# CD-writer question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 3, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-writer-question/166198 "2003-04-03T14:36:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-writer-question/166198/1 "2003-04-03T14:36:06Z")
This is a weirdo problem. I normally leave all my cd burning until I have atleast 5-7 cds worth of stuff, and then do them in one sitting. Each time I start, the first cd always comes out ‘bad’. For example, if I’ve burned an audio cd, the first 10 songs will be alright, but the rest don’t play. A data cd won’t be readable, even in the writer. But after the first cd, it’s all hunky-dory (did I just say hunky-dory!?!?). Normally I first burn a CD-RW, and then start burning the data I need. It’s more a nuisance than anything else, but does anybody know what could be wrong? As you can see from my description, I’m not a geek, so please keep any solutions simple!! ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-writer-question/166198/2 "2003-04-03T14:37:39Z")
Hehe, I meant, description of this problem!! ---
**Author:** ![sportshoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@sportshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sportshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-writer-question/166198/3 "2003-04-03T14:51:16Z")
I have a similar problem when writing music cd’s. Data cd’s are fine though. I’ve solved the music cd problem by burning at 4X maximum. Perhaps if you burn at a low speed, it should work better ? ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-writer-question/166198/4 "2003-04-03T15:02:57Z")
Well, I could burn at 4X, but the reason I bought a 24X burner is for the shorter burning time! And like I said, it’s only the first cd which comes out bad. Is it the same with you? And welcome to the boards!! ---
**Author:** ![sportshoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@sportshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sportshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-writer-question/166198/5 "2003-04-03T15:14:52Z")
What writerspeed do you use? did you do an update of your writersoft and/or firmware of your writer itself? “when opening a spindel, the first cd is a dummy cd. maybe you are using that one” just kidding ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-writer-question/166198/6 "2003-04-03T15:19:03Z")
I have a problem with every 5th cd or so. It’s very occasional. ---
**Author:** ![sportshoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@sportshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sportshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-writer-question/166198/7 "2003-04-03T15:26:25Z")
If you have problems with every fifth cd, several things can be the cause. 1 : you have bought bad cd’s, had similar problem with cheap ones 2 : Your writer is heating up. 3 : Buffer is running full, maybe because you continue working while burning or because you have worked too much. reboot your pc before you start and don’t do anything else while burning. a writer with burnproof technology can solve this. 4 see my former post ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-writer-question/166198/8 "2003-04-03T15:51:05Z")
Three things to check: 1. ASPI Layer: This is the software that allows your burning software to communicate with your burner. It’s made by Adaptec, and is available for free download on their [website](http://www.adaptec.com). Go to the download section, and search for ASPI. 2. Burning software: I suggest you try using the latest version of the Nero Burning ROM software, available from [ahead.de](http://www.ahead.de). 3. The burner itself: If none of the above resolve the problem, you might just want to replace the drive. New top of the line Lite-On 52X drives are available for $50 and under these days. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-writer-question/166198/9 "2003-04-03T16:30:27Z")
I used to moderate one of those cd forums & cheap media usually causes this esp if you write too fast. Odd thing is, why aren’t you using the ‘verify data’ function of your cd writing software gouda? ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-writer-question/166198/10 "2003-04-03T17:50:47Z")
Things to try: 1. Update whatever CD-Writer software you are using. 2. Use another CD-Writer software for a while and see if the problem is replicated. 3. Warm up the drive a bit before you start writing. Randomly copy data off the CD-Writer drive to your hard disk. 4. Reduce the writing speed for the first CD that you write. ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-writer-question/166198/11 "2003-04-04T13:14:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*I used to moderate one of those cd forums & cheap media usually causes this esp if you write too fast. > > Odd thing is, why aren’t you using the ‘verify data’ function of your cd writing software gouda? \*\* Well, I buy only Samsung and Sony cds, so cheap media doesn’t apply here. Also, it’s a 24X writer, as a rule I never do any computing of any kind while a cd is burning, and I have plenty of memory anyway… whats the point of having a 24X burner if I can’t burn at that speed!!! As for using the ‘verify data’ function, like I said, it’s always only the first cd. After that, I don’t have any problem whatsoever. Using this function didn’t solve the problem anyway - I tried! I use Nero to burn, and it is the latest version off the website, **Alereon**. I’ll give **xash’s** ‘warm up the writer’ a whirl and post back. Thanks, all! ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2003, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-writer-question/166198/12 "2003-04-04T16:19:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sportshoe \* > \*\*If you have problems with every fifth cd, several things can be the cause. > > 1 : you have bought bad cd’s, had similar problem with cheap ones > > 2 : Your writer is heating up. > > 3 : Buffer is running full, maybe because you continue working while burning or because you have worked too much. reboot your pc before you start and don’t do anything else while burning. > a writer with burnproof technology can solve this. > > 4 see my former post \*\* Thanks, I’ll give this a try! ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-writer-question/166198/13 "2003-04-05T14:39:30Z")
OK, yay… **xash** ’s solution seems to have fixed it. I copied from the writer to the HDD a couple of times, thus warming it up, and then proceeded to burn an audio-cd at normal (24X) speed. And I did it twice, at a 5 hour interval to allow the writer to cool down first. And it worked… both cds are fine! Thanks, **xash**. One less minor irritation in my life. Only about a million left to go ::sigh::