DVD-R only reading CD-R????

Here's a problem, not that I'm having if not an ex of mine (I usually help her with her infinite number of computer problems..all online, can't go to her house anymore since I moved to NY). She has a DVD-R burner, it used to read CD-Rs like all DVD-R burners, now....all of a sudden it can ONLY read DVD cds. She reports to me that it always *thinks* there is a CD inside by displaying that the pie chart displaying the CD space is always full. This I believe is her mis-interpretation because she's not the smartest person in the world of computers (i had to teach her how to put the volume up on her mic???) so the information I can actually get from her is limited :P I don't, unforutantly know her specs but I'm STUMPTED. The best solution I've developed is to clean the lens with a Lens cleaner CD (havent told her to do it yet).

Any opinions?

Whats a DVD cd? lol

So, if I understand right, she puts a DVD in her drive and it comes up as a CD instead?

Lens cleaner sounds good, also get her to fire up a program such as Nero and see if that picks it up as a DVD or CD.

If nero picks it up as a DVD there will be nothing physically wrong with the drive, it will be more likely to be a windows error somewhere.

Let us know how it goes!

A firmware update might be in order here. For CD/DVD issues I have found www.cdfreaks.com to be a godsend, and you will find links to firmware updates for most models there.

If she is using nero tell her to check that she has the settings correctly sent..

{See Attachement}

Nokia, it reads DVDs normally, as a DVD but it does not read CD-R/W at all. She also tells me she cannot burn CD-Rs either.

I could be the laser is fuxxed, it is a seperate one to the DVD laser. Has she tried different a CD incase it is just a dodgy disc?

If after cleasing the lasers it is still not working properly, i would look into replacing it. You can pick one up for fairly cheap now-a-days.

JOOI when she fires her cd copying/burning software up is that recognising the media she is using?

Don't forget that the quality of the CD-R is important too ......

good quality 'named' brands will always do better than the cheap stuff :sad but true:

Foxy, i love that signature by the way! Awesome!

This DVD-R is only aboout a month old. So if anything IM not gonna tell her that it's messed up. I did make her try serveral CDs both CDs she burned at home and driver CDs...

Have you tried a brandnew CD-R/W? I found that drives don't like used CD-R/Ws .... especially when they've been burnt by another brand of software.........Just a suggestion.