IT Expert Needed - My DVD Writer is Possessed

[rayDC2R]

So I was using DVD Shrink to backup one of my DVD's and it told me that there was not enough space on the blank DVD in the drive to write the whole content of the DVD... this was before I even started burning it. So it gave me an option to continue anyway, and I did click yes.

Anyway, it went through the process of encoding, but once it got to the part of actually burning, it spat my blank dvd out and asked for another one with enough space. So I tried putting a new blank dvd in the drive and it checked disc again... but then it didn't like that one, so it spat that out, but then the drive started going crazy...

The tray just keeps ejecting, then closing after 2 seconds, then ejecting after 2 seconds, then closing again... keeps opening and closing... it'll stop after about 5 times of doing that...

So I try to open it again and that works, but then it will go through the whole cyclye of opening and closing again, even if there is no disc there and I've exited all the applications running...

The light on the front of the drive does not light up at all. And when it goes to close itself, sometimes it looks like it gets stuck and doesn't close, but the tray nudges a little bit. The tray also remains open, even if I shutdown the PC, normally it will close automatically right? But when the PC is turned off, the tray is still open. So who can tell me what the problem is and how can I fix it?

[Jingers]

well most likely your dvd burner is broken.

DVD burners are quite simple in regards to their tray ejection mechnisim and if that is not functioning then it is a sure sign of failure. It was prolly on its last legs and your dvd burning did it in.

Question for you, what were you burning? DVD MOVIE disc? DATA DISC? have you burnt this disc before?

[rayDC2R]

I was burning a DVD movie... this burner is only one year old and I have not had one single problem with it until now. I have never burnt that disc before, but I thought DVD Shrink would make it to fit to a standard DVD-R 4.7GB anyway.

[Jingers]

whilst i dont know what happened and why its not burning but if you have another system you an easily unplug your dvd burner from the system and plug it into another one. BUT from the sound of it your dvd burner is broken, if you have warranty apply for warranty if not you can purchase another one for around the $50-55 ish mark

[MrThanh]

is it still happening now? it may have been a software issue too, causing the dvd-r drive to malfunction. sometimes my burner locks up, but after a reboot it works fine

btw, i think dvd shrink reduces the dvd down to 4.7GB, which is more than a dvd can hold.. approx 4,482MB rather than 4,700MB

[rayDC2R]

i haven't got another system to try it on... and i have restarted, turned off the pc, all that and still happens...
if i don't touch it, the tray is always "out" and when i go to close it, it will open and then close and open again...
did a virus scan and there's no issues there.

oh and i've been using dvd shrink for ages and this is the only time that its ever told me that the content will be more than what the dvd can hold.

[00dc2]

reboot.. try to burn something different like a CD.. see how it goes... i dont think its broken.. but i could be wrong

[Jingers]

did you read what he has written? He has said he has rebooted it and tried that already.

[MrThanh]

time to throw it in the bin or hang it off your rear view mirror and buy a new one.

[rayDC2R]

at this stage i feel like throwing out the whole pc!

anyone know where i can buy a nice new pc for cheap? or if its cheaper and better to get one made up from parts like i did this one?

i haven't been able to figure out the damn dvd burner. i noticed that all my apps that use the burner (dvd shrink, alcohol 120, nero) all don't open up properly anymore. i tried a uninstall and reinstall of nero but still doesn't work properly. but all my other apps seem to work fine and i have no issues with internet and outlook and IE, etc.

[MrThanh]

at this stage i feel like throwing out the whole pc!

anyone know where i can buy a nice new pc for cheap? or if its cheaper and better to get one made up from parts like i did this one?

i haven't been able to figure out the damn dvd burner. i noticed that all my apps that use the burner (dvd shrink, alcohol 120, nero) all don't open up properly anymore. i tried a uninstall and reinstall of nero but still doesn't work properly. but all my other apps seem to work fine and i have no issues with internet and outlook and IE, etc.

pc express!

it could be a driver issue too if it is fucking around with your other software.

try uninstalling it completely from the device manager, and then reboot and let it detect and reinstall itself and see if that has any positive effects.

[fueltank]

maybe he just has a virus on his machine

[MrThanh]

maybe he just has a virus on his machine

ha ha! pwned by free pron

[Jingers]

sorry we "try" not to sale cheap systems because in the end cheap systems = i dont recognise you when you come back to me....

but really honestly the dvd burner is quite an easy piece of hardware to solve. One last thing you can do is try reinstalling the chipset controller drivers which will be linked to your ide drives. These drivers can be located on your motherboard disc. BECAREFUL though.

[fueltank]

ha ha! pwned by free pron

just like on your powerbook!