My HP DVD Writer 740b will not recognize a blank DVD (PLAYO DVD-R 4.7gb). It will recognize and write to a CD. I have removed the device and allowed Win XP to reinstall with out results. Still just spins the disk a few times and goes silent. When I look at the drive in MY Computer it is there but appears empty. When I try to write files to the disk I am prompted to insert a blank disk.

I'm just average with tech so keep in layman's terms if possible. Thanks

are they black colored DVD-Rs, by chance? Once I bought an array of CD-Rs in different colors(Memorex), and my burner could not recognize the black ones. According to Memorex, this is a real limitation with certain CD/DVD-ROM drives.

This post has been edited by mikeSF4531: Sep 12 2007, 12:12 PM

combo drives like that use different lasers for the different formats ( cd or dvd ) so it might be that your dvd laser is out or dirty... Has it worked before? If not or if it did with a different brand of disk you may need to change brand.. Also are you sure it supports the -R/RW format? It's possible it only supports +R/RW format. If you think it may be dirty you could try using a dvd lens cleaner and see if it gets better...

The drive will recognize a commerical DVD without problem. The drive is specified for DVD + or - . I have been able to write to these same disks in the past, but it has been quite a while since I needed the function. I have tried two different brands of DVD-R disks with the same result.

This post has been edited by fharris770: Sep 12 2007, 01:05 PM

does windows still call it a dvdrw? IF so then I'd say the laser is toast or dirty.... you could try a dvd cleaner but unsure if that will get the write laser or not... Oh and to clarify there are different laser for reading and for writing as well as for cd and dvd.

actually windows calls it a CD drive now. I don't remember if it called it anything else in the past.

I have now updated the firmware in addition to other steps noted in earlier post(s). I have just about decided to purchase an external DVD burner and trash this one.