Help- I can't burn CDs

Hi everyone,

I have a problem. I have a Dell computer desktop with Windows XP SP2 installed on it. I have recently tried to burn files to a CD-R on my computer but it has not worked.

The first time, I tried with Nero 9 StartSmart Essentials and selected up the file I wanted to burn. I clicked on Burn and was prompted to load the CD. I put the CD in the loader and clicked on Load. Nothing happened, and instead, after a few seconds, the loader opened again and I was prompted again to Load the CD!

The second time, I used CDBurnerXP. I did the same thing, selected the file and clicked on Burn. I looked on the icon that presented itself, and it showed that the CD was not recognized as writable!

If I am not wrong, CD-Rs are supposed to be writable, right? Anyways, I started looking around for help on the Internet. I got the idea of checking my CD/DVD drives. In Device Manager, under DVD/CD-ROM drives, the following are listed:

Philips DVD +- RW DVD8701
SONY DVD-ROM DDU1615

In addition, I noticed that there are couple of yellow question marks and yellow icons with exclamation points next to the following:

Network Controller
SM Bus Controller
Video Controller
Video Controller (VGA Controller)

Do you think that the preceding issues might be affecting my CD/DVD drives?
Is there a way I can get a new driver?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

All if the question mark things are indicating that the proper drivers are not loaded for those items.

It would have nothing to do with the CD-R issue though. It sounds to me like you got some CDs that are not compatible with your drive. It is rare these days, but does still happen. You might get a few of a different brand, say a 5 pack of some name brand such as Sony or Phillips, etc. and see if they work. If so, it means the others are just not compatible with the drive.

The only way to fix this really is to try and update the firmware in your drive if such an update is available. http://www.firmwarehq.com/Philips/DVD8701/files.html

Another alternative is to get a more modern drive. Good ones can be had these days for less than $20. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151244