Samsung SH-S223F treated as CD-RW, can't recognize blank DVD media

[StefanJ]

I put together a new computer last week, and installed Windows XP Home
Edition. Everything is working just fine, EXCEPT my nice new DVD burner drive
is not recognized as such. It reads CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. It can write to
CD-R discs. It cannot write to DVD-R discs; it doesn't even recognize the
media.

Computer: Gigabyte motherboard, Intel Dual Core, Intel ICH10 SATA
controller, 1-3A20

OS: Windows XP, Service Pack 3

Drive Model: Samsung SH-S223F DVD writer

Driver Installed: 5.1.2535.0 dated 7/1/2001, by Microsoft

FIRMWARE is up-to-date.

Installed drive in newly built computer.

Drive can READ CD-ROM and DVD-ROM.

It can WRITE CD-R. (I verified that a CD-ROM burned by the drive is
recognizable in other drives.)

It CANNOT WRITE DVD+R (etc.) Blank DVDs are not recognized.

I believe that the driver that Windows chose is not sufficient; the
Properties window lists it as a CD-ROM drive.

I tried updating the driver using Window's automatic search; it could not
find a better driver.

I tried "uninstalling" the drive and letting Plug and Play work its magic.
Same drier was installed.

I ran a utility posted on the Samsung help site that removes registry
entries that may have made by NERO Burning Rom 5.5. I ran it after
uninstalling Nero as well. No change in behavior.

Please recommend an alternate driver so my drive has full capabilities.

Thanks

Stefan

 

[M.I.5¾]

I put together a new computer last week, and installed Windows XP Home
Edition. Everything is working just fine, EXCEPT my nice new DVD burner
drive
is not recognized as such. It reads CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs. It can write to
CD-R discs. It cannot write to DVD-R discs; it doesn't even recognize the
media.

Computer: Gigabyte motherboard, Intel Dual Core, Intel ICH10 SATA
controller, 1-3A20

OS: Windows XP, Service Pack 3

Drive Model: Samsung SH-S223F DVD writer

Driver Installed: 5.1.2535.0 dated 7/1/2001, by Microsoft

FIRMWARE is up-to-date.

Installed drive in newly built computer.

Drive can READ CD-ROM and DVD-ROM.

It can WRITE CD-R. (I verified that a CD-ROM burned by the drive is
recognizable in other drives.)

It CANNOT WRITE DVD+R (etc.) Blank DVDs are not recognized.

I believe that the driver that Windows chose is not sufficient; the
Properties window lists it as a CD-ROM drive.

I tried updating the driver using Window's automatic search; it could not
find a better driver.

I tried "uninstalling" the drive and letting Plug and Play work its magic.
Same drier was installed.

I ran a utility posted on the Samsung help site that removes registry
entries that may have made by NERO Burning Rom 5.5. I ran it after
uninstalling Nero as well. No change in behavior.

Please recommend an alternate driver so my drive has full capabilities.

The symptoms that you describe are exactly those exhibited by a drive where
the DVD laser has reached the end of its life (they are limited life items).
That your drive is apparently brand new would suggest that this is less than
likely - but not impossible as I have known them last just a few months.

Are you able to try the drive in another PC which is known to burn DVD
discs? Alternatively, can you try a known working drive in your PC. You
may even consider buying a new one anyway - they can be had for around £20
or so.

 

[StefanJ]

This is a brand-new drive, freshly installed.

I still have my old PC around, and could swap DVD-RW drives.

Or not . . . depends on if my old PC has sufficient SATA connections.

 

[Peter Foldes]

Stefan

See the following. Ignore the headings

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314060
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q316529

 

[StefanJ]

I'll give that a try.

Note that I have DVD burner, not a CD-R. The codes might be different.

 

[StefanJ]

Sorry, this did not work.

I also downloaded a Nero cleanup tool, to make sure no registry entries or
Nero-installed drivers were hanging about. This does not seem to be the
problem.

I tried reinstalling the drives again. They loaded w/ the same old driver.

The drive still thinks it is a CD-RW, with no capability of writing DVD+R
disks.

Any further help appreciated.

 

[StefanJ]

Well, I figured out the "problem."

First, the discovery path. I moved the Samsung drive to my old Windows PC.
Fortunately, it had SATA connectors. Windows XP Home recognized the drive and
installed the drivers. These turned out to be the same ones used on my new
Windows XP box.

What was different: In addition to the four or five Windows drivers there
were about a half-dozen others, installed by CD/DVD writer software such as
Sonic DVD REcorder.

I started the Sonic recorder and was able to successfully burn a data DVD.

So, this is really a Windows Explorer problem. The "write these files to CD"
function can't handle DVD size disks.

I've just installed a GL3 freeware DVD writer and am burning a disc now.

 

[M.I.5¾]

Well, I figured out the "problem."

First, the discovery path. I moved the Samsung drive to my old Windows PC.
Fortunately, it had SATA connectors. Windows XP Home recognized the drive
and
installed the drivers. These turned out to be the same ones used on my new
Windows XP box.

What was different: In addition to the four or five Windows drivers there
were about a half-dozen others, installed by CD/DVD writer software such
as
Sonic DVD REcorder.

I started the Sonic recorder and was able to successfully burn a data DVD.

So, this is really a Windows Explorer problem. The "write these files to
CD"
function can't handle DVD size disks.

I've just installed a GL3 freeware DVD writer and am burning a disc now.

Ah! You were trying to write DVDs using XP's inbuilt writing utility. This
was not obvious from your OP. As you have discovered, the XP utility does
not support DVD media.

 

[smlunatick]

Ah!  You were trying to write DVDs using XP's inbuilt writing utility.  This
was not obvious from your OP.  As you have discovered, the XP utility does
not support DVD media.

XP will use only one DVD media "natively." XP can use DVD-Ram
directly.

 

[M.I.5¾]

Ah! You were trying to write DVDs using XP's inbuilt writing utility. This
was not obvious from your OP. As you have discovered, the XP utility does
not support DVD media.

XP will use only one DVD media "natively." XP can use DVD-Ram
directly.