A quick question that i'm sure someone can answer

[austin316gb]

I have a generic ide cd-writer (It's actually a HP but its got no model details at all and the HP website was no help) and now i'm have trouble with it.

It is very hit and miss at the moment if I mange to burn a cd. Most of the time the program crashes half way(ish -it varies) and my whole computer resets. The program can be anything: Nero, Easy CD Creator, VCDGear, CDR-Win, CloneCD etc.

Now I've found that I'm get power calibration errors sometimes when I start trying to record cds.

I've made loads of coasters!

Am I right thinking the writer has packed in ?? Or could it be that my PSU is not providing my machine (4 IDE Hard Drives, CD-RW, DVD-ROM plus all the normal extras) with all the power it needs?

[austin316gb]

I've now found out that "the calibration area is a special area on the disk where the recorder writes as a test the first time you close the drawer with blank CDR OR CDRW media. This is to calibrate the laser for that particular piece of media. If you simply open and close the drawer 100 times, then the area reserved for this test and that can fill up and you cannot calibrate the laser anymore" Laffin Assassin from CDRInfo.com

so the error has nothing to do with my cd-writer but with the media although i'm about 3/4 of the way thorough a 100 spindle and i havn't had a problem. The only thing different in my computer is the addition of a network card.

hmmm this is getting really strange....
..somebody go get Scully out of retirement

[Bel]

The fact that your computer reboots makes me think its the power supply. What wattage you using? I'd get a bigger one and see if that fixes things for you.

[austin316gb]

Maybe I'll try removing either my dvd-rom or one of my HDDs to reduce power consumption. Does anyone kow which is the most power hungery device?

If anyone tells me to try removing my processor I'll shoot them

[kayfam]

austin316gb,
Why not just replace the power supply?. I've seen them listed on Pricewatch.com for as little $15 for a decent 400w power supply. You can never have enough power these days and it will be one less thing you'll have to buy in the future if you upgrade your PC.
http://www.pricewatch.com

[austin316gb]

Replaced poweer supply to a 400W monster
Replaced CD-Writer to a LiteOn that does everything
Re-installed WindowsXP
Virus checked my computer with both Norton and F-Secure (Virus databases up to date)

Computer still restarts half way through burning.

On the occasion I can burn a whole disc another problem arises...

A VCD burnt can be played on my standalone DVD player no problem, however when I put it into my DVD-ROM or the CD-RW it shows no files under explorer CloneCD DOES show that their is something on the disc.

Anybody got any ideas at all on either problem as it's really starting to annoy me.

[MikeV]

You might want to check for the latest BIOS updates for your motherboard. Your motherboard may not be able to run a 1700 properly without an update.
Here is Abit's web site for BIOS updates. http://www.abit.com.tw/abitweb/webjsp/english/download_search_process.jsp?pTYPE=

Does the computer lock up only when writing to CDR/RW or does it lock up at other times?
With your description of the problem, here is a list of what could be wrong.
1. BIOS settings
2. BIOS needs upgraded
3. IDE configuration problem
4. IRQ problem
5. Bad software
6. OS problem (not compatable)
7. Too many programs running in the background
8. Overheating problem
9. Processor overheating--check your fans--check BIOS for temp shutdown

[davidross]

Also, as you are running XP, check the system event logs to try to pinpoint the module that is failing. XP restarts rather than blue-screening

Might help when you start looking into any Abit incompatibilities.

Have you set the Plug & Play OS setting in the bios setting to yes ?. I have always found that XP makes a much better job of allocating / sharing IRQs than the bios does.

It could also be IDE related. Do you have the latest Drivers for your chipset. ? If its VIA based, go to www.viaarena.com and download the latest 4 in 1 drivers.

Good luck !