Optical Storage - Upgrading and Repairing PCs - page 602

If you can't create a writable DVD but the drive can be used with CD-R, CD-RW, or rewritable DVD
media, try the following solutions:
• Make sure you are using the correct media. +R and -R media can't be interchanged unless the
drive is a DVD R/RW dual-mode drive.
• Be sure you select the option to create a DVD project in your mastering software. Some disc-
mastering software defaults to the CD-R setting.
• Select the correct drive as the target. If you have both rewritable DVD and rewritable CD
drives on the same system, be sure to specify the rewritable DVD drive.
• Try a different disc.
• Contact the mastering software vendor for a software update.
Failure Writing to CD-RW or DVD-RW 1x Media
If you can't write to CD-RW or DVD-RW 1x media, try the following solutions:
• Make sure the media is formatted. Use the format tool provided with the UDF software to
prepare the media for use.
• If the media was formatted, verify it was formatted with the same or compatible UDF program.
Different packet-writing programs support different versions of the UDF standard. I recommend
you use the same UDF packet-writing software on the computers you use or use drives that
support the Mount Rainier standard.
• Make sure the system has identified the media as CD-RW or DVD-RW. Eject and reinsert the
media to force the drive to redetect it.
• Contact the packet-writing software vendor for a software update.
• Know that the disc might have been formatted with Windows XP's own limited CD-writing
software (which uses the CDFS instead of UDF) instead of a UDF packet-writing program.
Erase the disc with Windows XP after transferring any needed files from the media; then format
it with your preferred UDF program.
• Contact the drive vendor for a firmware update. See “ Updating the Firmware in an Optical
Drive ,” later in this chapter.
PATA Optical Drive Runs Slowly
If your PATA drive performs poorly, consider the following items:
• Check the cache size in the Performance tab of the System Properties control panel in Windows
XP. Select the quad-speed setting (largest cache size).
• Check to see whether the drive is set as the slave to your hard disk; move the drive to the
secondary controller if possible.
• Make sure your PIO (Programmed I/O) or UDMA mode is set correctly for your drive in the
BIOS. Check the drive specs and use autodetect in BIOS for the best results. (Refer to Chapter
5 , “ BIOS .”)
• Check that you are using busmastering drivers on compatible systems; install the appropriate
drivers for the motherboard's chipset and the OS in use. Refer to the section, “ Direct Memory
Access and Ultra-DMA .”