DVD Burner worked at first now Windows XP says its a CD Burn

[sudzytwo]

I have a NEC DVD ND-1300A hooked up to a Sony Vio Computer. Pentium 4 with Windows XP Home edition. Everything was great for the first few months. Everyonce in a while (My Computer) said that it was a CD burner instead of a DVD. I just restart the computer and everything was ok and my software would record the DVD. This past week it doesn't matter what I do or how many times I delete the driver and restart the computer it still says that its a CD burner or has a but Question Mark. Trying to find out if the thing is burned out or has someone else had that problem? Would appreciate any help sent my way.

Updating the firmware was suggested. I got the NEC burner and a little book that told me how to set it up. There was no software or mention of firmware. Still need help.

[Gillies]

might seem extreme but i suggest formatting ur computer and update the firmware of ur drive. somewhere the system may have a bug.

[sudzytwo]

Thanks but what is Firmware?

[fritzi93]

From the Glossary, over there <----

"The firmware of a device is the program code that is permanently stored in the device's memory. It contains all the necessary software routines to make the device fully functional. New updated firmware is sometimes distributed for dvd players, cd/dvd writers and many other computer devices to add features or fix bugs."

As to your problem, my money is on a software conflict. I'll give three examples from personal experience

1) When I installed Nero, it screwed Daemon Tools, and several other things besides. Since Nero has a virtual drive, I did a system restore, uninstalled Daemon Tools, and reinstalled Nero. Problem solved.

2) At one time, I had Zoom Player, Videolan, BS Player, and Media Player Classic on my computer, pending a decision on which to keep. That caused a lot of weird antics, like aspect ratio problems, etc. When I got rid of all except Media Player Classic, no more problem.

3) This one's right up your alley, as it caused precisely the same problem you're having: When I first installed Studio 8, the DVD Writer would show up as a CD drive, or even disappear. Although I managed to stabilize things, eventually I got fed up with Studio 8 and uninstalled. Still don't know if it was a specific conflict or just buggy, bloated software.

I have a question for you, which you'll have guessed is coming: What burning software and/or video editing apps do you have installed, and have you noticed problems that started after a recent installation?

And if you have anything by Roxio, get rid of that first.