Recalibrating CD Writer

[The Nr Fairy]

I have an HP 9100i CD Writer, which I use to make archival copies of CDs. Some of the burned CDs work quite happily on other CD players, but not in my car.

I think I've narrowed it down to the CD Writer - any way to recalibrate the thing ? It's amazing how easily a 3 1/2 year old can throw opto-mechanical things out of whack . . .

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

The Nr Fairy,

It is not your CD-Burner that is the problem. It is the CD Player in your car.

Your problem could one or more of these:

1) Your Car CD Player cannot play MP3 Format. (If that is the format you are using.)

2) Your Car CD Player cannot play CD-RWs.

3) You Car CD Player does not like to color on the bottom side of the CD you burned. (Sony Car CD Players are known for this problem.)

Take Care,

Richard

[The Nr Fairy]

The format isn't MP3 - I use CloneCD, if that's any help

And is there a recommended colour for the recordable side of the CD ??

[spannersatcx]

It is not your CD-Burner that is the problem

Have to disagree on that, I have 2 pc's identical windoz, writing software etc, 2 different writers, one burns that will play on everything, one burns that will work in the car but not on the hi-fi?

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

The Nr Fairy,

Are you using CD-Rs or CD-RWs? What is the brand and age of you car's CD Player?

Do try a different brand of media to see if it makes any difference.

Take Care,

Richard

P.S. spannersatcx, I am always learning. Do me a favor and try swapping your CD-Burners. I would like to see if the problem with burned CDs not playing in your Hi-Fi travels with the CD-Burner or stays with the computer. (I would like to know which it is.)

[Front_Seat_Dreamer]

Probably a strange question but do you put stickers on your cds, when I had a multichanger fitted a few years back I was advised against doing so as what you have described happens a lot.

Don't know if you are interested in spending a few quid but this seems to be the best UK site I have found for new hardware, have just ordered a new MP3 player which means very little changing of disks, now how to explain to the wife that I will be spending half my next day off stripping off the dash of me car to fit said new toy...

incarexpress

[Keef]

When I built my last PC, I bought the then latest "state of the art" Yamaha CD writer, and it was a disaster. It crashed on about 50% of the CDs I wrote, and most of the rest wouldn't work in any music CD player.

Eventually Yamaha agreed there was a problem and "replaced" it with a yet newer model, which I gave away and bought a HP 9600i (the internal, SCSI one).

That works perfectly, provided I don't try to use rewriteable CDs for music.

I don't put labels on them; I just write on them with a thick marker pen (the same one I use for drawing tracklines on my laminated charts).

Have you tried using non-rewriteable CDs for music? Might be the cause.

[The Nr Fairy]

I've tried CloneCD and Roxio's Easy CD Creator's CD Copier thingy.

I use cheapo CDRs - not rewriteable, and although the original problem was with CDs with labels, the same problem occurs with the test CDs I've burned which don't have labels.

It may be time to stump up for quality . . .