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[*MAFIA* Wasserfaller]

My one drive that i have does not write anything. It reads CD/DVD perfectly fine, but won't write. I tried just using the "windows writer" thing, and i was just trying to copy a word document. I wasn't using any fancy CD/DVD burning program, just trying to write a .doc onto a blank CD, didn't work.

I did a lot of research on it, and apparently i'm not the only one who's had this problem, but in all my searching i wasn't able to find any sort of fix for it.

The brand is an LG "GSA-H45N" Super Multi Layer DVD+- Drive Recorder.

It didn't come with any drivers, i was thinking maybe i need those, but then i remembered i was able to just write word documents onto a blank disc on my other computer without any problems, and i didn't install drivers for that one either. Anyone please, i have no idea what i'm doing!

[*MAFIA* KrautKiller]

I should just flame you, like you flame me after every post i make..

[Loaded]

Ok 1st I can't find that part number on LG... How old is it, is that the right model number, did it come or do you have any other software to burn with besides MS "stuff" (MS burning sucks by the way) and is it a USA drive or different country?

Drivers shouldn't be the problem in XP sp2 and above (but good new vista could have a problem I guess just like it dose with most things).

Firmware is most likely the problem in more then one way... Most People don't understand just because a CD says it is a "CD-R" (for example) the CD is or could be in a different formate that the CD player/burning can't understand without a firmware upgrade. So with that said, we have to make sure your firmware is up to date to read/burn to the newest CDs/DVDs.

If you don't have a "good" burning program we have to get you one so you don't use that shit MS program.


////////////

To start after giving the info above, lets make sure the drive is seen correctly in MS. Go to "Device Manager" and make sure the drive is named correctly under the "DVD/CD-Rom Drives" tab.

Possible to solve this problem right away if you can find (if not using) the same CDs you used before when it did burn.

[*MAFIA* Wasserfaller]

I also tried to search that model number on LG's website with no success, but i did find one that has a similar parts number and it looks EXACTLY like mine does, the model is "GSA-H22L"
That model looks exactly like mine and it writes at the same speed.
Oh yeah, it NEVER did write a CD successfully. It always acted like there wasn't a disc in the drive, i've never copied anything with it before.

It is not very old, and it's still being offered from the site i got it from, "Cyberpowerpc.c om"
It's from around 7/07, and surprisingly it's "on sale" and everyone else who buys it has the same problem...it won't write anything.

Unfortunately cyberpowerpc.c om doesn't give any information about the drive, not even who makes it.

http://img113.imageshack.us/my.php?image=desktopbu8.png

Here's a few more people who have had problems with it, but they don't really offer a solution when they "fixed it" they just say "okay, i fixed it, thanks!" and that's it.

http://club.cdfreaks.com/f34/help-me-gsa-h45n-223690/

http://discussions.virtualdr.com/archive/index.php/t-224388.html

@Krautkiller, i don't flame you whenever you post a problem, i criticize or respond with a witty comment. And if you're so high and mighty, feel free to tell me what's wrong with this burner, or do you not have a clue how to fix it either?

[Loaded]

Well I guess I'll look into it, but if others are having a problem I am not sure if i can help.

I have to ask to start, what are th 2 scsi cdrom devices that are being shown in the screen shot? Why is there 2?

How is this CD/DVD connected? I would have to assume by IDE/SATA (long wide ribbon cable flat wide connector on both ends or round cable with a long flat wide connector on both ends)

and if so, do you have it as a slave to your hard drive/drives? Also if it is a slave do you have the jumper on the CD drive set correctly to be a slave?

[*MAFIA* Wasserfaller]

don't worry, those other two drives are virtual drives i have with daemon tools.

Well, it's connected with the first pictured cable, the wide flat ribbon, and it goes from my burner and connects to the motherboard.

I don't know much about it because i myself didn't install it, i ordered this computer from cyberpowerpc and they built it and sent it to me already assembled. Haven't had any problems with their assembly so far except when they put my graphics card on the bottom PCIE slot instead of the top one, making it overhead a lot.

How do i know if it's a slave to my HD? I didn't mess with any of the settings, so if the guys at cyberpowerpc set it as a slave, then i guess it is. How can i check it?

I gotta go to work, be back in 6 hours.

[*MAFIA* KrautKiller]

I know abit considering im not educated in computers, just let me get into college then i can start replying with some witty responses too.

[Loaded]

Open up the case and look to see where the ribbon is connected to the cd/dvd drive. In the middle it is a slave at the end it is a master. While your looking, there should be a line of color on that ribbon, make sure that colored line is in the #1 pin, pic below. Also I have circled where the jumpers "could" be.

[*MAFIA* Wasserfaller]

I don't really know what you mean by "middle" and "end" because the ribbon is really wide, it looks like there is only one place where the ribbon would fit. Anyway, the ribbon is in the middle i suppose, i don't really understand how it could be on the end, it doesn't look like it will fit.

That spot where you circled labeled as jumpers, there is nothing there. There's a power plug (i'm guessing) on the far right side, it's pretty small, and then there's the huge flat ribbon in the center of the drive, and nothing where the jumpers are, just empty slots.

I don't really know the lingo or how to show you it, tomorrow i could take a picture of it if this explanation is too vague, let me know.

[Loaded]

Yes kind of hard to understand on both you and me. There has to be jumpers, maybe just not in the spot I am showing you because drives are different so the jumpers could be somewhere else. Also if you took the drive out there should be writing on it showing what the different jumper positions do. Just in case when I say middle or end I am speaking about the black plugs, as in, is the drive plugged in with the end connector or the middle.

If you look at the left picture above that ribbon is folded, if you look from the left that 2nd "black" connector is the "middle" connector plug.

Also here is a pic of a jumper, maybe you have no jumpers installed? (could be different colors then the one you see here)

If you have no jumpers, now we have to find out if the drive is slaved or not and if no jumpers makes it correct for that position in the drive chain.

[*MAFIA* Wasserfaller]

okay, well i can't take a picture because my sister has the camera somewhere, have to ask her when she gets back tonight. But, i did open up the case and noticed there are only two cables going into the burner, one is the power cable, the other is that flat ribbon





The small color band on the flat ribbon is not in the #1 pin, it is right next to the power cable hole. In your picture above you circled the #1 pin being on the far left, mine is on the far right. I unplugged it and checked if it could be rotated around so the color band could be moved to the far left like in your picture, but it can't be.....the pins would not line up right if i did.

I can see the jumper holes on the back, and there is nothing in them. Is there a way that  i could find out if it is a slave or master drive, maybe some program or utility that would tell me, maybe something in BIOS?

If you look online for my model number, you'll notice all the first links on google are people asking questions about my burner, saying "it only reads discs, it won't burn at all" so i guess this model must be notorious for not working.

Either it can be fixed, or i could just pick up another one at Frys Electronics for 40 bucks, and it would come with lightscribe.

[Loaded]

I am so sorry you are right where number one could be, my burner is where I said it should be above, BUT looking that pic above again, well damn it says right on the DVD #1 is where yours is.

I guess it isn't easy to say or tell if you are set up as a master or slave, bios wont say or device manager. You would have to pull the drive out if you can't read the back to see what each jumper dose, that is if it even says.

Like I said I few post back, if this is a known problem, not sure what I can do. Maybe a new drive is the way to go. If you are thinking about going light-scribe, remember you are going need the cd/dvds for light-scribe, meaning you have cut your options down allot when it comes to picking the media to use in your drive.

[*MAFIA* Bonehead]

Bios will say to lol, basic drive info. Some lg drives are picky on the software used. Try nero.

[*MAFIA* Wasserfaller]

Bios will say to lol, basic drive info. Some lg drives are picky on the software used. Try nero.

that was one of the suggested solutions on the cdfreaks.com forum when someone else posted a problem with that same burner, perhaps some help could be had "showing" me on the secrets board where i could acquire nero?

I was looking at newegg.com today, and found a burner that's faster than the one i have, it does dual layer, DVD+-RW, -R, +R, CDR, -R, +R, and everything in between, for 33 bucks with free shipping. BUT, it had a different looking hole in the back of the drive...

Since mine is IDE, that flat ribbon with the little pins, and the one i found on new egg is SATA (i think)....would there be any problems slapping it in my system?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151153

There's the link, look in the pictures section where it shows the backside of the burner, would there be any troubles putting it in my comp or would i need an extra cable, would it come with a SATA  cable.....?

I'll try nero once some "help" is posted on secrets, but even if mine does end up working, we'll still get this burner for the other computer we have, such a good deal. But would there be any troubles getting it to work?

[Loaded]

Well my computer and the last 10 I have built do not tell you if you have a DVD/CD set up as a slave or master in the bios, yes it tells you if you have it hooked up to IDE1,IDE2 or SATA, but not what position (slave or master).

To use a SATA drive you must have the connectors in the pic below on your mother board.

then you have to have the power plug for it, pic 2

or get pig tail for your 4 pin, pic 3