Help - can't burn CD-RWs with Philips DVD-RW 8601

Question

This shows up as a DVD-RW + CD-RW drive (which it'd better be, because I specifically asked and paid for CD-RW!:D ) but it will NOT burn CD-RWs. (Have no problem burning CD-Rs or DVD-Rs, though.) It says it's burning them...the tray table opens automatically after the burning is done...but when I load the CD again, there are no files inside, and my programs (Word, etc.) then refuse to recognize that there's a disk in the drive. I tried a search but came up with nothing. Please? Pretty Please? *Anyone?*

sukumaari · Answer

Um, I see that a lot of people are having trouble with this drive. Dell offers a replacement, right?

osprey4 · Answer

Please provide details about how you are burning files to the CD-RW, what brand CD-RWs you are using, etc. Any information would be helpful.

sukumaari · Answer

OK! I'm using Memorex CD-RWs. I put the blank disc in the drive. Open up the drive folder in Control Panel. Move Word files into it. Click on that link that says "Burn files to CD." A display box pops up that shows me the progress (it takes about 55 seconds for it to complete). The drive pops open -- burning complete, it tells me. I put the CD-RW into my computer again and try to open it to see if the files are on there. Word claims there's no disc in the drive. The E: Drive folder I open via My Computer shows up as empty.

Please let me know if you need any more info -- I really appreciate the help with this!

osprey4 · Answer

Do you have any other burning software available to burn these files?

jake c · Answer

I'm have the same proble using the Sony CD RW 4X-10X for high speed drives and buring with Sonic with DLA disabled on drive on a Philips 8631. I exchanged the Philips 8601 for the 8631 hoping thst the new Dell flash would solve the many problems I was having with the 8601. It solved some but doesn't work on CD RW which I use often. Appears OK on CD-R and DVD+R. Haven't tried DVD RW or other brands.

Is there a 16X DVD+- RW Dual Layer (DL) that Dell offers without all these problems?

Message Edited by jake c on 12-12-2004 08:48 PM

Predator · Answer

Hi Sukumaari,

You create, work on, edit, save the Word Document, picture, mp3, wav, etc it is all data to your hard drive, then burn the files to a CD-R or CD-RW as a data CD.
For information on Sonic, click on the CD/RW link in my post and scroll to Section 13-0; For Windows XP, Section 100; For Roxio, Sections 8-2 & 8-3; For Nero, Section 8-4;

Happy Holidays!

God, grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do and the eyesight to tell the
difference.

CD/RW Link

sukumaari · Answer

Well, yeah, I have other burning software, like Windows Media and Sonic, but I didn't think you coul dburn word documents to a CD-RW with something like that. Can you?

Krit · Answer

I have the same problem.

I can wrote everything alright with this drive except CD-RW. My butning tool says the are burnt ok, but afterwards they aren't readable. Even on other machines. The media is really damaged afterwards and can't even be erased anymore on other drives on other machines or OS's

I used Sonic and Nero (latest version) with the same result. On several brands of CDRW (Philips, Sony, More, HP, Trust)

Support did not recognize the problem (?) athough in the forum there where guys who did know about it, but then the guy I spoke to was really fresh..

They have adviced me to upgrade my system BIOS, which I did not do yet because I am out of CDRW's and do not really think that is the problem.

For the corresponding drive (BENQ 1620) the manufacturer has a firmware update that among other things solves a media recognition problem. Maybe that's the case?

I was a little disappointed with Dell support, especially because I had tried almost everything before calling them and I have a nice contract for service too.

If there is really a problem with this drive, they should not stick there head in the sand but warn all users by mail.

Now it has cost me a day of work, an hour at the phone (that costs money also) and 8 CDRW's.

As everything else works ok, and CDRW's are not much cheaper anymore then DVDRW I don't think I will come to the effort to trying to convince Dell there is something wrong with my system.

Storage, Drives & Media

Was this post helpful?