Member Avatar for caperjack

I post in hardware also just posting here for those who dont travel around all the fourm !Thanks
,,,,,,,
I trying to install a NEW never used ,52x CDRW in a older P166 with 64 megs of Simm ram and a Asus Motherboard ,Problem begins when i put a cd in the Drive ,it sees all files as Audio files .Nero ,doesent see it as a burner ,but Alcohol 120% does but doesent reconsie the blank cd as recordable media .I tried setting DMA mode ,tried it as slave on primary and master on secondary IDE .,no difference . Could it be something to do with the IDE chanel settings .Any ideas

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A short, practical troubleshooting path that picks up where the replies left off and helps narrow hardware vs software causes.

Start by isolating hardware. Move the drive (or a known-good blank disc) to a different working machine to confirm the burner and media behave normally elsewhere. Swap the IDE/power cable and try a different brand/age of blank CD — some older burners need lower-speed media or a firmware update to recognize newer discs. Check jumpers are set per the drive’s label and try the drive alone on the cable to avoid device conflicts.

If the drive works on another PC, focus on the Windows environment. Remove any CD-burning and packet-writing utilities and their virtual filesystem drivers, then reboot and let Windows redetect the optical drive. Back up the registry before making changes. Inspect Device Manager for nonstandard CD drivers and uninstall the CD-ROM entry so it is reinstalled cleanly. If an ASPI layer is present, replace it with the correct, Win98-compatible version or remove duplicate ASPI installs.

Firmware and compatibility are often overlooked on older systems. Identify the exact drive model and check the manufacturer for firmware notes (apply updates carefully and only with the correct file). Try a slow-rated blank CD if high-speed media fails.

was right to flag system constraints and ’s experience with driver conflicts is common — sometimes a clean OS environment removes hidden packet-writing or ASPI corruption. If none of the above helps, testing with a fresh Windows install or using the drive in a newer machine is the fastest way to decide whether to repair or replace the hardware.

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Member Avatar for pcpalct

hmm.....

64 Megs of RAM you say....huh
It might be the lack of RAM. I have seen some CD burners be sensitive to that (odd as it may sound).

Check out the specs on the retail box (if it is not retail, look 'em up) and you might get some idea of why not.

I can't think of any other reason it would act that way :cheesy:

Member Avatar for caperjack

hmm.....

64 Megs of RAM you say....huh
It might be the lack of RAM. I have seen some CD burners be sensitive to that (odd as it may sound).

Check out the specs on the retail box (if it is not retail, look 'em up) and you might get some idea of why not.

I can't think of any other reason it would act that way :cheesy:

Thanks for you reply ,something in what you say i think .but I have install others that wouldn't but but will still read data cds',and i could install programs from them ,this one wouldn't evev do that !

Member Avatar for Thong_Ispector

I had a similar problem once. I had an existing windows installation with older burning software, I cant at the moment remember the name, I did a fresh install using Nero and it worked. The one that caused the problem was also a four letter name that was bought by Symantic.. One of those that is on the tip of my tongue... Argh But yea... everything showed up as an audio file

Member Avatar for caperjack

I had a similar problem once. I had an existing windows installation with older burning software, I cant at the moment remember the name, I did a fresh install using Nero and it worked. The one that caused the problem was also a four letter name that was bought by Symantic.. One of those that is on the tip of my tongue... Argh But yea... everything showed up as an audio file

No more info needed ,I gave up trying ,told the owner to buy a newer computer !!Now i just got to find her one and sell it to her !!

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