Asus A7J stopped buring CDs and DVDs

I've tried using nero and roxio.... it goes through the motions like its burning a cd.... even the light flashes... it says success at the end... then ejects.... a blank cd... like nothing ever happened

 

Sounds like either a hardware or firmware problem.

It is possible to rewrite the firmware for some drives, but you'd be technically voiding your warranty. Also the software needed to rewrite, and the firmware itself, is usually difficult to find for laptop OEM drives; Matsh.ita's are notorious for this, for example.

I would suggest, to cover all the bases (to use an American expression sorry if I'm not using it right):
1. Use different type of media, preferably something decent quality like Verbatim or TDK.
2. Remove the device from Device Manager (I don't mean physically although that might also help) such that Windows detects it and reinstalls the driver.
3. Leave it for a few days to "cool down". I've had some ODD faults "repair themselves" after a few hours or days.
4. Restore Windows, to eliminate software or driver issues.
5. (optional) rewrite firmware.

If none of these solves the problem, RMA.

 

Also check that you're not burning to image recorder in the software.

 

Well, i managed to find firmware for this drive here

http://forum.rpc1.org/viewtopic.php?p=206992


However, i flashed it, and its still shooting blanks...


It goes through the burn process and just creates nothing, its like the laser doesnt actually engage....


Do you think this drive is just junk?

Should I call asus and complain or try to get them to send me a new one?

 

See the steps I outlined above. Also make sure as stated before that you're not using the Image Recorder, but you are indeed burning on the DVD/CD.

 

I tried uninstalling it..... ive tried different CDs, and i've tried rewriting the firmware...


restoring windows is not going to help cause this problem could be and probably is months old i havent burned a cd in months.



Oh and on a side note... its really not burning anything to the CD ... i just burned a CD... it reported as successful, and then it spit out a blank.... i brought it to another computer, inserted.... it showed up as a blank and i burned a CD onto it from that computer


And to make things wierder.... It burns DVDs fine...


Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?

 

Well, then there isn't much left than RMA...

You might be able to convince them to send you the ODD in advance, you have to loosen a screw on the bottom and pull it out, put the new one in, screw it in.