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General discussion

Trying to use a CD-RW in Win XP

Feb 10, 2004 3:39AM PST

Earlier I posted a thread regarding formatting a CD-RW using InCd, Since then I trashed InCD and am trying to use the XP funtions to format a CD using the "erase" button. I did this on a new CD-RW, and sent a few files to it; I get a message "You have files waiting to be written to CD" I then click "write to CD" but then get an error telling me in order to use a CD like a floppy I need to format it. Isn't that what I did already using the "erase" button on the new CD? What exactly am I doing wrong?

Ontop of all that sometimes when I eject a CD, and put it back in, it starts up fine, but then going into "my computer" the D drive is now missing, and the only cure is a re-boot......???

Discussion is locked

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Re:Trying to use a CD-RW in Win XP
Feb 10, 2004 3:45AM PST
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpcd.php may cover part of this issue.

But a drive that goes missing has been cured a few times (more than a few) by me performing the following procedure. I will not debate if one thinks its right, wrong, or if one can skip a step. Its my way to get away from trouble.

1. Set the drives in question to CS or Cable Select.
2. Fit a new 80 conductor IDE cable on said channel. This can be a 1.19 item. If the owner balks at this cost, then it's best we send them away.
3. Update the FIRMWARE of the drives on that channel per the maker's instructions.

Usually this clears up the vanishing drives. If not, we swap out the drive and re-test.

Bob
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Re:Re:Trying to use a CD-RW in Win XP
Feb 14, 2004 8:13AM PST

Ok, heres the odd thing? I put in a CD-RW and try to use it and I get a disk error, bad CD, etc. but when using a CD-R it works fine, I write the files to disk, and it works good. Unfortunately I can't edit the files/delete them using a CD-R??, but I can't get the CD-RW to work at all to use like a big floppy anyway??? The only time I had any luck at all using it like a floppy was with InCd which I can't get to work at all.

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Re:Re:Re:Trying to use a CD-RW in Win XP
Feb 14, 2004 8:32AM PST

" but I can't get the CD-RW to work at all to use like a big floppy anyway??"

The article/link I supplied documented this issue. I've shared that some find InCD, DirectCD, DLA and others to just be too unreliable. To get good use of a CDRW, I just use NERO's erase button and then record the new set of files to the the disk.

I couldn't take the reliability issue either.

Bob

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Re:Trying to use a CD-RW in Win XP
Feb 14, 2004 12:04PM PST

I find that an unformated CD RW will not be reconized nor detected by a CD Drive. There will be error messages like "Please insert a blank CD in the drive'." 'Erase' is not the same as 'Format'. There seems no facility at Win XP to 'format' a CD RW, nor with 'Nero Express' nor 'Nero Burning ROM'. With Nero, 'In CD' will format or "prepare a CD RW to be used like a floppy' i.e. prepare the CD RW for 'packet writing'.

I am not able to find your previous post for reference. What is your problem with In CD ?

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Speed?
Feb 14, 2004 2:04PM PST

A CD-RW drive that is, say, 12-10-32, will choke on CD-RW media that is faster, say, 16X. Don't ask me how I know.

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Re:Trying to use a CD-RW in Win XP
Feb 14, 2004 3:55PM PST

hi - i have incd and xp. formatting a disk and erasing a disk are not the same. formatting a disk (CD-RW) is so it can be used like a floppy disk. u can add stuff to it, save it, and then come back and add more, just like a floppy.

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Re:Trying to use a CD-RW in Win XP
Feb 15, 2004 12:49AM PST
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Re:Re disregard, I sent the wrong one ...nt
Feb 15, 2004 12:52AM PST

.

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Re:Trying to use a CD-RW in Win XP
Feb 15, 2004 6:58AM PST

First try resetting the configuration in the BIOS. It will get a new read on the drives, as well as the second option is to check the manufacturor of the CDRW drive, and see if there are any firmware updates.

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Trying to use a CD-RW in Win XP
Feb 15, 2004 9:14PM PST

Hello,
I am hoping there is a simple solution to my problem, which is also dealing with CD-RW. How can I set up the cd so it is not a "read only" file. It allows me to make corrections when I bring the file back up from the CD --- but refuses to save them? Is this possible to do, like a floppy?
Thanks for any and all help in this matter. It is frustrating when I know that there must be something wrong I am doing but cannot figure it out! Happy

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Re:Trying to use a CD-RW in Win XP
Feb 15, 2004 10:12PM PST

You are asking a question under a different problem from yours, although the subject matter concerns CD- RW. You may get better responses if you start a new thread.