My new DVD/RW won't work!

[Staffan]

I got a brand spankin' new DVD-RW the other day. When I look at the "My computer" window, my computer appears to believe it's a CD Drive. Looking at the "Settings" tab of the properties of it, it says it's a "DVD+RW" unit, and that it's a "_NEC DVD_RW ND 3520-A". When I try to write to a DVD-R in it, my computer claims that it's not a writable CD and/or that it doesn't have enough room.

What can I do to fix things?

 

[Darth K'Trava]

You'd have to use some form of software to actually burn stuff on cd-rw discs. And before doing so, format them using that same program.

I've got a freebie copy of Roxio's cd burner software that only does data and music disks (I'm sure the pay for it version offers more than that-this came with my drive) and I think a popular one is NERO. I'm sure there's others out there, I can't tell ya which one's best....

 

[John Crichton]

Yeah, just install the software that came with it and you should be fine.

 

[Staffan]

I didn't get any software with it. I did try using both Window's built-in burner, a freeware program called Deepburner, and my old version of Roxio, and none of them worked.

Then I uninstalled Daemon Tools, a "virtual" CD/DVD drive, and now at least Deepburner works. Apparently, Deepburner tried to burn to the virtual drive, and now that it's gone it uses the real DVDRW just fine.

 

[Wonko the Sane]

I had a similar problem with my BenQ 1620. What was required in my case was a firmware update.

Check the manufacturer's webpage for any firmware updates, as well as the method to install them.