Open Letter to All Having Problems with Win2K/XP and CD/DVD Burning...

Hi, everyone!

First, I don't suspect Windows development team will readily respond to
your plight, since it's (regrettably) mostly their doing. ASPI (Advanced SCSI
Programming Interface) *used to be* the way PCs interfaced with SCSI
devices and later, *CD-ROM and various flavors of writable optical drives*.

Well, with the advent of Win2k and carried into WinXP, MS eliminated
ASPI (http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;302810) in
favor of their own solution, which was created in congress with 'The Great
Satan': Roxio (according to MS, "formerly Adaptec", the creators of ASPI,
so go figure).

I too had a similar sad tale: First couple of writes with WinXP installed went
without a hitch. Then suddenly about every third burn had unreadable files
and slow access times for the readable files. Oddly, the problems were most
pronounced on the drive that created them. They frequently ran better on
the drives of *other* computers (typically, the drive that writes can read its own
burns, even if others can't). Finally, the drives stopped burning altogether,
followed by read failures of even manufacturers' disks. Long story short: Much
hair pulling, gnashing of teeth, smearing face with soot, ya-da, ya-da...

Here's the fix:
1. If you have a Roxio product installed on your computer uninstall it (good
luck!). Whether you know it or not, you *have* a Roxio product installed on
your computer: Windows Explorer. The built-in CD-burning capability is Roxio;
but if you have never had one of Roxio's fine commercial products installed
on your computer, you're good to go to Step 2; otherwise, get that virus off
your computer first, *then* proceed to Step 2...

2. Go to Microsoft website at http://www.microsoft.com and search on Roxio.
When you get to the roughly two thousand articles describing problems
*exactly* like yours, follow the one with the most tortuous solution (specifically, http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;811408). This will
tell you how to root out all the remaining Roxio cr*p from your registry.
Exercise extreme caution...

3. Go to http://www.clonecd.net/aspi.htm and download Force ASPI. Then
run the install package you just downloaded. Now your non-cr*p burning
software will work just fine, and your optical drives will behave like they're
supposed to while reading, writing and rewriting.

4. Go dig the CD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW drives out of the bin you chucked
'em into, 'cause there's nothing wrong with them. Give them to friends, or
install them in the computers of the elderly (using Force ASPI, of course, and
don't let your loved ones use Roxio products, ever, under any circumstances)...

It's interesting, don't you think, that Adaptec owns Roxio, develops ASPI
layers, and collaborates with MS to give us a system that makes its users
think their hardware is failing, then dead? And there's no fix without sifting the
catacombs of MS support and KB...

Good luck, and happy(er) burning!


Respectfully,

zoid

P.S.
Anybody want several hundred holographic beverage coasters? Their not
very absorbent, but they can also be used as Frisbees (c) for very small dogs,
or throwing star substitutes for martial artists, or trendy big, dangly earrings, or
a thousand other uses...

And all you'll have to pay is the shipping and handling...