

Master Geek

#79618 25-Jul-2007 15:01

1. using Roxio, which i don't like much but it came with the computer (Dell)

2. happens regardless of disk brand, and with disks burnt in other computers - but not always

3. yes, readable by other computers WIN 98, XP, haven't tried another Vista machine though - don't know anyone else silly enough to have one :-)

rscole86

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#79621 25-Jul-2007 15:13

Try using vista's built in CD burning software, that way we can rule out the CDRW/DVDrw drive if it is that?

And Im fairly sure im not silly?

alienstew

58 posts

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#79731 26-Jul-2007 09:48

Sorry rscole86, I'm sure you're not silly, just that Vista has given me some grief trying to run my older apps and hardware, I don't really see it as much advance over XP. Anyway.....

To check this using only Windows apps, first tried to burn a file to CD using Media Player, this spat out my blank disk and kept asking for a blank disk??

Next tried Media Centre, this worked with no problem, successfully burning the CD. The newly burnt CD then played successfully in Media Player.

Windows Explorer could not “see” anything on the disk and still asks if I want to format as if it were a blank CD-RW??

Autoplay is on but nothing autoplays. When inserting a CD I used to get a message asking if I wanted to play/open/explore/etc, this message no longer displays, I don't think I've (deliberately) done anything to turn this off..

Any thoughts?

alienstew

58 posts

Master Geek

#79970 27-Jul-2007 11:43

The saga continues….

Last night I tried to get the computer back to a stage where it worked OK so uninstalled a couple of programs, that didn’t help. Next tried to Restore to a previous restore point, got a message “unexpected/unknown error try earlier restore point” The earliest restore point on the list also failed. So no help there.

Next tried CCleaner registry clean, this found many errors and after this I could once again see what was on a CD using Windows Explorer. Autoplay still didn’t work but I thought I had made some progress.

Thinking maybe CCleaner hadn’t done a good enough job I ran the free registry check from RegCure, that showed 880 registry errors but wouldn’t fix anything unless I paid US$29.99. I thought I’d think about that “could there be that many genuine errors in a computer less than 2 months old?” I uninstalled RegCure and thought at least I was on the right track.

For no particular reason I had another look at a CD in Explorer, and %^&*(#$, it couldn’t read it and came up with the old “format to burn this disk” message again.

So no further ahead really………….

Anyone got any ideas??? Is Vista somehow auto-restoring faulty registry data?? All suggestions appreciated.

Batman

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#81001 3-Aug-2007 12:50

have you downloaded the roxio dvd drive vista patch? without the patch roxio is incompatible with vista - BUT i don't know what symptoms/troubles it gives (ie whether your drive problem is related). erm ... go to the dell website key in your service tag and you should be able to find the roxio patch ... i think as i've fixed this problem for my brother's dell laptop before but he never used his dvd drive - the only symptom he had was "sonic DLA" had problems and i found that it was roxio needing a vista patch

alienstew

58 posts

Master Geek

#81392 7-Aug-2007 05:54

Yes Roxio is up to date, but I think the problem is now solved. I say "think" because it's been intermittant but for a few days now has been good.

The cure seems to have been an update for Quicktime and iTunes. This was not straight forward, the version I had wouldn't update or uninstall. Apple Support had obviously seen the problem before as the answer was on their Website. An easy fix from DOS Prompt then unistall and install the latest version.

I've had no problem with CD/DVD burning or reading since. I hadn't been using Quicktime or iTunes at the time of the problems but I quess they load at start-up. Anyway, now cured. Thanks to those of you who offered suggestions/help.