How to Troubleshoot a CD Burner

By eHow Computers Editor

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Although CD burning is considered an easy job, there are a variety of problems that you may encounter. Most of the problems can be rectified with a little effort.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Check the format of the CD. Some burners do not support all CD formats. Make sure that you get a CD which works well with your burner.

Step2

Make sure that the disc surface is not scratched. If the surface is damaged, the CD will not run well on your machine. Get a new CD.

Step3

Try to run the burning procedure after restarting your computer. Restarting your computer can usually solve common problems.

Step4

Make sure that your disc has enough space to accommodate the data you are trying to burn on it.

Step5

See that the burning speed is slower than the maximum speed rating of your disc drive.

Step6

Check for improper connections. Make sure that you rectify loose connections if any and then burn your CD again. This is more applicable in case of an external burner. Since the attachment is done on the exterior, the connection is less secured and can loosen up easily.

Step7

View properties of your CD burning software to find if it is creating an error.

Step8

Go through the instruction manual of your CD burner drive. Although in most cases problems occur due to improper CD or low space availability, there is always a chance that your CD burner may be defective.

Step9

Replace defective CD burner. Contact the manufacturer if it's still under the warranty period.

Tips & Warnings

Remove old data from your CD-RW before starting with the burning procedure.
Keep your computer equipped with the latest burning software.
Try to use another blank disc. A defective disc may be the problem. The surface undulations on the rear of your CD are very minute and may not be easily visible to the naked eye.
Do not run any other programs while burning a CD. Insufficient RAM may be the cause of error.