I cannot delete CD-RWs anymore because drive is not able to read anymore

[MrBurns]

I tried to install Mendrake Linux, and because you have to burn it to CD before, I tried to do that. I used a CD-RW because I didnt want to waist a CD-R. This CD-RW wasnt really empty, so I tried to delete it, but this didnt work:


nero and clone-cd said, that the CD wasnt deleteable because it was no CD-RW.

I also think, that I know the reason for this: since months my CD-RM drive has problems reading CDs, and since a few weeks it doesnt work at all anymore: When I insert a CD and try to access it in Windows or even in DOS (w/ dir), my PC crashes. When I try the same CD in my DVD drive, it doesnt have any problems reading it. My CD-RW drive doesnt mak any problems when burning a CD.

I think, that the problem is, that when the burner isnt able to read a CD, he will also have problems to check if it is rewritable.


So I have a question: Does anyone know a program (for Windows or DOS), which can be used to delete a CD-RW and doesnt check if it really is a CD-RW?

[Sterling_Aug]

Replace the CD RW drive. They are under $50 now.

[MrBurns]

The program should also allow to manually set if the CD is a CD-R or a CD-RW, because in a different forum someone sayed, that when the program recognizes a CD-RW as a CD-R or the other way round, even the CD-Burner can be damaged.

I wont buy a new drive if it isnt really necessry. I am still a studen, so I dont have a lot of money.

[MrBurns]

I cleaned my drive w/ a cleaning-CD, and now it can read as good as when I could erase CD-RWs drive again, but I still cat delete the CD. Under CD-Info in nero it says, that the CD is a read-only CD-ROM. So I know think, that it is the disk.

[Swordfish]

Does anyone know a program (for Windows or DOS), which can be used to delete a CD-RW and doesnt check if it really is a CD-RW?

nothing like that exists i suppose...as is it sounds logically incorrect.

Is this happenning with all your cdrw's?

I used to have a Yamaha that wouldn't erase as well as write to a cdrw. It became like a Cdr drive. After a while it stopped writing to cdr's also. So it became a cdrom drive.

if the lens cleaning doesn't work out, then perhaps its time for a new one.

[MrBurns]

Originally posted by Swordfish
I used to have a Yamaha that wouldn't erase as well as write to a cdrw. It became like a Cdr drive. After a while it stopped writing to cdr's also. So it became a cdrom drive.
... and after a while it stopped reading Cds also, so it became jsut a piece of trash...


I never before had problems writing to a CD-RW w/ my drive. Before I will buy a new drive, I will buy a new CD-RW.

[Comage]

One lil' question from me here: Has your CDRW disc reached the end of it's rewritability cycle?

[MrBurns]

Originally posted by Comage
One lil' question from me here: Has your CDRW disc reached the end of it's rewritability cycle?

My CD-RW is theoretically 1000 times rewritable. I have rewritten it about 5 or 6 times.

[Comage]

Maybe it really is your RW drive that's dying. So how old is it, and what model is it?

[MrBurns]

Acer 20x10 (20x10x40), bought in November 2001.

[MrBurns]

It now looks, like the burner is the reason for the problems:

I have buyed a CD-RW today, and after I put it in the drive, nero's CD-Info meant, that there was no CD in the drive. After that I tried the same w/ an empty CD-R, but the result was the same. Whats also strange is, that the burner can read burned CDs (although it makes a lot of errors, but this isnt different w/ bought CDs), but when a CD-R/RWis empty, it doesnt even recognize, that there is something in the drive. Explorer has the same behaviour: Until a short time ago Explorer showed me the contents of the empty CDs, and under properties -> file system it said CDBLANK, but now Explorer only complains, that it cannot access the drive.

[Comage]

Acer writer? I can tell you that most probably 80% chance is that the writer is the problem. It can't be the media. I've worked with some Acer writers, and they all give similar problems. Like a burnt CD-R turns out to be empty on a CD-ROM drive.

Acer writers are very problematic.