CD-burinng module playing tricks on me....

  • Thread starter Thread starter Peter
  • Start date Start date
P

Peter

Hi,

Some time ago I tried out several freeware CD/DVD burning softwares. When I
tested them I simulated burings to a disc just to see how I liked the
interfaces. As it happens, I didn't like any of them and I stuck with Nero
that I have always used. So I uninstalled the programs I had tested. During
the simulated burning test, what I did was to attempt to make a copy of a
normal cd with backup files that I had. I told the programs to store
temporary files on E: at root level. But I did NOT attempt to burn any of the
files actually on E:.

The next time I booted my computer I got a popup from the system tray
looking like this:

http://i27.tinypic.com/2941e82.jpg

I ignored it but it keeps on coming back all the time. When I click it, it
appears that it/something/CD-burning module of Windows? wants to burn all the
files and folders on my E: drive to a disc. If I have a disc in the cd-tray
and click it in the explorer, I get a divided window with on the one hand
"files already on disc" and on the other "files to be written to disc".

E: (at root level) is where I simulated storing the temporary files when I
tried out the interfaces for the other buring programs, so obviously someone
of those screwed something up. But remember, I never told the programs during
the simulated burnings to actually use any of the files on E:, I told them to
store temporary files from the CD in the tray on E:.

However, however hard I look (admin account, show all files, system files
also) I cannot find any trace of any temporary files on E:.

Sometimes, to me it seems randomly, when I eject the cd-tray another popup
appears:

http://i27.tinypic.com/30911kw.jpg

After a week of repeatedly clicking cancel I was getting tired of it, and I
thought I would try option 3. Perhaps the reference to the temporary files
would be deleted when the temp files couldn't be found (since I couldn't find
them) and the problem would be gone with the wind. I should have known
better...

Woe is me!

Instead my entire E: began to be erased at lightning speed. I realized what
was happening and managed to interrupt the procedure and was able to recover
most of the erased files.

Since then, I am only clicking cancel. But I do it quite a few times a day.

I have been trying to find if there is a cd-buring module in Windows where
there are some settings i could perhaps change but i can't find any.
(Strange, I thought there was a cd burning program natively shipped with
WinXP SP2.)

Anyway, short of reinstalling the whole OS, does anyone have a clue where I
can troubleshoot this issue? I have reached the end of my own skills and
found no relevant point of entry into solving the problem.

Thanks a lot for any pointers!

(I've had this problem for over a year and ZoneAlarm virus/spyware scans
have never found anything suspicious. If it was due to a virus I suspect it
should have been included in the virii databases by now. Ergo, I don't think
it is a virus problem.)

/P
 
Peter said:
Hi,

Some time ago I tried out several freeware CD/DVD burning softwares. When I
tested them I simulated burings to a disc just to see how I liked the
interfaces. As it happens, I didn't like any of them and I stuck with Nero
that I have always used. So I uninstalled the programs I had tested. During
the simulated burning test, what I did was to attempt to make a copy of a
normal cd with backup files that I had. I told the programs to store
temporary files on E: at root level. But I did NOT attempt to burn any of the
files actually on E:.

The next time I booted my computer I got a popup from the system tray
looking like this:

http://i27.tinypic.com/2941e82.jpg

I ignored it but it keeps on coming back all the time. When I click it, it
appears that it/something/CD-burning module of Windows? wants to burn all the
files and folders on my E: drive to a disc. If I have a disc in the cd-tray
and click it in the explorer, I get a divided window with on the one hand
"files already on disc" and on the other "files to be written to disc".

E: (at root level) is where I simulated storing the temporary files when I
tried out the interfaces for the other buring programs, so obviously someone
of those screwed something up. But remember, I never told the programs during
the simulated burnings to actually use any of the files on E:, I told them to
store temporary files from the CD in the tray on E:.

However, however hard I look (admin account, show all files, system files
also) I cannot find any trace of any temporary files on E:.

Sometimes, to me it seems randomly, when I eject the cd-tray another popup
appears:

http://i27.tinypic.com/30911kw.jpg

After a week of repeatedly clicking cancel I was getting tired of it, and I
thought I would try option 3. Perhaps the reference to the temporary files
would be deleted when the temp files couldn't be found (since I couldn't find
them) and the problem would be gone with the wind. I should have known
better...

Woe is me!

Instead my entire E: began to be erased at lightning speed. I realized what
was happening and managed to interrupt the procedure and was able to recover
most of the erased files.

Since then, I am only clicking cancel. But I do it quite a few times a day.

I have been trying to find if there is a cd-buring module in Windows where
there are some settings i could perhaps change but i can't find any.
(Strange, I thought there was a cd burning program natively shipped with
WinXP SP2.)

Anyway, short of reinstalling the whole OS, does anyone have a clue where I
can troubleshoot this issue? I have reached the end of my own skills and
found no relevant point of entry into solving the problem.

Thanks a lot for any pointers!

(I've had this problem for over a year and ZoneAlarm virus/spyware scans
have never found anything suspicious. If it was due to a virus I suspect it
should have been included in the virii databases by now. Ergo, I don't think
it is a virus problem.)

/P


Just out of curiosity, have you run the Registry Editor (Start -> Run ->
regedit.exe) and checked the value listed next to CD Burning in the right hand
pane for this registry key?

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Folders

It should point to this folder substituting the correct info where it says
YOURACCOUNT

C:\Documents and Settings\'YOURACCOUNT'\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\CD Burning

It sounds like yours might be set to E:\.

Good luck

Nepatsfan
 
Hi Nepatsfan,

Thanks for your reply!

You were correct, that key value was set to E:. I changed it according to
your instructions and the system tray popup disappeared.

However, when I log off and log on again (or simply reboot), E: has been
written back into that registry key value.

So I am back at page one.

Any suggestions?

/p
 
Peter said:
Hi Nepatsfan,

Thanks for your reply!

You were correct, that key value was set to E:. I changed it according to
your instructions and the system tray popup disappeared.

However, when I log off and log on again (or simply reboot), E: has been
written back into that registry key value.

So I am back at page one.

Any suggestions?

/p


The only suggestions I can come up with are guesses. They come with no guarantee
that they will solve the problem. They could potentially make it worse. That
said, here's what I'd try.

1. Take a look at the security programs installed on your computer and see if
any of them is blocking changes to the registry.

2. Search the registry for any entries in the Data column set to E:\. You can do
that in the registry editor (Start -> Run -> regedit.exe) by clicking on the
Edit menu and selecting Find from the menu. In the box that appears, enter E:\
in the Find what box and uncheck the boxes next to Keys and Values. Hit the Find
Next key to start the search. To continue searching, hit the F3 key. An
alternative is to use this free program to search the registry.

RegScanner v1.65
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/regscanner.html

What you're looking for is an entry that was left behind by one of the burning
programs you tested. It may be overriding the default settings for the built-in
XP CD burning program. The downside of this approach is that making any changes
could cause that program to stop working altogether. You should create a restore
point before making any changes just in case something goes wrong.

3. Log on with another user account and see if the problem still exists. If it
doesn't, you could start using that account and abandon your old account. Any
email accounts, messages, and contacts would have to be exported from your old
account and imported to the new account. Files and folders can be copied using
the procedure outlined in this article.

How to copy data from a corrupted user profile to a new profile
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/811151

4. As a next to last resort, reinstall each of the programs you tested and check
to see if they're using the E drive as a temp storage area. If so, change it to
the CD Burning folder and see if that fixes the problem.

5. A last resort would be a repair installation. Take a look at this article for
info.

How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

Keep in mind that while a repair install should preserve your installed programs
and data files you should always back up any files you can't afford to lose just
in case something goes wrong. You can also expect to have to reinstall any
updates/service packs that have been released since the version of XP on your
installation CD was released.

Good luck

Nepatsfan
 
Hi Nepatsfan,

Sorry for the delay. I've been without internet for a couple of days due to
the MS KB-update/ZoneAlarm problem, but now I am up and running again.

It turns out that I needed to change a 'E:\' at

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders

as well before the changes would stick....

Now all is fine. Thanks a lot for your help!

/p
 
You're welcome. Thanks for letting us know you were able to fix the problem.

Nepatsfan
 
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