Cannot write files to CD-RW disk - help!

[Craig]

Hi there

Must be being stupid but I can't copy any pictures to a CD-RW disk on my PC. I get the message 'cannot copy - disk is write-protected'. This makes not sense since is it rewritable.

Please put me out of my misery

thanks

Craig

[Big Al.]

IIRC you can copy in two modes, digital; or audio, another way is to erase the disc before you copy new stuff.

I did have one disc that once copied, it wouldn't let me do anything else. Binned it and started again.

[__LEE__]

What are you trying to copy to the CD with?

Have you made sure the read/write tab is in the right position?

[Craig]

I am copying files from the My Pictures folder to the CD.The error message says to change CD or remove write protection. I have tried a couple of other new CDs and no luck

[thepassenger]

A CD is not by default writeable to any version of Windows for simple drag n' drop copying. Also the "Send to CD Writer" function in Windows XP is I belive single session only (i.e. you write one batch and it'll close the disk).

However you can get a utility which will enable on-the-fly writing to the disk (I belive the Nero version of was called OnCD? It might still be avaliable).
To be honest though it's best just to use Nero or other utilities to burn your CD's with, as they can wipe CD-RW disks do multisession burning and you keep compatibility with all the other OS's and machines you encounter (OnCD's UDF system was only avaliable to other OnCD systems I belive, at least until the disk was closed and became 'normal').

[__LEE__]

Nero is probably a good solution but the problem remains.

The CD shouldn't be closed though until something has written to it, so I'm a little puzzled by the error message on a new disk.

I have just done a quick google to see if other people are reporting the same problem and can only find the thread below:

Site

Have you ever successfully written to a disk?

Are you running Windows XP and what is the machine?

[thepassenger]

__LEE__ said:

The CD shouldn't be closed though until something has written to it, so I'm a little puzzled by the error message on a new disk.

If you don't engage XP's burning engine and just drag n' drop....
Also RW discs might need formating the first time out... not sure on that one... but it would be beyond XP's internals to do it.