How to Change the Read-Write Speed on a DVD Drive

The read and write speed of a DVD burner determines how fast it copies and burns media. The higher the speed setting is, the faster the process is completed. Despite the fact that a higher speed will yield a faster burn, it could lead to errors. Buffer underrun is a common error that occurs when the speed is too fast for the process. One simple way to prevent this from happening is by lowering the burn speed.

Things You'll Need

• Creator Basic

Instructions

How to Change the Read-Write Speed on a DVD Drive

1. Go the Start menu and open "Roxio Creator Basic." Creator Basic is the default media copying program that comes with all XP and Vista OS computers.

2. Click "Tools > Options" on top of the toolbar. Click "Advanced" under the General tab when the new window appears.

3. Select the drive speed for CDs and DVDs. Choose CD writing speeds that range from 4x, 8x, 10x, 16x and max, depending on the speed of your drive. Choose DVD speeds that range from 2.0x, 2.4x, 3.0x, 3.3x, 4.0x and max, depending on the speed of your drive as well. These are typical speeds for a laptop computer.

4. Click "Restore Defaults" to switch back to the default speeds.

5. Burn a DVD or CD and test the speed of the drive. Adjust the speed if it is too fast or too slow.

Tips & Warnings

• Desktop computers tend to have much higher burn speeds than laptops.

Resources

• Creator Basic
• How May I Slow Down the DVD Drive Speed?