Member Avatar for Prodigy

My CD-RW plays but won't burn. My computer is not detecting my CD-RW, but it detects the CD-Rom.

When I go to burn a cd it just says No Device Detected. What could be wrong?

Ps. I have an NEC -7900a CD-RW Drive

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by ms.dncali

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Two common causes explain "plays but won't burn": the operating system or burning app cannot see the recorder, or the drive's write laser/electronics have failed. As hinted, start by confirming whether the drive is actually enumerated by the system (BIOS and the OS device list). If the drive only appears as a generic "CD-ROM" or does not show up in the OS even though it reads discs, the problem is at the device/driver level rather than the media.

Next-level checks and safe actions (in roughly the order to try them):

  • Verify BIOS sees the NEC-7900a (or whichever model is installed). If not, reseat power and IDE/ATAPI cables and re-check jumpers.
  • In the OS, look for the optical drive under Device Manager (Windows) or the equivalent system list. If it appears but burning apps report "No device detected," try a different burning application (a fresh trial or a small utility) to separate app vs system problems — OEM-locked burner builds or missing burner drivers can cause this. and 's notes about software compatibility point to this class of failure.
  • Remove or disable packet-writing/virtual-drive drivers (InCD, Daemon Tools, etc.) and check the OS image-mastering/ASPI layer; corrupted UpperFilters/LowerFilters entries in Windows registry have been known to hide burners (back up the registry before any edits).
  • Try different blank media and a lower burn speed; some drives stop writing reliably to certain brands or to older high-speed media. Cleaning the lens and testing the drive on another machine (or with an external adapter) will quickly rule in/out hardware failure.

When a drive still reads but cannot write after these checks, suspect a worn or failed write diode (hardware fault). Firmware updates from the vendor can help in some cases but carry risk — follow the manufacturer instructions and only use confirmed firmware for the exact model. For further diagnosis, list the exact OS, drive model and firmware, burning software and version, and the blank media type and speed attempted.

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All 10 Replies

Member Avatar for caperjack

My CD-RW plays but won't burn. My computer is not detecting my CD-RW, but it detects the CD-Rom.

When I go to burn a cd it just says No Device Detected. What could be wrong?

Ps. I have an NEC -7900a CD-RW Drive

It could be the version of burning software that u are using doesen reconize you burner ,what software are u using .name and version

Member Avatar for TallCool1

My CD-RW plays but won't burn. My computer is not detecting my CD-RW, but it detects the CD-Rom.

Does it detect the NEC drive at all? What does the Device Manager say? If the drive is new, please make sure that your Master/Slave Jumpers* are set correctly. If both are set to master, it will ignore the second drive in the chain.

*This answer not approved by Los Angeles County :lol:

Member Avatar for caperjack

My CD-R plays but won't burn,My computer is not detecting my CD-RW, but it detects the CD-Rom

You are confusing us with you you info ,do you have 2 different cd drive or just 1 ,cd-rw ,cd-rom combo ,that is what they are and i have had a few that stoped burning.but sill were good enough to use to load programs even win98 .

Member Avatar for Prodigy

You are confusing us with you you info ,do you have 2 different cd drive or just 1 ,cd-rw ,cd-rom combo ,that is what they are and i have had a few that stoped burning.but sill were good enough to use to load programs even win98 .

Yes I have 2 CD Drives 1 DVD, 1 CD-RW... My DVD Player works fine. But my CD-RW stop burning CD's, it still plays cd, but it won't burn to the CDs anymore. What could be wrong?

Member Avatar for TallCool1

Yes I have 2 CD Drives 1 DVD, 1 CD-RW... My DVD Player works fine. But my CD-RW stop burning CD's, it still plays cd, but it won't burn to the CDs anymore. What could be wrong?

What burning software are you using? Did it work and stop, or has it never worked? You can download a trial version of Nero Burning ROM and give that a try. If you already have a version of Nero, try updating it.

Member Avatar for oalee

I once used an old yamaha CD-RW drive with Nero Burning ROM. It wont detect the CD-RW Drive. It only works on Adaptec's EZ cd creator. maybe you're having the same problem that i had years ago.

Member Avatar for TallCool1

I once used an old yamaha CD-RW drive with Nero Burning ROM. It wont detect the CD-RW Drive. It only works on Adaptec's EZ cd creator. maybe you're having the same problem that i had years ago.

I'm sure that was because that particuular copy of Nero was an OEM version keyed to a CD drive other than your Yamaha. It's a form of copy protection. The demo version does not have that limitation. since it's time-limited.

Member Avatar for ttazrev

My CD-RW plays but won't burn. My computer is not detecting my CD-RW, but it detects the CD-Rom.

When I go to burn a cd it just says No Device Detected. What could be wrong?

Sony Dvd Rw Dru-820a

Member Avatar for ttazrev

My CD-RW plays but won't burn. What could be wrong?? Help Please?

Member Avatar for ms.dncali

my cd burner wont burn. I have the one unit burner and dvd all in one.. it will play cds and dvds but just stopped burning one day. when i put in a cd to burn it will say burning and run for several min. then says unable to burn.. what could the problem be.. i have only tried to burn off of itunes.. and currently im having an issue with ituen not recognizing my ipod.. could it all be related.

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