Member Avatar for FSUchucky3

i have a dell dimension 4550 WINXP PRO w/ a single DVD-RW tray.

now when i put a CD that someone has burned for me, it reads it as a blank CD.

any advice?

thanks!
chuck

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by steveo573

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Short, practical expert commentary that builds on the thread (notes on causes, a tight diagnostic order, and safe fixes). The symptom described narrows the likely causes to three classes: an incompatible/packet‑written session on the disc, interference from third‑party burning/filter drivers or Windows mount behaviour, or a selective hardware/firmware read-limit in the optical pickup. The checklist below is ordered from least invasive to most.

  1. Inspect the disc session and extract files first. Use a sector/session tool (for example IsoBuster) to see whether the disc contains UDF/packet sessions or multiple sessions and to copy any visible files off the disc before further troubleshooting. If the disc is packet‑written or uses an uncommon UDF layout, an image/rescue tool will usually show the files even when Explorer reports “empty”. IsoBuster and the CD‑recordable FAQ explain these packet‑write/UDF behaviours and recovery approaches. (isobuster.com)

  2. If recovery succeeds but the drive still won’t see other burned discs, eliminate software/filter conflicts. Uninstall any packet‑writing components (InCD/DirectCD, etc.), reboot, and let Windows reinstall the optical driver via Device Manager (right‑click the drive, Uninstall, reboot). If that fails, follow Microsoft’s documented registry fix for corrupted CD/DVD filter entries (backup the registry first) — removing problematic UpperFilters/LowerFilters can restore normal mounting. Microsoft KB 314060 details this step and the safe precautions. (support.microsoft.com)

  3. If a manual “Populate” or forced volume refresh (as reported by ) makes files appear, that points to Windows not auto‑mounting volumes (AutoPlay/AutoInsert notification). Verify the Shell Hardware Detection / AutoPlay components are running and not disabled by policy or third‑party software. If the drive still only reads audio/DVD but not data discs, consider optical/firmware causes: CD and DVD reading use different laser focus/wavelengths, and older/aging drives or marginal media can fail on certain burned surfaces — try different brands, lower burn speeds, firmware updates, or test with an external optical drive. (learn.microsoft.com)

Follow the sequence above, recover any important files first, and document each change (restore points / exported registry keys) before editing the system.

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Member Avatar for TallCool1

...when i put a CD that someone has burned for me, it reads it as a blank CD.

Does it do this with all CD-Rs, or just this one? It may be a compatibility problem. Another possibility is dirty optics -- you could try a CD cleaner disc.

Member Avatar for FSUchucky3

its happens w/ all CD-R's. it says size 0 bytes in explorer.

i can play music CD's and watch DVD's.

i can also install software CD-roms from major companies like macromedia.

Member Avatar for dabiam

Does the CD-ROM show data or multimedia files on another computer?

If a CD-ROM is not finalized when it is burned, it won't work on another computer. It may show files on the originating computer, but won't work in other computers or multimedia devices.

Member Avatar for FSUchucky3

yes, im able to go to another computer, pop the CD-R in the drive and access the files.

i eventually just did that, Zipped up the files, and then emailed it to myself.

quite a hassle. anyone else have any clue?

thanks for the responses so far.

chuck

Member Avatar for steveo573

i have a dell dimension 4550 WINXP PRO w/ a single DVD-RW tray.

now when i put a CD that someone has burned for me, it reads it as a blank CD.

any advice?

thanks!
chuck

I had similar problem. I put in a good CDRom, anything, burnt or not, and even though Windows seems to know there is a CD there, it shows no files when I select it from "My Computer".

So I right-clicked in the Window where the files should have showed up. Then I selected Properties, selected "Hardware" tab, highlighted my CDRom drive, clicked on Properties again, then "Volumes" tab, then I clicked "Populate". The window suddenly fills with info about the CD and I hear it revving up in the CDRom drive. I go back to "My Computer" and click on the CD (drive D) and there are all the files!

So I am going go to pile on with my own question: Why did my Windows XP Home forget how to auto-mount CDs??? For surely, I think I just "forced it" manually.

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