DVD-RAM still in use?

[Reverend_Eric]

Okay, here's my issue: My DVD burner (a Matshima DVD-RAM LF-D310) can read DVDs, and has burned DVD-R's in the past...yet now, when I try to burn a disk, it tells me that the drive is now "currently in use by another application". Sure enough, the little green light is on, as if it were reading a disk...and yet, I'm not doing anything. I'm fed through a Router, so my brothers' computer has access to it as well...yet it still gives me the same error when I unplug him from the router.

I'm not an intelligent computer user, so I don't know why it would be doing this. Help, please?

[Kingnog]

Did you try restarting your computer?

[Reverend_Eric]

Many, many times. I also tried reinstalling the drivers (no luck), rolling them back (I'm at the initial drive-set already), unplugging myself from the router and burning (same message), checking for viruses and the like (none found)...bah!

[oldfart13]

Check to see if the application has decided to hijack the drive. Stomp did this to me recently and I had a devil of a time finding out what was wrong. De-associate the application with RAM discs and the drive. I think that can be done in the program setup or in control panel (for the drive).

[Kingnog]

Did you try upgrading the firmware before this happened? Maybe it was a firmware upgrade gone wrong

Or: What are you using to burn the disks? Try another burning program

Or: What OS are you running? If windowsXP (or maybe 2000, too) press ctrl+alt+delete and sort the "processes" list by CPU usage. If a program is using the dvd drive constantly, the cpu usage should be fluxuating higher/lower. Just a guess.

[handyguy]

maybe your DVD-RAM driver is loaded to use DVD-RAM?

[Reverend_Eric]

Check to see if the application has decided to hijack the drive. Stomp did this to me recently and I had a devil of a time finding out what was wrong. De-associate the application with RAM discs and the drive. I think that can be done in the program setup or in control panel (for the drive).

...Okay, I don't quite know how to do what you're asking me to do. I'm using Nero Express , if that helps...which, unless you know of something better, is all that I have (aside from the Windows XP default "drag and drop" burning ability).

Did you try upgrading the firmware before this happened? Maybe it was a firmware upgrade gone wrong

...firmware? I've no idea what that is. (So probably not, then.)

Or: What are you using to burn the disks? Try another burning program

I used Nero Express...what else is there? That doesn't cost money to use, that is...

Or: What OS are you running? If windowsXP (or maybe 2000, too) press ctrl+alt+delete and sort the "processes" list by CPU usage. If a program is using the dvd drive constantly, the cpu usage should be fluxuating higher/lower. Just a guess.

Uh...so what am I looking for? Sorted by CPU, the 'System Idle Process' is using 99 and everything else holds at 00. Occasionally, SIP will drop to 97-98, and something else will spontaneously jump up 02 (like task manager, or IExplorer, or evntsvc.exe). What should I be looking for? Again, I have to mention the fact that I am a complete dunce with computers, so please bear with me...

[Laddydaddy]

Try this;
click start>control panel>administrative tools>services.
When the services box pops up scroll down to "IMAPI CD-burning COM services". Right click on it and choose "properties". Under start up type click the arrow and choose disable. Reboot and see if the problem persists.

[Kingnog]

Reverend_Eric...everything seems normal. Try what laddydaddy said. I really cant tell without some more info

[Reverend_Eric]

Well, it managed to actually burn the disk this time (it didn't say the drive was in use by another application). However, I can't actually browse the disk I just burned - previous disks seem to work fine, though. Furthermore, I try to burn another disk, and it only goes a certain time before giving me an error and halting the burn...and now I think it's ruined the disk because of it. Bah!

[Reverend_Eric]

Uh...anyone? Still in use, not burning disks right...help?