CD does not format

[arisblaze]

My computer recently stopped formating disks, includng ones that have never been used before. It will play CDs/DVDs but the error message is appearing more often now. I've also gotten a message saying corrupted data- is there something wrong with the disks 'm using or is it the drive?

 

[hang-the-9]

Could be the drive, they are cheap enough to replace. If you have another disk brand to try, may want to do that first though.

 

[badge]

Media does not require formatting. Check the specifications of your drive as to what media is supported.

 

[arisblaze]

Media does not require formatting. Check the specifications of your drive as to what media is supported.

I probably should clarify then. All the media disks (CDs, DVDs & video games) work without a hitch (& I know they don't need formatting). I'm refering to the disks my computer burned before the driver stopped formatting blank disks. Some of them will be allowed to be read about twice before bringing up the "do you want to format? box. One of the present 3 that underwent this was nevr even burned after the initial burning.

I even tried to re-format a CD-RW that the driver claimed was corrupted. It said format could not be completed. I get the same message on the blank disks also.

I also took one of these blank disks to my roommate's computer (which is the same make & model as my own) & got the same error message.

One of the disks I know is pretty much unsalvagable (as I found a fairly deep scratch on it), but it does not explain the others.

 

[hang-the-9]

This sounds like you got a bad batch of disks, especially if all of these are the same brand. How are you storing these things? Could be environment based. Or possibly your drive was off spec enogh that the burning went bad and damaged the dye layer.

 

[arisblaze]

Either is possible I suppose.

True, I could be storing the disks better but there's one more small complication. One of my friends shortly after the formatting problems began sent me a web-link that turns out contained a virus that while caught early helped crash the computer. The repairman had problems getting it going again & when I got it back was undecided as to what the cause was (he thnks it was either a mechanical problem or I had caught a virus that effected start-up). Am not sure whether either would influence this though...

 

[hang-the-9]

I doubt the virus caused the disk read issues, especially if it came up after you fixed it. So the question is, have you got a new disk brand to try and do they work OK? Or a new drive and tried that? I've seen new DVD R/W drives for under $20, worth checking out.