[snoopkat]

Hi!

I'm having trouble with the computers at my workplace. For some reason, the DVD-RW drives installed in our prefab systems refuse to write to DVD-Rs. The image will write fine, but when I insert the blank DVD-R to burn, it tells me that I didn't insert any "writable" media, and refuses to do anything until I put a DVD-RW in the drive. It burns to DVD-RWs just fine. (Well -- to be specific, I've been doing this with DVD+RWs. But it should be able to write DVD-Rs!)

The funny thing is that we got an extra DVD-RW burner, a Sony DL, and installed it in one of our computers, and we never get the problem on that drive. Only the ones that came with the computers. Also, I'm pretty sure it's not a software thing. It did it when I was using Sonic, and after switching to CloneDVD, I get basically the same error.

What do you think the problem is? DVD-RWs are expensive! I would have gone and installed new firmware, etc., but I can't even figure out what brand these DVD-RW drives are. There aren't any logos on the face, and the device manager just calls it a "NU DVDRW DDW-081" and lists the manufacturer as "(Standard CD-ROM drives)".

It burns CDs just fine.

I'm running Windows XP, mostly with SP2.

Thank you ~

Elaine.

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[snoopkat]

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[cheathawk1]

OK, first off, are these DVD burners DVD+RW (DVD 'plus' RW) drives or DVD-RW drives (DVD 'minus' RW)? Usually, when it tells you to insert "writable media" it means that either the DVD you are trying to write to isn't blank or that its the wrong format (ie. putting a DVD+R into a DVD-R drive).

A good way to test this is by buying one blank DVD-R and one blank DVD+R and see which one works. . Another thing to check, and this may sound like a stupid request, but make sure that when your burning the DVD that the burning program you're using is set to 'DVD' and not CD. I only ask this because I use NERO to burn my DVD's and somtimes I'll forget to change the burning format back from CD to DVD and I'll get the same error message.

--Chris

[snoopkat]

Hi there! Thanks for the reply.

The face of the drive says "DVD+Rewritable" -- just like my Sony drive that doesn't have this particular problem. Wouldn't a DVD+R drive have no problem writing a DVD-R disc, like the Sony can? It's when you using a DVD-R drive to write DVD+Rs that you end up with that sort of error, isn't it?

I'll give it a try, anyway. If you have any other suggestions, though, I'd love to hear them in the meantime!

It's so weird that it won't just write DVD-R to DVD-R, and asks for a RW.

-e.

[cheathawk1]

No, the formats have to match (at least thats what I've experienced). Your Sony, if its newish, is most likely a dual format drive that can burn either DVD-R's and DVD+R's.
Also, have you tried using another burning program, such as Roxio?

--Chris