CD & DVD Drive & insanity

[DQuixote]

I've purchased DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R. DVD+RW for my DVD drive, and
I've purchased CDs with the same appendages, only to constantly read "Access Denied," "Drive Not Ready," and something about needing administrator approval. It is driving me batty.

What I would like to do is backup data to the DVD drive and to the CD drive, as well. Just data. No video, no audio, nothing fancy. Just pure files that go into creating my websites and my hard-drive family histories.

At Office Depot they say things like "You're using a - in a + drive, or a + in a - drive." Whoopee.

What does that mean? What do I do? All I want to do is backup my hard-drive and then sleep it all off!

:laugh: :wavey: raying:

 

[exscentric]

If you've tried various types with same results, be sure your drive works with them. The manufacturer site should be able to tell you.

Off hand sounds like you may have drive problems.

Is it a new drive?
Has it worked in the past?
Is it original to the computer?

 

[His Blood Spoke My Name]

You may want to go the the manufacturer of your writer's web site and see if there are updated drivers. That may solve the problem/

 

[kubel]

At Office Depot they say things like "You're using a - in a + drive, or a + in a - drive." Whoopee.

What does that mean?

When DVD writers first came out, there was a battle over formats. Think of it like the VHS vs Beta war. But instead, we have + and -. They both look identical to the human eye, but the way in which they burn data to the DVD is different.

- was led by pioneer.
+ was led by a coalition of companies (philips, sony, thompson, etc...)

The two were fighting to become standards, and in the end, they both won. Most modern DVD recorders are fully compatible with both formats, and most media manufacturers produce both formats. So in most cases, you can use either + or - media and they will work fine.

If, however, your recorder is older model or is loyal to either + or to -, you will have to purchase the media that is compatible with your drive (check the box or manual to see what your drive supports). So in your case, if you have a DVD-RW, you will need DVD-RW media. If you have a DVD+RW drive, you will need DVD+RW media. If you have a DVD+/-RW, you can use DVD+RW or DVD-RW media.

I'm assuming thats the problem. Also, make sure you actually have a DVD burner. CD burners can't burn DVDs. A lot of time people have computers with CDRW/DVD combo drives, and people think they can burn DVDs. These drives can play DVD and CDs, but can only burn CDs (they cannot burn DVDs).

 

[DQuixote]

Awesome! The kind of response folks pray for! Thanks!

:wavey: