cd burner problem

eclectichoney

So my cd drive appears to be able to play cds ok, but if i put in a blank disc it makes a funny noise. if i try to burn something it stops after a couple of minutes and says 'try putting in a new cd, there's an error and copying can't be completed', so i rang dell and they said if it still reads cds ok, it's a software issue. so any advice on how i might resolve this, or does it sound like the drive is broken?

thanks a lot

RE*AC*TOR

what software are you using?

stevenmu

I take it it's making funny noises as soon as you put the blank disc in ?
It sounds like your drive doesn't like the make/model of blank cd you're using. If possible try and check it with another make and model (and preferrably CD-R not CD-RW). If that works ok than upgrading your drives BIOS *may* help. Dell may be to help you with this but if not you could try and find an upgrade for it here, (if you're not sure of the make/model of your drive they have a utility you can download to find it). Just make sure your read the instructions on how to do it, and any warnings, carefully.

eclectichoney

yes it keeps making strange noises as soon as i put the disc in. i've been using these discs for ages, no probs and i tried a few different brands, all the same problems. I use sonic now or windows media player to burn them, haven't installed anything new etc. thanks stevenmu, will give that a go.

eclectichoney

ok still no luck, when try burning in windows media player (never had problems with this before) i get this error msg:

"an invalid argument was specified"

???

RE*AC*TOR

try using cdburner xp or nero

eclectichoney

yeah iv tried using sonic and other stuff too no luck

WizZard

Sounds like it could be kaput. Ring Dell and tell them to send you a replacement, if it's in warranty. Otherwise replace it online cos it's cheaper.

Tony H

did u try cleaning the laser? might be a little dust on it