Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

I recently started experiencing a problem that my CD-RW and DVD-Rom stopped reading data on my CD's. They see the CD's but don't read the data, the CD's appear not to contain anything. I've posted the particular problem twice on this forum, but got no answer. For users experiencing the same or similar problems, I've now determined the cause... I've got a SAHARA USB 2.0 flash drive that came with a UFD-utility that enables one to configure the drive into a private and public area, enabling you to safeguard critical files. This utility causes this problem. Unfortunately I could thus far not find a solution, apart from uninstalling the utility and making do without this function. The flash drive works fine otherwise, not causing any problems. Only the UFD-utility does. I will see if I can find an update that resolves this problem and I will let SAHARA know about it.

I hope this can be of value to someone.

Nico Smith

For the sake of completeness, here follows my initial posting about this problem:

Both my Samsung CD-RW and my Sony DVD Drives worked perfectly for a while after I first installed Win XP (first without S/P 1). Then suddenly both mysteriously developed the following quirk:

If I boot up normally, with no media present in the drives, both the CD-RW and the DVD Drive refuse to read the data on any CD (music or data). XP does see the drives, as they are indicated in Explorer as a CD-RW and DVD drive respectively. However, the moment I put a CD in either one, the designation in Explorer changes to "CD Drive" instead of CD-RW or DVD Drive, and they refuse to read any data. They would now refuse to auto play also. When I click on either one in explorer, they do not spin up at all, and no data is displayed. If Nero is opened, the CD-RW sees the CD as empty, as it requests whether or not the user wishes to save data to it. (Both are set to auto play in My Computer and the designation in the registry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom) is set to (1).

If, I boot up to SAFE MODE however, both would read any CD. Obviously music CD's then don't play, as the correct sound card driver has not been loaded.

If I place CD's in the drives FIRST, and then boot up, both read data on the CD's as normal. They also continue as normal when I swap CD's, no problem.

Obviously this is a very perplexing and frustrating problem, and I found it very difficult to isolate either the cause of this problem or the fix. Although there are scores of users with related problems, as can be found on this forum, none of the proposed solutions that I came across worked. I found many identical responses to this problem from Rich Barry. He actually seems to be physically connected to his PC, just monotonously pasting the same answer over and over. I did uninstall the drivers and allowed XP to detect the drives again after rebooting, but it makes no difference however. Rich would leave us all much richer if he would rather refrain from posting this solution.

So I took a day off from work and decided to format partition 1 and reinstall Windows and all my software systematically for the FOURTH time in an attempt to try and isolate the cause of this problem.

After formatting and reinstalling XP (S/P1 this time), I rebooted and tested both drives. They both worked perfectly. I then started installing all required drivers one by one, after each installation rebooting and testing the drives. Everything still fine. Then I installed Nero Burn 6.0 before any other software, because I reasoned that it might possibly interfere with Windows. However, still no problem. Then I installed all other software, after each installation rebooting and testing (took me all day!) Still no problem. Then I installed a UFDS utility that is used to split my 128 Mb USB 2, SAHARA flash drive into a private and public partition. Again I tested, still no problem.

Then I found the cause! I disconnected the flash drive and booted up. THE PROBLEM REAPPEARED. I've now tested this several times. If I connect the flash drive BEFORE I boot up, both the CD-RW and DVD drives read the inserted media fine. If I boot up without connecting the flash drive first, they do not read the media at all after a CD is inserted.

NOTE 1:
If I insert CD's in the drives BEFORE booting up, but not the flash drive, the drives also read the CD's fine.

NOTE 2:
I have two flash drives - an older 16MB USB 1 drive and a 128 MB USB 2 drive. If I connect the USB 1 drive before booting up, it makes no difference, the problem is still in evidence. It is only when I connect the USB 2 drive before booting up or place CD's in the trays before booting up that the CD's work properly.

Now I believe I am a step closer to the problems of probably most people with related CD problems on this forum. However, I still do not have the final fix, just a 16th century getting around the problem solution. Most probably this has to do with the way in which XP allocates drive letters to the different drives, I don't know, but since I am just an average user, not an expert, it would take me some more time off from work to figure this out.

I would now really appreciate it if Microsoft would apply their minds to this problem and come up with a solution. I've read a reply on this forum from presumably a Microsoft engineer (so assumed because he responds very regularly, and seemingly with authority, to queries on this forum) wherein he came across quite patronizing and sarcastic in his response to a frustrated user. I my opinion he (they) (Microsoft) should maybe maintain a lower profile on this matter, and rather be sympathetic towards people who did pay (in my opinion) an exorbitant price for an operating system that is not working properly. (This problem does not occur in Win 98 as far as I'm aware).

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Nico --

I can't express how thankful I am that you posted your results here. I
too recently purchased a USB flash drive using a similar encryption
software package, though it is a different brand than yours. I
experienced the exact same problems that you did, down to the exact
detail. I too discovered that the drive functioned properly when a CD
was in the drive at boot time, but I was never able to determine the
source of the problem. I had lent the USB drive to my fiancee, and had
always thought it was an incredible coincidence that both of our
computers started having CD-ROM problems around the same time. I had
just transferred all of my hardware into a new computer case (which I
purchased at the same time I bought the USB flash drive!), so I had
always assumed that I had done something wrong when installing the
system into the new case. Both my fiancee and I bought replacement CD
drives, and to my amazement, the problem persisted on my system. If I
hadn't happened upon your post, in my bloody-minded search for an
answer, I likely would have gone and purchased a whole new system. As
it stands, I can still return my replacement drive, since it has been
less than the required 30 day return policy, so you have saved me $100,
and I thank you for it. My fiancee may not be able to return hers,
since Dell's return policy is only 15 days, but I will give it my best
try. I wonder if the press might be interested in this issue? I have
to imagine that there are numerous others who have encountered this
problem, but have never solved it, and purchased new hardware to solve
the problem. I cannot thank you enough.

Collin Murray


--
Collin Murray
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Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

The two of you have just saved my life. I was just about to go
through the process of reinstalling my entire system. I also have a
USB1 flash drive which came with a 'U-Storage' utility. After trying
everything humanly possible my problem of my DVD writer only recording
but not reading discs has been solved by installing the U-Storage
utility.

I never even used the utility so I can't believe all the headaches it
has caused me. I can still use the USB flash drive as Windows XP
still recognises it. Nico, you've just done the work that Microsoft
should've done instead of ignoring the several daily posts of people
not being able to read their CDs/DVDs.

To anyone reading, if you have problems with your CD or DVD drives and
you have a USB flash drive, uninstall any program that came with it
and it will probably save you many hours of trouble!!

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

I found your comprehensive explanation of the CD problem and the steps you took to rectify same extremely helpful as I have been experiencing similar glitches. Many thanks.
--
corsea


"Nico Smith" wrote:

> I recently started experiencing a problem that my CD-RW and DVD-Rom stopped reading data on my CD's. They see the CD's but don't read the data, the CD's appear not to contain anything. I've posted the particular problem twice on this forum, but got no answer. For users experiencing the same or similar problems, I've now determined the cause... I've got a SAHARA USB 2.0 flash drive that came with a UFD-utility that enables one to configure the drive into a private and public area, enabling you to safeguard critical files. This utility causes this problem. Unfortunately I could thus far not find a solution, apart from uninstalling the utility and making do without this function. The flash drive works fine otherwise, not causing any problems. Only the UFD-utility does. I will see if I can find an update that resolves this problem and I will let SAHARA know about it.
>
> I hope this can be of value to someone.
>
> Nico Smith
>
> For the sake of completeness, here follows my initial posting about this problem:
>
> Both my Samsung CD-RW and my Sony DVD Drives worked perfectly for a while after I first installed Win XP (first without S/P 1). Then suddenly both mysteriously developed the following quirk:
>
> If I boot up normally, with no media present in the drives, both the CD-RW and the DVD Drive refuse to read the data on any CD (music or data). XP does see the drives, as they are indicated in Explorer as a CD-RW and DVD drive respectively. However, the moment I put a CD in either one, the designation in Explorer changes to "CD Drive" instead of CD-RW or DVD Drive, and they refuse to read any data. They would now refuse to auto play also. When I click on either one in explorer, they do not spin up at all, and no data is displayed. If Nero is opened, the CD-RW sees the CD as empty, as it requests whether or not the user wishes to save data to it. (Both are set to auto play in My Computer and the designation in the registry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom) is set to (1).
>
> If, I boot up to SAFE MODE however, both would read any CD. Obviously music CD's then don't play, as the correct sound card driver has not been loaded.
>
> If I place CD's in the drives FIRST, and then boot up, both read data on the CD's as normal. They also continue as normal when I swap CD's, no problem.
>
> Obviously this is a very perplexing and frustrating problem, and I found it very difficult to isolate either the cause of this problem or the fix. Although there are scores of users with related problems, as can be found on this forum, none of the proposed solutions that I came across worked. I found many identical responses to this problem from Rich Barry. He actually seems to be physically connected to his PC, just monotonously pasting the same answer over and over. I did uninstall the drivers and allowed XP to detect the drives again after rebooting, but it makes no difference however. Rich would leave us all much richer if he would rather refrain from posting this solution.
>
> So I took a day off from work and decided to format partition 1 and reinstall Windows and all my software systematically for the FOURTH time in an attempt to try and isolate the cause of this problem.
>
> After formatting and reinstalling XP (S/P1 this time), I rebooted and tested both drives. They both worked perfectly. I then started installing all required drivers one by one, after each installation rebooting and testing the drives. Everything still fine. Then I installed Nero Burn 6.0 before any other software, because I reasoned that it might possibly interfere with Windows. However, still no problem. Then I installed all other software, after each installation rebooting and testing (took me all day!) Still no problem. Then I installed a UFDS utility that is used to split my 128 Mb USB 2, SAHARA flash drive into a private and public partition. Again I tested, still no problem.
>
> Then I found the cause! I disconnected the flash drive and booted up. THE PROBLEM REAPPEARED. I've now tested this several times. If I connect the flash drive BEFORE I boot up, both the CD-RW and DVD drives read the inserted media fine. If I boot up without connecting the flash drive first, they do not read the media at all after a CD is inserted.
>
> NOTE 1:
> If I insert CD's in the drives BEFORE booting up, but not the flash drive, the drives also read the CD's fine.
>
> NOTE 2:
> I have two flash drives - an older 16MB USB 1 drive and a 128 MB USB 2 drive. If I connect the USB 1 drive before booting up, it makes no difference, the problem is still in evidence. It is only when I connect the USB 2 drive before booting up or place CD's in the trays before booting up that the CD's work properly.
>
> Now I believe I am a step closer to the problems of probably most people with related CD problems on this forum. However, I still do not have the final fix, just a 16th century getting around the problem solution. Most probably this has to do with the way in which XP allocates drive letters to the different drives, I don't know, but since I am just an average user, not an expert, it would take me some more time off from work to figure this out.
>
> I would now really appreciate it if Microsoft would apply their minds to this problem and come up with a solution. I've read a reply on this forum from presumably a Microsoft engineer (so assumed because he responds very regularly, and seemingly with authority, to queries on this forum) wherein he came across quite patronizing and sarcastic in his response to a frustrated user. I my opinion he (they) (Microsoft) should maybe maintain a lower profile on this matter, and rather be sympathetic towards people who did pay (in my opinion) an exorbitant price for an operating system that is not working properly. (This problem does not occur in Win 98 as far as I'm aware).

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Hello

A quick solution is to end the task UStorage.exe in the Task-list,
which works for me. I do not even have to restart.


--
Flemming
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Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Thanks Nico. Your post was a BIG help. I just wish I had read it
yesterday before I lost a whole day and replaced my motherboard. It
seems that this USB flash drive utility will cause this on any cdrom -
I experienced the same problem on an LG CD-RW/DVD combo drive. That's
the last time I use a USB flash drive utility. I should have taken a
hint from the dodgy english in the install program...


--
Leon
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Thanks Nico, you saved me from re-installing Windows! For completeness: my USB Flash Drive is from CANYON, and it's a 128 MB USB 2.0 device. The software that came with it identifies itself as U-Storage, the installation file is called "USB FLASH DRIVE Tools2_1.exe".

Greetz,
Hans

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Hi Guys

Thought I would add my 2 cents worth. After finding I could only use
my CD drives if I booted with CD's in them, I decided to upgrade to XP
SP2 - didn't help. I virus scanned & spy-bot'd away to no avail.

I have put up with the problem for 2 weeks and noticed tonight the
difference in the icon when saying no disk inserted from when there was
a disk and wasn't a disk in the drive.

Looked in Task Manager and decided to randomly kill UStorage.exe for no
other reason than I couldn't think of anything else and thought it
couldn't hurt. Sure enough the CD drives started working again. I
have now uninstalled this evil from my PC.

So I searched the web again with a new keywork - "ustorage.exe" and
happened upon this site. Hopefully these postings will get out and
help other people in the search.

Keywords for searches:
CD-ROM broke
Please insert a disk in drive
USB
CD-ROM not reading


--
jrouse
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Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

"Nico Smith" wrote:

> I recently started experiencing a problem that my CD-RW and DVD-Rom stopped reading data on my CD's. They see the CD's but don't read the data, the CD's appear not to contain anything. I've posted the particular problem twice on this forum, but got no answer. For users experiencing the same or similar problems, I've now determined the cause... I've got a SAHARA USB 2.0 flash drive that came with a UFD-utility that enables one to configure the drive into a private and public area, enabling you to safeguard critical files. This utility causes this problem. Unfortunately I could thus far not find a solution, apart from uninstalling the utility and making do without this function. The flash drive works fine otherwise, not causing any problems. Only the UFD-utility does. I will see if I can find an update that resolves this problem and I will let SAHARA know about it.
>
> I hope this can be of value to someone.
>
> Nico Smith
>
> For the sake of completeness, here follows my initial posting about this problem:
>
> Both my Samsung CD-RW and my Sony DVD Drives worked perfectly for a while after I first installed Win XP (first without S/P 1). Then suddenly both mysteriously developed the following quirk:
>
> If I boot up normally, with no media present in the drives, both the CD-RW and the DVD Drive refuse to read the data on any CD (music or data). XP does see the drives, as they are indicated in Explorer as a CD-RW and DVD drive respectively. However, the moment I put a CD in either one, the designation in Explorer changes to "CD Drive" instead of CD-RW or DVD Drive, and they refuse to read any data. They would now refuse to auto play also. When I click on either one in explorer, they do not spin up at all, and no data is displayed. If Nero is opened, the CD-RW sees the CD as empty, as it requests whether or not the user wishes to save data to it. (Both are set to auto play in My Computer and the designation in the registry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom) is set to (1).
>
> If, I boot up to SAFE MODE however, both would read any CD. Obviously music CD's then don't play, as the correct sound card driver has not been loaded.
>
> If I place CD's in the drives FIRST, and then boot up, both read data on the CD's as normal. They also continue as normal when I swap CD's, no problem.
>
> Obviously this is a very perplexing and frustrating problem, and I found it very difficult to isolate either the cause of this problem or the fix. Although there are scores of users with related problems, as can be found on this forum, none of the proposed solutions that I came across worked. I found many identical responses to this problem from Rich Barry. He actually seems to be physically connected to his PC, just monotonously pasting the same answer over and over. I did uninstall the drivers and allowed XP to detect the drives again after rebooting, but it makes no difference however. Rich would leave us all much richer if he would rather refrain from posting this solution.
>
> So I took a day off from work and decided to format partition 1 and reinstall Windows and all my software systematically for the FOURTH time in an attempt to try and isolate the cause of this problem.
>
> After formatting and reinstalling XP (S/P1 this time), I rebooted and tested both drives. They both worked perfectly. I then started installing all required drivers one by one, after each installation rebooting and testing the drives. Everything still fine. Then I installed Nero Burn 6.0 before any other software, because I reasoned that it might possibly interfere with Windows. However, still no problem. Then I installed all other software, after each installation rebooting and testing (took me all day!) Still no problem. Then I installed a UFDS utility that is used to split my 128 Mb USB 2, SAHARA flash drive into a private and public partition. Again I tested, still no problem.
>
> Then I found the cause! I disconnected the flash drive and booted up. THE PROBLEM REAPPEARED. I've now tested this several times. If I connect the flash drive BEFORE I boot up, both the CD-RW and DVD drives read the inserted media fine. If I boot up without connecting the flash drive first, they do not read the media at all after a CD is inserted.
>
> NOTE 1:
> If I insert CD's in the drives BEFORE booting up, but not the flash drive, the drives also read the CD's fine.
>
> NOTE 2:
> I have two flash drives - an older 16MB USB 1 drive and a 128 MB USB 2 drive. If I connect the USB 1 drive before booting up, it makes no difference, the problem is still in evidence. It is only when I connect the USB 2 drive before booting up or place CD's in the trays before booting up that the CD's work properly.
>
> Now I believe I am a step closer to the problems of probably most people with related CD problems on this forum. However, I still do not have the final fix, just a 16th century getting around the problem solution. Most probably this has to do with the way in which XP allocates drive letters to the different drives, I don't know, but since I am just an average user, not an expert, it would take me some more time off from work to figure this out.
>
> I would now really appreciate it if Microsoft would apply their minds to this problem and come up with a solution. I've read a reply on this forum from presumably a Microsoft engineer (so assumed because he responds very regularly, and seemingly with authority, to queries on this forum) wherein he came across quite patronizing and sarcastic in his response to a frustrated user. I my opinion he (they) (Microsoft) should maybe maintain a lower profile on this matter, and rather be sympathetic towards people who did pay (in my opinion) an exorbitant price for an operating system that is not working properly. (This problem does not occur in Win 98 as far as I'm aware).

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

Apologies for the blank reply but this is my first time on newsgroups.

I too am having the same DVD/Cd-rom problems and am fairly sure it started
after installing SP2. Thank you for your tip on booting up with either a
flash drive connected or CDs placed in the drives. If I boot up with my
flash drive connected then both DVD-rom and CD-RW drives work OK although I
am not having the problem caused by the UDF utility software as I have no
need for this and did not install it.

My preferred option is to leave a CD in both drives as I leave my computer
permanently on but use the hibernation facility in power management. I was
concerned that I would lose the drives when coming out of hibernation but
happy to report that this is not the case. After four hibernations both my
drives have worked with no other problems.

Of course this is not a satisfactory way to operate a computer so I hope
that Microsoft is working on a fix for the problem.

"Nico Smith" wrote:

> I recently started experiencing a problem that my CD-RW and DVD-Rom stopped reading data on my CD's. They see the CD's but don't read the data, the CD's appear not to contain anything. I've posted the particular problem twice on this forum, but got no answer. For users experiencing the same or similar problems, I've now determined the cause... I've got a SAHARA USB 2.0 flash drive that came with a UFD-utility that enables one to configure the drive into a private and public area, enabling you to safeguard critical files. This utility causes this problem. Unfortunately I could thus far not find a solution, apart from uninstalling the utility and making do without this function. The flash drive works fine otherwise, not causing any problems. Only the UFD-utility does. I will see if I can find an update that resolves this problem and I will let SAHARA know about it.
>
> I hope this can be of value to someone.
>
> Nico Smith
>
> For the sake of completeness, here follows my initial posting about this problem:
>
> Both my Samsung CD-RW and my Sony DVD Drives worked perfectly for a while after I first installed Win XP (first without S/P 1). Then suddenly both mysteriously developed the following quirk:
>
> If I boot up normally, with no media present in the drives, both the CD-RW and the DVD Drive refuse to read the data on any CD (music or data). XP does see the drives, as they are indicated in Explorer as a CD-RW and DVD drive respectively. However, the moment I put a CD in either one, the designation in Explorer changes to "CD Drive" instead of CD-RW or DVD Drive, and they refuse to read any data. They would now refuse to auto play also. When I click on either one in explorer, they do not spin up at all, and no data is displayed. If Nero is opened, the CD-RW sees the CD as empty, as it requests whether or not the user wishes to save data to it. (Both are set to auto play in My Computer and the designation in the registry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom) is set to (1).
>
> If, I boot up to SAFE MODE however, both would read any CD. Obviously music CD's then don't play, as the correct sound card driver has not been loaded.
>
> If I place CD's in the drives FIRST, and then boot up, both read data on the CD's as normal. They also continue as normal when I swap CD's, no problem.
>
> Obviously this is a very perplexing and frustrating problem, and I found it very difficult to isolate either the cause of this problem or the fix. Although there are scores of users with related problems, as can be found on this forum, none of the proposed solutions that I came across worked. I found many identical responses to this problem from Rich Barry. He actually seems to be physically connected to his PC, just monotonously pasting the same answer over and over. I did uninstall the drivers and allowed XP to detect the drives again after rebooting, but it makes no difference however. Rich would leave us all much richer if he would rather refrain from posting this solution.
>
> So I took a day off from work and decided to format partition 1 and reinstall Windows and all my software systematically for the FOURTH time in an attempt to try and isolate the cause of this problem.
>
> After formatting and reinstalling XP (S/P1 this time), I rebooted and tested both drives. They both worked perfectly. I then started installing all required drivers one by one, after each installation rebooting and testing the drives. Everything still fine. Then I installed Nero Burn 6.0 before any other software, because I reasoned that it might possibly interfere with Windows. However, still no problem. Then I installed all other software, after each installation rebooting and testing (took me all day!) Still no problem. Then I installed a UFDS utility that is used to split my 128 Mb USB 2, SAHARA flash drive into a private and public partition. Again I tested, still no problem.
>
> Then I found the cause! I disconnected the flash drive and booted up. THE PROBLEM REAPPEARED. I've now tested this several times. If I connect the flash drive BEFORE I boot up, both the CD-RW and DVD drives read the inserted media fine. If I boot up without connecting the flash drive first, they do not read the media at all after a CD is inserted.
>
> NOTE 1:
> If I insert CD's in the drives BEFORE booting up, but not the flash drive, the drives also read the CD's fine.
>
> NOTE 2:
> I have two flash drives - an older 16MB USB 1 drive and a 128 MB USB 2 drive. If I connect the USB 1 drive before booting up, it makes no difference, the problem is still in evidence. It is only when I connect the USB 2 drive before booting up or place CD's in the trays before booting up that the CD's work properly.
>
> Now I believe I am a step closer to the problems of probably most people with related CD problems on this forum. However, I still do not have the final fix, just a 16th century getting around the problem solution. Most probably this has to do with the way in which XP allocates drive letters to the different drives, I don't know, but since I am just an average user, not an expert, it would take me some more time off from work to figure this out.
>
> I would now really appreciate it if Microsoft would apply their minds to this problem and come up with a solution. I've read a reply on this forum from presumably a Microsoft engineer (so assumed because he responds very regularly, and seemingly with authority, to queries on this forum) wherein he came across quite patronizing and sarcastic in his response to a frustrated user. I my opinion he (they) (Microsoft) should maybe maintain a lower profile on this matter, and rather be sympathetic towards people who did pay (in my opinion) an exorbitant price for an operating system that is not working properly. (This problem does not occur in Win 98 as far as I'm aware).

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.hardware (More info?)

I am so thankful I came across your post. I am guilty of not backing up files
very often and I just discovered I had the identical problem with my DVD-ROM
and DVD+RW drives. They simply would not read anything. My last documented
use of either drive was back in June 04. Well would you believe I installed a
flash drive some time in July 04 that I got for free. After uninstalling the
utility my drives are now back to normal.

I might add that I spent hours on the phone with Dell support, or lack
thereof. Their final conclusion was that I had to reinstall my operating
system. Fortunately, due to their total lack of customer service they did not
keep their telephone appointment with me scheduled for this morning, at which
time we were to begin the reinstall process. Frankly, I was scared to death
about the reinstall.

Thanks for being so thorough in describing your problem and self solution.
One would think this type of problem would find its way into a knowledgebase
by now. Dell is certainly clueless!!

"Nico Smith" wrote:

> I recently started experiencing a problem that my CD-RW and DVD-Rom stopped reading data on my CD's. They see the CD's but don't read the data, the CD's appear not to contain anything. I've posted the particular problem twice on this forum, but got no answer. For users experiencing the same or similar problems, I've now determined the cause... I've got a SAHARA USB 2.0 flash drive that came with a UFD-utility that enables one to configure the drive into a private and public area, enabling you to safeguard critical files. This utility causes this problem. Unfortunately I could thus far not find a solution, apart from uninstalling the utility and making do without this function. The flash drive works fine otherwise, not causing any problems. Only the UFD-utility does. I will see if I can find an update that resolves this problem and I will let SAHARA know about it.
>
> I hope this can be of value to someone.
>
> Nico Smith
>
> For the sake of completeness, here follows my initial posting about this problem:
>
> Both my Samsung CD-RW and my Sony DVD Drives worked perfectly for a while after I first installed Win XP (first without S/P 1). Then suddenly both mysteriously developed the following quirk:
>
> If I boot up normally, with no media present in the drives, both the CD-RW and the DVD Drive refuse to read the data on any CD (music or data). XP does see the drives, as they are indicated in Explorer as a CD-RW and DVD drive respectively. However, the moment I put a CD in either one, the designation in Explorer changes to "CD Drive" instead of CD-RW or DVD Drive, and they refuse to read any data. They would now refuse to auto play also. When I click on either one in explorer, they do not spin up at all, and no data is displayed. If Nero is opened, the CD-RW sees the CD as empty, as it requests whether or not the user wishes to save data to it. (Both are set to auto play in My Computer and the designation in the registry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom) is set to (1).
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> If, I boot up to SAFE MODE however, both would read any CD. Obviously music CD's then don't play, as the correct sound card driver has not been loaded.
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> If I place CD's in the drives FIRST, and then boot up, both read data on the CD's as normal. They also continue as normal when I swap CD's, no problem.
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> Obviously this is a very perplexing and frustrating problem, and I found it very difficult to isolate either the cause of this problem or the fix. Although there are scores of users with related problems, as can be found on this forum, none of the proposed solutions that I came across worked. I found many identical responses to this problem from Rich Barry. He actually seems to be physically connected to his PC, just monotonously pasting the same answer over and over. I did uninstall the drivers and allowed XP to detect the drives again after rebooting, but it makes no difference however. Rich would leave us all much richer if he would rather refrain from posting this solution.
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> So I took a day off from work and decided to format partition 1 and reinstall Windows and all my software systematically for the FOURTH time in an attempt to try and isolate the cause of this problem.
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> After formatting and reinstalling XP (S/P1 this time), I rebooted and tested both drives. They both worked perfectly. I then started installing all required drivers one by one, after each installation rebooting and testing the drives. Everything still fine. Then I installed Nero Burn 6.0 before any other software, because I reasoned that it might possibly interfere with Windows. However, still no problem. Then I installed all other software, after each installation rebooting and testing (took me all day!) Still no problem. Then I installed a UFDS utility that is used to split my 128 Mb USB 2, SAHARA flash drive into a private and public partition. Again I tested, still no problem.
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> Then I found the cause! I disconnected the flash drive and booted up. THE PROBLEM REAPPEARED. I've now tested this several times. If I connect the flash drive BEFORE I boot up, both the CD-RW and DVD drives read the inserted media fine. If I boot up without connecting the flash drive first, they do not read the media at all after a CD is inserted.
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> NOTE 1:
> If I insert CD's in the drives BEFORE booting up, but not the flash drive, the drives also read the CD's fine.
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> NOTE 2:
> I have two flash drives - an older 16MB USB 1 drive and a 128 MB USB 2 drive. If I connect the USB 1 drive before booting up, it makes no difference, the problem is still in evidence. It is only when I connect the USB 2 drive before booting up or place CD's in the trays before booting up that the CD's work properly.
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> Now I believe I am a step closer to the problems of probably most people with related CD problems on this forum. However, I still do not have the final fix, just a 16th century getting around the problem solution. Most probably this has to do with the way in which XP allocates drive letters to the different drives, I don't know, but since I am just an average user, not an expert, it would take me some more time off from work to figure this out.
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> I would now really appreciate it if Microsoft would apply their minds to this problem and come up with a solution. I've read a reply on this forum from presumably a Microsoft engineer (so assumed because he responds very regularly, and seemingly with authority, to queries on this forum) wherein he came across quite patronizing and sarcastic in his response to a frustrated user. I my opinion he (they) (Microsoft) should maybe maintain a lower profile on this matter, and rather be sympathetic towards people who did pay (in my opinion) an exorbitant price for an operating system that is not working properly. (This problem does not occur in Win 98 as far as I'm aware).