Several days ago I burned several slideshows to CD-Rs using Dell Image
Expert. This program required that the new/blank CDs first be formated. I
formatted the CDs with no problem, and successfully burned the slideshows to
the CDs.

Today I tried to format a new/blank DVD+R and to my surprise when I right
clicked on 'Properties', for the CD/DVD burner, the 'FORMAT' option was no
longer there (it does still show up for floppy and flash drives). Also,
curiously when I insert a new/blank disc a window pops up stating that the
media is read only --never saw this message before.

The drive is working fine in all other aspects --I can read discs and can
write discs using other 3rd party s/w (Roxio RecordNow and Backup MyPC), as I
could also have done before this problem.

Any help would be appreciated.

I might be wrong but with the description you give it sounds like you are
using a windows function to right click the drive and select "format". This
may well work for CDs as windows can write a CD but not DVDs. Perhaps
that's why you cannot format a DVD using this method.
Neil

"bpa_retired" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:06D43186-B33E-466B-8C94-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Several days ago I burned several slideshows to CD-Rs using Dell Image
> Expert. This program required that the new/blank CDs first be formated.
> I
> formatted the CDs with no problem, and successfully burned the slideshows
> to
> the CDs.
>
> Today I tried to format a new/blank DVD+R and to my surprise when I right
> clicked on 'Properties', for the CD/DVD burner, the 'FORMAT' option was no
> longer there (it does still show up for floppy and flash drives). Also,
> curiously when I insert a new/blank disc a window pops up stating that the
> media is read only --never saw this message before.
>
> The drive is working fine in all other aspects --I can read discs and can
> write discs using other 3rd party s/w (Roxio RecordNow and Backup MyPC),
> as I
> could also have done before this problem.
>
> Any help would be appreciated.

On Fri, 04 Jan 2008 22:31:13 GMT, "neil" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>I might be wrong but with the description you give it sounds like you are
>using a windows function to right click the drive and select "format". This
>may well work for CDs as windows can write a CD but not DVDs. Perhaps
>that's why you cannot format a DVD using this method.
>Neil
>
>"bpa_retired" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>news:06D43186-B33E-466B-8C94-(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Several days ago I burned several slideshows to CD-Rs using Dell Image
>> Expert. This program required that the new/blank CDs first be formated.
>> I
>> formatted the CDs with no problem, and successfully burned the slideshows
>> to
>> the CDs.
>>
>> Today I tried to format a new/blank DVD+R and to my surprise when I right
>> clicked on 'Properties', for the CD/DVD burner, the 'FORMAT' option was no
>> longer there (it does still show up for floppy and flash drives). Also,
>> curiously when I insert a new/blank disc a window pops up stating that the
>> media is read only --never saw this message before.
>>
>> The drive is working fine in all other aspects --I can read discs and can
>> write discs using other 3rd party s/w (Roxio RecordNow and Backup MyPC),
>> as I
>> could also have done before this problem.
>>
>> Any help would be appreciated.
>
Further, XP has no ability to format a CD in any way, shape or form.
Formatting a CD or DVD is a way of preparing it for Packet Writing,
which XP does not support. You have to have third party software to
do it.

So, bottom line: Your question has absolutely nothing to do with XP.

Ask elsewhere.

bpa_retired wrote:
> Several days ago I burned several slideshows to CD-Rs using Dell Image
> Expert. This program required that the new/blank CDs first be formated. I
> formatted the CDs with no problem, and successfully burned the slideshows to
> the CDs.
>
> Today I tried to format a new/blank DVD+R and to my surprise when I right
> clicked on 'Properties', for the CD/DVD burner, the 'FORMAT' option was no
> longer there (it does still show up for floppy and flash drives). Also,
> curiously when I insert a new/blank disc a window pops up stating that the
> media is read only --never saw this message before.
>
> The drive is working fine in all other aspects --I can read discs and can
> write discs using other 3rd party s/w (Roxio RecordNow and Backup MyPC), as I
> could also have done before this problem.
>
> Any help would be appreciated.

I can't think of any good reason to ever format a CD-R (a CD-RW,maybe),
and have trouble believing that any software would ask you to do it. If
you have packet writing software installed (Roxio's Drag-to-Disc, e.g.)
you can format DVD-RWs, but XP has no native ability to burn DVDs.

Format CDs?
Hey man, you livin in the dark ages still
"bpa_retired" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:06D43186-B33E-466B-8C94-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Several days ago I burned several slideshows to CD-Rs using Dell Image
> Expert. This program required that the new/blank CDs first be formated.
> I
> formatted the CDs with no problem, and successfully burned the slideshows
> to
> the CDs.
>
> Today I tried to format a new/blank DVD+R and to my surprise when I right
> clicked on 'Properties', for the CD/DVD burner, the 'FORMAT' option was no
> longer there (it does still show up for floppy and flash drives). Also,
> curiously when I insert a new/blank disc a window pops up stating that the
> media is read only --never saw this message before.
>
> The drive is working fine in all other aspects --I can read discs and can
> write discs using other 3rd party s/w (Roxio RecordNow and Backup MyPC),
> as I
> could also have done before this problem.
>
> Any help would be appreciated.
>

go to the properties for this device and look under the recording tab and
recheck the enable cdburning for this device, bunch of idiots, to tell you
this is not a xp problem.

"bpa_retired" wrote:

> Several days ago I burned several slideshows to CD-Rs using Dell Image
> Expert. This program required that the new/blank CDs first be formated. I
> formatted the CDs with no problem, and successfully burned the slideshows to
> the CDs.
>
> Today I tried to format a new/blank DVD+R and to my surprise when I right
> clicked on 'Properties', for the CD/DVD burner, the 'FORMAT' option was no
> longer there (it does still show up for floppy and flash drives). Also,
> curiously when I insert a new/blank disc a window pops up stating that the
> media is read only --never saw this message before.
>
> The drive is working fine in all other aspects --I can read discs and can
> write discs using other 3rd party s/w (Roxio RecordNow and Backup MyPC), as I
> could also have done before this problem.
>
> Any help would be appreciated.