Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
• With Windows 9x, open the System Properties control panel and select the Performance tab to
see whether the system is using MS-DOS Compatibility Mode for CD-ROM drive. If all ATA
drives are running in this mode, see
www.microsoft.com
and query on “MS-DOS Compatibility
Mode” for a troubleshooter. If only the CD-ROM drive is in this mode, see whether you're
using CD-ROM drivers in CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT. Remove the lines containing
references to the CD-ROM drivers (don't actually delete the lines but instead REM them),
reboot the system, and verify that your CD-ROM drive still works and that it's running in 32-bit
mode. Some older drives require at least the CONFIG.SYS driver to operate.
Problems Burning Discs Using Windows Built-In Recording
Windows XP's built-in CD-writing feature works only on drives that are supported by Windows XP.
To install the latest updates for Windows XP, including updates to the CD-writing feature, use
Windows Update. Microsoft Knowledgebase article 320174 discusses an update to the CD-writing
feature. Search the Microsoft website for other solutions.
If you are using third-party writing applications, you may prefer to disable Windows' built-in writing
feature. This feature is enabled or disabled with Windows Explorer. Open the drive's properties
sheet Recording tab and clear the Enable CD/DVD Recording check box to disable recording, or
click the empty box to enable recording.
If you have problems writing media or using your CD or DVD drive in Windows, see Microsoft
Knowledgebase article 314060 for solutions.
Tip
If you are unable to create discs with Windows Vista and you have a USB flash memory drive
connected to your computer, eject the flash drive and try the burn again.
Trouble Reading CD-RW Discs on CD-ROM
If you can't read CD-RW discs in your CD-ROM, try the following solutions:
• Check the vendor specifications to see whether your drive is MultiRead compliant. Some are
not.
• If your drive is MultiRead compliant, try the CD-RW disc on a known-compliant CD-ROM
drive (a drive with the MultiRead feature).
• Insert CD-RW media back into the original drive and check it for problems with the packet-
writing software program's utilities.
• Insert CD-RW media back into the original drive and use the right-click Eject command in My
Computer or Windows Explorer to properly close the media.
• Create a writable CD or DVD to transfer data to a computer that continues to have problems
reading rewritable media.
Trouble Reading CD-R Discs on DVD Drive
If your DVD drive can't read a CD-R disc, check to see that the drive is MultiRead2 compliant
because noncompliant DVDs can't read CD-R media. All current DVD drives support reading CD-R
media.
