Alpha
08-07-2003, 05:09 AM
Hi All,
This is going to be a long and, perhaps, convoluted post so please be
patient with a newcomer.
Last September, I had three AOpen CD-RW drives fitted (40x12x48x
JustLink JustSpeed). Their primary purpose was data backup and storage
(My Iomega zip drive is over three years old.) The drives were
purchased with copies of Nero 5.5. Despite one of the PCs being a
particularly problematic Dell, I found all three drives to be an
efficient and safe means of transferring data from one PC to another--
until yesterday.
I opened a new pack of 10 TDK CD-RW discs (700 MB/80 min). I planned
to back up all data from the "Dell-inquent" which is due to be
scrapped. I inserted the first unformatted disc but the usual screen
asking whether I wanted UDF or Nero Burning Rom failed to launch. I
clicked on the InCD icon in my task tray and clicked the format
option. The InCD Wizard threw up the following message: "A supported
media is not inserted". I assumed the Dell was playing up again. I
removed the disc and tried again on an older, lower-spec system (I'll
call it PC #1). The same thing occurred. I began to wonder whether the
disc was faulty and put it to one side.
I got out a second CD and it formatted on PC #1. I tried to format a
third CD on the Dell only to have the InCD Wizard issue the same
message: "A supported media is not inserted". I tried this third disc
on PC #1. It would not format. I attempted to format it on another
computer, which I'll call PC #2. The disc formatted without a hitch.
I needed to format all ten discs. I gave up trying to persuade the
Dell to format them and worked with the two other computers. I found
that sometimes a format would run perfectly. At other times, I would
see the message: "A supported media is not inserted". Furthermore,
there were times when the format was almost complete (at the end of
the logical format process) when the drive would eject the disc. In
this instance, an error message would appear regarding an unspecified
"illegal command".
I backed up all my data from the Dell. When I came to transfer it to
PC #1, I discovered that the AOpen drive would not recognise CD-RW
discs. I have tried reinstalling Nero 5.5, upgrading Nero to the
latest version of 5.5, and have even reformatted the hard drive and
begun to set things up from scratch. I am unable to get the drive to
read discs or format new ones. The problem is not confined to discs
manufactured by TDK.
The AOpen drive in PC #2 will both read and write but is very noisy
about it. Moreover, the "illegal command" error message sometimes
aborts the format before it is complete. Again, the problem concerns
all CD-RW media—not only discs manufactured by TDK.
My CD-RW drives are less than a year old. They appeared fine until
yesterday. The fact that the Dell refused to begin formatting the
first TDK disc suggests that the drives on PC #1 and #2 have been
damaged by discs that are, perhaps, not wholly compatible but, quite
honestly, I haven't a clue what has happened.
All relevant responses and tips as to how I should proceed would be
appreciated.
Regards,
Alpha
This is going to be a long and, perhaps, convoluted post so please be
patient with a newcomer.
Last September, I had three AOpen CD-RW drives fitted (40x12x48x
JustLink JustSpeed). Their primary purpose was data backup and storage
(My Iomega zip drive is over three years old.) The drives were
purchased with copies of Nero 5.5. Despite one of the PCs being a
particularly problematic Dell, I found all three drives to be an
efficient and safe means of transferring data from one PC to another--
until yesterday.
I opened a new pack of 10 TDK CD-RW discs (700 MB/80 min). I planned
to back up all data from the "Dell-inquent" which is due to be
scrapped. I inserted the first unformatted disc but the usual screen
asking whether I wanted UDF or Nero Burning Rom failed to launch. I
clicked on the InCD icon in my task tray and clicked the format
option. The InCD Wizard threw up the following message: "A supported
media is not inserted". I assumed the Dell was playing up again. I
removed the disc and tried again on an older, lower-spec system (I'll
call it PC #1). The same thing occurred. I began to wonder whether the
disc was faulty and put it to one side.
I got out a second CD and it formatted on PC #1. I tried to format a
third CD on the Dell only to have the InCD Wizard issue the same
message: "A supported media is not inserted". I tried this third disc
on PC #1. It would not format. I attempted to format it on another
computer, which I'll call PC #2. The disc formatted without a hitch.
I needed to format all ten discs. I gave up trying to persuade the
Dell to format them and worked with the two other computers. I found
that sometimes a format would run perfectly. At other times, I would
see the message: "A supported media is not inserted". Furthermore,
there were times when the format was almost complete (at the end of
the logical format process) when the drive would eject the disc. In
this instance, an error message would appear regarding an unspecified
"illegal command".
I backed up all my data from the Dell. When I came to transfer it to
PC #1, I discovered that the AOpen drive would not recognise CD-RW
discs. I have tried reinstalling Nero 5.5, upgrading Nero to the
latest version of 5.5, and have even reformatted the hard drive and
begun to set things up from scratch. I am unable to get the drive to
read discs or format new ones. The problem is not confined to discs
manufactured by TDK.
The AOpen drive in PC #2 will both read and write but is very noisy
about it. Moreover, the "illegal command" error message sometimes
aborts the format before it is complete. Again, the problem concerns
all CD-RW media—not only discs manufactured by TDK.
My CD-RW drives are less than a year old. They appeared fine until
yesterday. The fact that the Dell refused to begin formatting the
first TDK disc suggests that the drives on PC #1 and #2 have been
damaged by discs that are, perhaps, not wholly compatible but, quite
honestly, I haven't a clue what has happened.
All relevant responses and tips as to how I should proceed would be
appreciated.
Regards,
Alpha