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PC Question - Can't burn CDs

S

sdgrant

New Member
Our 5-yr-old HP a1230n PC has been vey reliable, but recently won't burn CDs. After paying HP $60 for 3 days of post-warranty support, they're basically saying it should only burn DVDs. If I burn music onto a DVD, will that DVD play in our old CD player, both in the house and the car? I seriously doubt it. There is a firmware upgrade available, but it requires the ability to create a bootable CD, and I can't create CDs, so I need the firmware upgrade, which needs to create a bootable CD, which I can't do, and so on....
 
I can't believe that they told you that...it's completely nuts. My next door neighbor has that model PC and it burns both DVDs and CDs. Heck, most DVD burners burn both anyway. I'm just blown away that they would lie so blatantly. WTF?


Sounds like the drive is going bad. I've seen them start to fail and only read CDs and burn DVDs, when they should read/burn both. A new drive is $25 and I have a similar HP if you need help putting it in.

I would reccomend the following drive as a replacement: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136144

I installed one of those units in a newer HP and it is *very* fast and surprisingly quiet.
 
The help desk is full of it, the drive should burn and read both. Your dvdr is close to giving up the ghost, so get a new one.
 
Will it burn DVDs OK? I had this issue once and the computer's operating system was so screwed up that the burner kept giving burn fail errors regardless of if it was a CD or DVD being burned. The computer was extremely slow as well, so my guess is that there was a virus bogging it down so bad that the burner couldn't "think" clearly (in generic terms). Reinstalling Windows fixed the issue, but it may not be the same issue for you. I'd agree with others, if it flat out won't burn regardless of the media then get a new burner.

You can make a bootable thumbdrive for firmware upgrades, you just need to google it for directions on how to change the boot priority depending on your computer. I've used thumbdrives to update the BIOS, among many other upgrades.
 
No, it won't burn anything. I'm coming to the conclusion that the drive is toast....

Thanks for the specific drive recommendation of the LG GH22NP20! However, I was going to stop by Fry's on the way home, and these are the LG drives they offer:

GH24NS50 - $21.99
GH24LS50 - $24.99

Are these the current equivalent of the GH22NP20? Thanx!
 
Either of those drives should work great. The more expensive one has Lightscribe, but I've never seen anyone actually USE Lightscribe, so I'd probably just get the cheaper one. :lol
 
My Samsung drive has that Lightscribe thing and I've yet to use it either. The CDs are a bit too pricey just to have the fancy lightscribe done to it.
 
"buening" said:
My Samsung drive has that Lightscribe thing and I've yet to use it either. The CDs are a bit too pricey just to have the fancy lightscribe done to it.
Click to expand...

Ditto. My DVD/CD burner has Lightscribe as well. Had this PC for a couple years now and have yet to use it.
 
What about the ASUS DRW-24B1ST drive? It seems to get good reviews on newegg.com. Would it be OK in the HPa1230n PC? Do I need to get anything else, like a cable or anything else to remove the old drive and install the new?
 
I've never been the biggest fan of ASUS dvd drives. They seem OK, just not as impressive (fast/quiet) as others. You should already have all the cables and misc you need inside the computer.
 
I have found that the for really hard CD's to burn is to soak them first in lighter fluid, then toss a match onto them. Cooks them up real nice, now!

Best done outside, however.
 
"gotstang" said:
I've never been the biggest fan of ASUS dvd drives. They seem OK, just not as impressive (fast/quiet) as others. You should already have all the cables and misc you need inside the computer.
Click to expand...

One thing to be aware is there are IDE and SATA drives, and not all computers have SATA ports internally. It'd probably be best to remove the stock drive and see what cable is ran to it. If it is a flat ribbon type then its IDE, if it is a smaller wire then its likely a SATA.
 
I dont have much to contribute here but would be interested in seeing the other end of that.....its mesmerizing.....

index.php
 
"buening" said:
One thing to be aware is there are IDE and SATA drives, and not all computers have SATA ports internally. It'd probably be best to remove the stock drive and see what cable is ran to it. If it is a flat ribbon type then its IDE, if it is a smaller wire then its likely a SATA.
Click to expand...
Yeah..that PC has both, which gives you choices. IDE has gone the way of the dodo after ~30 years though and SATA drives are usually easier to come by.

Awesome avatar by the way. :weas :weas
 
Well being a 5yr old OEM computer I wasn't so sure that the media drive was SATA, which was why I brought it up.

I like my avatar too, quite distracting
231_27_07_10_6_08_50_4.gif
 
Thanks for all the good tips & advice! Ordered the new CD /DVD drive on Tue., came on Wed., had it installed by that evening. Wife is happy!

Now for the next question: what external hard drive do you recommend?? Thanks!
 
"sdgrant" said:
Now for the next question: what external hard drive do you recommend?? Thanks!
Click to expand...

Get the biggest you can afford!
 
A fast drive helps as well. I guess all is SATA or SATA II now. I would compare seek/access time if you are doing any video. If not, you could probably buy anything out there and be ok. Also, once you determine a model, ck out www.pricewatch.com. There you can buy PC parts from dealers at wholesale prices. They usually are good or better than Fryes weekend sales. Ck the seller ratings as well.

The two manufacturers still tops in the industry are probably Western Digital and Maxtor though anyone thats familiar with them has probably had bad experiences with both at some point.
 
You can get a Western digital 2TB external drive for around $140. I've had better luck with WD drives than with other brands. Stay away from Fujitsu drives. HP used these from the factory and I've see quite a few new ones just die.

Or if you want, you can buy a drive eonclosure for around $30 and pick what drive you want to put in it.
 
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