18th December 2001
Shell-integrated CD burning is still somewhat flaky in Windows XP (even with the latest patches installed). You're almost better off using a certified, non-Microsoft tool to get the job done. A few weeks ago, I couldn't figure out why my operating system wasn't recognizing a CD component for what it was: a CD-RW drive. Ashley Ellerbeck told me to check a certain Registry setting: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ CD Burning \ Drives. Each CD drive will have its own Volume key. Double-click the "Drive Type" value to change its properties. CD-Rs should be set to 1; CD-RWs should be set to 2; non-writables should be set to 3. Even after this setting has been confirmed, I still run into snags when I'm using XP's CD burning task. Sometimes, even though blank media is already sitting in the CD drive, Windows will ask me to insert a valid disc. After ejecting and immediately re-inserting the tray, the wizard will continue through its routine. Weird.