Hello:

I am new to the CD-R/RW game. I have a fairly new Asus 4816a, with Nero software, including InCD.

I am having no problems with the CD-R portion of burning, however my problem is with the packet writing with CD-RW using InCD. After I format a CD-RW to the Mt. Rainier (I guess), backup some data on it, I am able to read it and import it back in (internet explorer favorites etc). However, if I leave it alone for a few days, and then try to use the disk for some packet work, the drive just spins up and down when I first put the disk in, never really recongnizing it.

When I just go ahead and try to export data to it, I get a message to insert a disk (and when I insert the disk that previously worked), I eventually get an error message: "Disk is not formatted: Windows cannot read from this disk. The disk might be corrupted, or it could be using a format that is not compatible with Windows."

This is the 2nd CD-RW disk I have used by formatting with InCD that seems to have "gone bad" on me.

Any suggestions?

I have Windows XP, and my motherboard is an Asus A7V.

Thanks in advance,
Mike

Hi

Have you tried installing ASPI Layers for XP. It sometimes helps if you are having trouble with yer Drives.

HAZ30

If you want the above, i can send you it. It's only about 350kb.

I am also having problems with nero's INCD. When i try to format the cdrw
it does the formatting process but gives an error at the end. the worst part of this problem is that i BOUGHT my nero and INCD. I will download all my software from now on

I had the same issues a couple years ago with InCD on a TDK (Plextor) 121032 CDRW. In fact it was that very issue that led me to this forum. I found it to be quite sensitive to media quality, certain CD-RW's would only last a few days or wouldn't format properly. CD-RW's being a magnetic media you also have to be careful where you store them, that may have been part of my problem, I was storing them in a CD rack right next to the monitor. I have a few that were made 2 years ago and stored several feet from the PC that still work perfectly. I have had good luck with TDK, Memorex and Imation but I have talked to other people that did not. See if you can bum some samples of different brands to try and keep them away from any magnetic or electrical fields if at all possible.

Hippie:
This is exactly the kind of information I was hoping to find out. In fact, I had been storing my CD-RW's in a CD rack on my desk between my monitor and one of my speakers! I did not know that CD-RW's were magnetic media--I assumed that they were laser burned.

Unfortunately, I have RMA'ed my burner back to Asus, and will have to wait for its replacement before I can experiment. I might just be better off using CD-R's for packet writing, as the data is very small. I assume I can do that?

Thanks again,
Mike

CDRW discs are optical not magnetic. They use a multistate photosensitive dye , so rather than pits and lands being physically burned into the disc like a CDR the reflective properties of the ink are altered by the 'burning' laser. This ink is inherently less stable than the CDR discs in which the physical strata of the disc has been altered by the burning process.

CDRW discs do have a high failure rate compared to CDRs and they are suseptible to heat, I would say it is the heat generated by your PC/Monitor that is causing the damage, not the magnetic fields.

CDR discs can be formatted for packet writting, the only difference is that when you 'erase' a file on a CDR all that happens is the TOC (Table of contents) is re-written excluding the file you want erased. Each time the TOC is written it takes up space. You therefore lose space when 'erasing' files.

hth.