CD & DVDs unreadable in other machines

I have the HP 9500 running Vista. Have wedding pics I am burning to CD and DVD. Inserted blank discs. The HP prepares the disc to burn, files are chosen and burned to disc. All looks good. I end session. HP message prepared disc to be viewed on other machines. All looks a-okay.

The first burned disc I tried was a CD-R. When I went to test it out on the 9500 it wanted to format the disc! I got out of that. re-inserted then navigated around until I found the pics. Gave the disc to a relative and they are unable to locate the pics on the disc.

Tried the CD in my LG DVD player/recorder. No good.

Next I tried burning to a DVD+R thinking maybe the LG DVD player wanted DVDs not CDs. I get "unknown disc" message then pops the disc out. Note: the DVD plays correctly when I insert it in the HP 9500.

Also tried the DVD in my husbands older laptop but as suspected he has a CD drive ... being that I inserted a DVD, I figure thats why it wouldn't play in his machine.

Is there some patch I need to be downloading?

Malinda

 

There are two possible problems:

(i) That the burning software isn't writing the disc properly (what software are you using?); and

(ii) That the media are not compatible. For example, the DVD player may only accept either +R or -R media, or it just can't read the media you have used. Finding media that you can write and then others can read is a matter of testing.

That your computer wanted to open the disc for writing when you thought you had closed it suggests a software problem. I had a similar problem recently with some data DVDs that someone else had prepared. My computer wanted to write stuff on the discs, not read what the other person had written.

For the past couple of years I have used Nero. it seems to be quite robust and well-behaved although the premium version has got very bloated.

John

 

John, thanks for your reply.

I feel so inept in not knowing a name of the burning software but its whatever Windows Vista uses. I put the blank disc in and get the window that asks me what I want to do.

My neice just received her new laptop (running XP) and said she can now find the pictures.

I do think you are right about the software having a problem if it wants to open the disk for writing when I was given the message that the session was closed and prepared for viewing on other machines.

Okay, back to some more trial and error.

Thanks for your light shedding!

Malinda

 

Figured out the problem! By default, Windows burns discs in the Live File System format, but you can also choose to burn discs in the Mastered format. Once I chose Mastered format all opened A-okay.

... which still doesn't explain why there are problems with Live format on the same machine the disk was burned on???

Malinda