Creating a recovery CD/DVD

[whiz]

Hi All,

Im trying to create a recovery CD/DVD for my HP Pavilion. When using CD-Rs the system seems to write to the disc OK but refuses to verify the data and tells me there is a '' media surface '' error. I have used 3 different types of CD-R, each one generates the same error. I have just tried using a DVD-R this time before writing the info the system is telling me that the DVD isnt blank even though its straight out of the box. I have gone into windows explorer and selected the drive that the DVD-R is in and it tells me the disc is indeed blank. Any ideas whats up and how I can get around this ?

Thanks in advance

[cuthbeg]

This might be a really stupid suggestion but have you tried using a DVD+R ? assuming the drive will write to -R and +R

Only reason I know it works with +R is I created a recovery DVD at the weekend for my wifes Compaq / HP computer

[G7SWZ]

When I got my HP Pavillion Computer there was an addendum to the handbook which said.

"Currently, the following tool and program are not compatible with DVD-R/RW discs and require the use of the following disks:

Creating System Recovery discs - use DVD+R discs

InterVideo WinDVD Creator - use DVD+R or DVD+RW dics"

Having said that I could not make the System Recovery discs even with DVD+Rdiscs - I still got the message whilst verifying about a media surface error - even though I tried several different discs of several different makes.

In the end I had to make the System Recovery discs on CDs - it takes 7 of them but it worked!

G7swz

[spannersatcx]

I assume that the operating system is windows XP, if not you'll have to specify?

Windows XP can not back up to direct to CD-R DVD-R, you have to make the backup to a hard drive first then write that file to a DVD-R/RW.

See here (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315255)

[G7SWZ]

The program that creates the System Recovery discs is not the standard Windows Backup program - it is a run once program put on the computer by HP and it does not give you any option of creating the backup on the hard disk before writing to CD

This particular machine is currently issued with XP Home or XP Media Edition.

G7swz

[whiz]

HI All,

Thanks for all the replies, I will try CD/DVD+R and see how that goes.
Thanks again