CD-RW Drive Changing w/ CD-R Insert

[kris10]

Well, I posted my "newbie" message to introduce myself and am just too darn impatient to wait to make my first post. I'm looking forward to browsing the board and reading some of the other stuff around here. B)

My first post relates to my CD-RW drive. I've never had problems with it before and usually can figure out this kind of thing on my own. It seems to be a "simple" issue but it's got me troubled. I am an amateur photographer and just recently got it through my thick skull after almost loosing everything to a crash, that I need to ALWAYS back up my stuff as soon as I upload it to my computer. Today, I got some photo's that I was going to put on a cd before I started doing my post process work but when I put in my CD-R, my drive acts like it's going to read it and then in my computer, the drive type changes from CD-RW to CD-R. I have tried different cd's of different brand to see if it might have been a bad batch of cd's with no luck. I've also refreshed the driver and restarted my computer. I also tested an install cd for Nero and a game cd of my husbands. It worked fine for both the Nero install and for the game cd. I was also able to put in a cd this morning that had been burned on another computer to get some of my other backed up work off of it with no problems. It's baffling me that it works for everything except a CD-R and I've never had any problems with it before. Any ideas on what might cause this and what I can do to fix it? I'm sitting here with photo's on my computer and I would feel much better to be able to back them up onto a cd. I will be buying a Seagate plug and play hard drive in the next two weeks but in the meantime, I'm left with this probably soon to be old fashioned method of backing up my work.

Thanks in advance for any ideas you folks can offer. Now, I'm off to browse this nifty forum... :)

[-pops-]

I'm a bit confused by your terminology but do you mean that your CD writer will no longer write disks but will read them?

This is quite a common problem and frequently due to the failure of the writing laser and/or its associated electronics but leaving the read laser OK.

CD writers are now very low cost and to save a lot of frustration sorting things out with the current one, I suggest you replace it. Even if that turns out not to be the cause, you will have a drive ready for your new computer when you start to build it. Better would be to replace your current writer with a DVDRW which wouldn't cost very much more but you have the added facility of being able to write DVDs as well - and even more suitable for a new machine.

[XPonential]

Hi Kris-hope the following helps with your prob. e.g.

when I put in my CD-R, my drive acts like it's going to read it and then in my computer, the drive type changes from CD-RW to CD-R.

I wonder, is it just windows trying to be helpful?

They say a picture's worth a thousand words so here'e what my comp looks like before /after putting different media into the drives:

Click to enlarge the pic and you'll see my F drive at the bottom has apparently changed itself from a DVD-RW to a CD drive (with a CD-R in it). I wonder if this is the sort of thing you're seeing? If so, just open up another window with your photos and drag/drop a pic onto the drive-windows should get all helpful and offer to write to CD. If not then you'll have to use Nero.

Good idea that you're getting another external means of back-up. Wouldn't a usb memory stick have enough capacity for you? So portable and robust (and of course easily lost!!). Can't really beat the "old-fashioned" way and I hope you get it working.

[kris10]

Hi Kris-hope the following helps with your prob. e.g.

when I put in my CD-R, my drive acts like it's going to read it and then in my computer, the drive type changes from CD-RW to CD-R.

I wonder, is it just windows trying to be helpful?

They say a picture's worth a thousand words so here'e what my comp looks like before /after putting different media into the drives:

Click to enlarge the pic and you'll see my F drive at the bottom has apparently changed itself from a DVD-RW to a CD drive (with a CD-R in it). I wonder if this is the sort of thing you're seeing? If so, just open up another window with your photos and drag/drop a pic onto the drive-windows should get all helpful and offer to write to CD. If not then you'll have to use Nero.

Good idea that you're getting another external means of back-up. Wouldn't a usb memory stick have enough capacity for you? So portable and robust (and of course easily lost!!). Can't really beat the "old-fashioned" way and I hope you get it working.

Thanks so much xp. That's exactly what it was doing except any time I tried to double click on the drive after putting the cd in, it gave me a "drive not accessible" message. I ultimately had to install Nero and it worked. I'm thinking I forgot to intall that driver when I reloaded my computer so I'm pretty much just a huge DORK. I have now burned my photo's to a cd and feel a bit more secure knowing I can now. I've tried a memory stick with no luck. I shoot in large format JPEG for a lot of my personal stuff but when I'm shooting something important to me or shooting for other people, I shoot in RAW format to save the image integrity and those files range from 2-6 MB's per file. When you have 60 photo's to work on, a memory stick is useless. I can't wait to get my external drive because the cd method, though okay for making print cd's for clients, is not good for backing up the original processed files. Also, although JPEGs back up fine on usually one cd, I use 2-3 cd's just for the RAW & TIFF files.

I just can't wait for the day I can build my own computer. I'm starting my process for "scoping out" what I want in a computer now. I want to get everything I need over a period of time and then once I have it...I'm going to build it to work for me. I may just have to come here for advice as it'll be the first time I build my own "kick butt" computer. :P

Thanks for your help and comments XP and pops. I'm thinking I'll really enjoy this forum. B)

[rong]

Just a thought, I wouldn't buy anything until you are going to build it as the prices can drop so fast that in a month you could probably buy better for the same money