Persistent problem of iTunes not being able to burn CDs

Description: Some users have had issues when burning CDs in iTunes 8, where either the program will not give a burn option, or will only partially burn a CD and result in an unusable disc.

Walter Pfister- from http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1928740&tstart=0

"I haven't burned a cd in a while and just tried to. It scans my playlist, starts to initialize, and then goes to burn but almost immediately switches to "finishing burn." This all happens in less than a minute. It then ejects the cd and gives me an error about unable to burn, and unable to retrieve or retry (something to that extent)."

For some users, prior versions of iTunes would work fine, but after updating to version 8.0.x the burning stopped. This has remained unsolved for many of these users since the release of iTunes 8 last year. In addition, other users who have successfully burned with iTunes 8 in the past have had this problem crop up. Despite the lack of functionality in iTunes, affected users can burn CDs in other programs, such as Toast.

Fixes: This problem could lie in the hardware, the OS and drivers, as well as in iTunes itself, depending on the specific situation. However, if users are able to burn in other programs then hardware faults can probably be ruled out. Still, It is possible that faulty PRAM settings could interfere with iTunes' ability to access the drive for certain functions, not affecting other programs that don't interact with these settings. It is recommended for users to try resetting the PRAM on the computer, especially if the drive is not the factory-installed drive (i.e., user-upgraded or repaired). To reset the PRAM, restart the computer and immediately hold the options-command-P-R keys after the boot chimes sound. Let the computer cycle through a few restarts and release the keys, allowing the computer to boot normally.

Beyond hardware settings, one or two users have been able to solve burning problems by fixing permissions on the boot drive with Disk Utility, which will ensure that all the core system files are properly accessible. In addition, users might try removing the iTunes preferences file, which can prevent iTunes from functioning correctly if it's got some faulty entries or other corruption. This file is located in the /Home Folder/Library/Preferences/ folder and is called "com.apple.iTunes.plist."

Additional possibilities for burning problems include a faulty batch of CD media. While this should not result in application-specific burning problems, a poorly manufactured batch of CDs can cause flaky burning behavior in any situation. It is recommended to try media from a different company, and in addition, to also try burning it at a lower speed than the rated speed for the media. This setting is available when users click the "Burn" button for a playlist. Setting the burn rate to half that of the advertised rate may help prevent burning problems.

Other Options: Besides iTunes, users can try a variety of other burning software to organize playlists and burn audio CDs and MP3/data CDs. It is recommended to first try several freeware utilities to ensure the CD drive is functioning correctly, and if so, users can then consider a commercial burning package.

Freeware Utilities: LiquidCD: http://www.maconnect.ch/index.php?page=liquidcd SimplyBurns: http://simplyburns.berlios.de/ FireStarter FX: http://www.projectomega.org/subcat.php?lg=en&php=products_firestarter

Commercial Packages: Roxio Toast: http://www.roxio.com/ NTI DragonBurn: http://www.ntius.com/dragon_burn.asp Disco (Trial Available): http://www.discoapp.com/

Resources