Inspiron 15 HLDS +-RW GU90N drive failing?

Which software are you using for writing to the CD?

Hi raebridge,

Most of the things you've check really only deal with the device drivers, not the actual hardware. So there could be a hardware problem that device manager, for example, wouldn't detect. 

A couple questions. Are you having trouble with both CD and DVD media? Have you recently started using a different brand of blank discs?

By the way, you should not need to format discs every time. That's only needed when you are using "live file system".

I've tried using Imgburn to write data disc (CD-R and DVD-RW), Windows Media Player and MediaMonkey to write audio discs, as well as Windows drag and drop to try and write to a CD and DVD. the drive spins up like it is trying to write, but after 30 seconds or so writing fails.

Thanks for trying to help me on this ^_^

Hi,

I'm having trouble with both CD and DVD media. I always use the same disk brands (Maxell for CDs, Sony for DVD) .

I usually don't format discs, I just wanted to test if the drive would at least format, but no dice.

Thanks for trying to help me :)

Ok, same brand does not mean same discs. Although Maxell and Sony are typically pretty good. But have you burned these specific discs successfully? Can you think of any changes made to the system recently?

Ok, same brand does not mean same discs. Although Maxell and Sony are typically pretty good. But have you burned these specific discs successfully? Can you think of any changes made to the system recently?

Yes, I have. I was in the middle of burning four audio discs when my burner stopped burning. I hadn't made any changes to my system, nor had I installed any programs. At the time was burning the discs with MediaMonkey.  It was burning fine, and between one disc and the next it wasn't. I had a stack of twenty blank Maxell discs and went through all of them, but the burner wouldn't burn. I tried the Sony DVD-RWs next (eight of them) and no burn either.

Sounds like time for a new drive.

That's very disappointing performance. This computer is less than two years old. I've burned maybe twenty discs total on this system and the drive has called it quits?

ieee488 Sounds like time for a new drive. That's very disappointing performance. This computer is less than two years old. I've burned maybe twenty discs total on this system and the drive has called it quits?

Lasers go bad.

Lasers go bad.

::Sigh::  well, if no one else has a better explanation or something else for me to try, I guess I'll mark this thread answered and look to getting a new drive. I'll leave it open for another day in case someone thinks of something. Still can't understand why a computer only fifteen months old is having drive failure. Funny that it happened less than a month after my warranty expired.

Thank you all for your input.

ieee488 Lasers go bad. ::Sigh::  well, if no one else has a better explanation or something else for me to try, I guess I'll mark this thread answered and look to getting a new drive. I'll leave it open for another day in case someone thinks of something. Still can't understand why a computer only fifteen months old is having drive failure. Funny that it happened less than a month after my warranty expired. Thank you all for your input.

Since you are determined to get more detailed answers, I suggest you read the following which has the mathematics about reliability and failure rates.  http://www.gatewaycoalition.org/files/Enggstats/htmls/Ch4.pdf

Since you are determined to get more detailed answers, I suggest you read the following which has the mathematics about reliability and failure rates.  http://www.gatewaycoalition.org/files/Enggstats/htmls/Ch4.pdf

Thank you for the interesting reading. My determination was to get a more detailed answer on how to see if it actually is a hardware failure vs a software failure, though the provided link has supplied me a better understanding of just how failure rates are determined. Taking calculus finally has a real world application for me, so that's something. Doesn't change that  that it appears I only got a grand total of 110 minutes actual burning time (average time to burn a disk X number of disks burned - five minutes and twenty two discs, respectively) before the drive on a new computer began to show failure. Ah well.

I rarely burn DVDs anymore, but I have a supply of about 100 made-in-Japan DVD-R. You can't find them in the stores. I ordered them online. Or, see if you can get a hold of Verbatims at Best Buy.

THIS IS THE FIX:

To resolve this problem, remove the affected filter drivers. To do this, follow these steps:

Click Start, type regedit in the Start Search box, and then click regedit in the Programs list.

 If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password or click Continue.

Locate and then click the following registry subkey:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

Warning There can be many instances of the registry subkey that is mentioned in step 2. You must make sure that you are in the appropriate registry subkey before you change the UpperFilters and the LowerFilters values. To verify that you are in the appropriate registry subkey, make sure that the Default value is DVD/CD-ROM and the Class value is CDROM.

If you see UpperFilters in the pane on the right side, right-click UpperFilters, and then click Delete.

Click Yes to confirm the removal of the UpperFilters registry entry.

If you see LowerFilters in the pane on the right side, right-click LowerFilters, and then click Delete.

Click Yes to confirm the removal of the LowerFilters registry entry.

Exit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

I am having the same problem my gu90n can read but not write; ended up discarding a lot of media thinking it was a problem with the media.

It is totally shameful that a drive should fail with not so much use.

I buy Dells and recommend them to friends and now i fell bad about it; I do hope Dell will take care of this situation.