What the hell happened?! HELP!!

The basic story:

My Pacific Digital (Toshiba) DVD/CD external burner worked fine up
until a month ago (mostly used Roxio Easy Creator 7.1, bundled with the
burner software). I've made hundreds of audio CDs (using Maxells and
Imations).

SUDDENLY...

Lots of coasters (with the Imations). It gets about 15% into the table
of contents and tells me there's a "write media error". OK.... I try
again, but this time I reset the burn speed to 12x. Another coaster.

Switch to Windows Media Player. Does the conversion, but kicks the
CD(s) out during the burn process.

Switch to RealPlayer. Writes the table, supposedly burns the CD,
finalizes, and tells me the "burn completed successfully", but doesn't
auto - eject. Blank disc(s).

So... I get some Verbatim discs from a buddy, repeat the processes with
all 3 programs (resetting the burn speed to 8x), and I get the same
results. Garbage.

The burner reads discs fine, and I can burn data CDs/DVDs 'till the
cows come home. The ONLY thing I can't do (recently) is BURN TO .CDA,
and it's driving me friggin' NUTS!!

HELP!!

wrote:
The basic story:

My Pacific Digital (Toshiba) DVD/CD external burner worked fine up
until a month ago (mostly used Roxio Easy Creator 7.1, bundled with the
burner software). I've made hundreds of audio CDs (using Maxells and
Imations).

SUDDENLY...

Lots of coasters (with the Imations). It gets about 15% into the table
of contents and tells me there's a "write media error". OK.... I try
again, but this time I reset the burn speed to 12x. Another coaster.

Switch to Windows Media Player. Does the conversion, but kicks the
CD(s) out during the burn process.

Switch to RealPlayer. Writes the table, supposedly burns the CD,
finalizes, and tells me the "burn completed successfully", but doesn't
auto - eject. Blank disc(s).

So... I get some Verbatim discs from a buddy, repeat the processes with
all 3 programs (resetting the burn speed to 8x), and I get the same
results. Garbage.

The burner reads discs fine, and I can burn data CDs/DVDs 'till the
cows come home. The ONLY thing I can't do (recently) is BURN TO .CDA,
and it's driving me friggin' NUTS!!

There's a chance that you're seeing a very old problem which may have
come up if the drive has picked up dust and dirt. If you're writing
CD-DA in TAO, then try DAO. If that works, then you may be having
trouble picking up the TOC to write track-by-track information or to
finalize. (There's a related page on the TOC in the primer at my WWW
site.) Another guess is that the problem is exacerbated by heat; if you
can try running it cooler (mount it above the desk?), you may have a
working solution for a while.

If any of that helps, you probably have debris in the works.

Mike
--

http://www.mrichter.com/

.. --------------------------------------
Mike Richter, were you born with
"Scam Artist" emblazoned on your face?
--------------------------------------
http://tinyurl.com/6eldj

(No Pipsqueaks have been able to prove ANY of the above is a LIBEL)
( -- despite Mikey claimed to have proof of misquotes !! )
..

wrote:

The basic story:

My Pacific Digital (Toshiba) DVD/CD external burner worked fine up
until a month ago (mostly used Roxio Easy Creator 7.1, bundled with the
burner software). I've made hundreds of audio CDs (using Maxells and
Imations).

SUDDENLY...

Lots of coasters (with the Imations). It gets about 15% into the table
of contents and tells me there's a "write media error". OK.... I try
again, but this time I reset the burn speed to 12x. Another coaster.

Switch to Windows Media Player. Does the conversion, but kicks the
CD(s) out during the burn process.

Switch to RealPlayer. Writes the table, supposedly burns the CD,
finalizes, and tells me the "burn completed successfully", but doesn't
auto - eject. Blank disc(s).

So... I get some Verbatim discs from a buddy, repeat the processes with
all 3 programs (resetting the burn speed to 8x), and I get the same
results. Garbage.

The burner reads discs fine, and I can burn data CDs/DVDs 'till the
cows come home. The ONLY thing I can't do (recently) is BURN TO .CDA,
and it's driving me friggin' NUTS!!

HELP!!

Try disabling the burn plugins of Real and WMP. If still no go, try
uninstall/reinstall of Easy CD Cremator.

.. --------------------------------------
Mike Richter, were you born with
"Scam Artist" emblazoned on your face?
--------------------------------------

Mike Richter (The Slimiest Friggin SOB) barfed:

If that works, then you may be having
trouble picking up the TOC to write track-by-track information or to
finalize. (There's a related page on the TOC in the primer at my WWW
site.)

Expert on TOC, Mikey?

=================================================
Mike Richter (Friggin ****) splattered (7/31/04):

Each time a changed fixed-length packet disc is
removed from the drive, the TOC is written.

No kidding!

This Friggin Freak does not even know what TOC is!!
=================================================

Mike Richter's Cockamamie Mumbo Jumbo on TOC (01-06)
Mike Richter's Cockamamie Mumbo Jumbo on TOC (07-02)
Mike Richter's Cockamamie Mumbo Jumbo on TOC (elementary)
Mike Richter's Cockamamie Mumbo Jumbo on TOC (dvd)
Mike Richter's Cockamamie Mumbo Jumbo on TOC (multisession)
Mike Richter's Cockamamie Mumbo Jumbo on Packet Writing (TOC)
..

----------------------------------------
Mikey, you are The Slimiest Friggin SOB!
----------------------------------------
Mike Richter, were you born with
"Scam Artist" emblazoned on your face?
--------------------------------------
(Mike Richter, any Material Connection w/ Roxio?)

Success!

I ran services.msc, and discovered that the IMAPI CD-burning COM
service was re-set to 'manual'.
Exactly HOW this happened remains a mystery, but who cares? I'm back in
the burn biz.