Vista - DVD/CD will not Burn

I have a Gateway GM 5260 and a month or so ago I tried to burn an Audio CD and the burn process would start and then after a couple seconds the burn process would cancel. I tried to burn With Roxio, Nero, iTunes and several other software packs and can't burn a CD or DVD. Finally I thought it must be a bad drive so I purchased a new internal DVD/CD instaled it and the same problem exists.

When burning in iTunes the error code was 4200.
The original drive is:HL-DT-ST DVD-RW GSA-H11N SCSI CdRom Device
The new Dtive is: Memorex DVD+-RAM 530L v1 SCSI CdRom Device

Other wise I can play CDs and DVDs

Assuming you've done the obvious like update your drivers and checked Device Manager for faults:

This sounds like a signal problem, possible voltage regulation, in your audio card or hardware board. CD/DVD combo drives have something like three lasers: one tracks; one reads; one burns. They all get their basic instructions from the drive hardware ROM but the path signals themselves for each laser come from the audio driver and then is expressed electrically to the drive's ROM hardware. If the signal to the drive's ROM hardware is wrong or the current is too "hot" the drive simply recognizes the fault and stops working; it takes a couple seconds for it recognize. I don't know how this program is diagnosed, exactly, but I can tell you that I've heard from Expert Forums that it happens with certain hardware combinations.

If you have audio hardware matched to the drive manufacturer I bet your drive would immediately be restored to full functionality. Problem is, very few manufacturers manufacture both! Memorex, however, is an old name in the computer game; I doubt it's your drive that's the hardware problem. It's the path signal to the drive, and that means your audio board.

OR, you've got a rootkit. They're easy to get your computer inflicted with. Here's how rootkit copy-protection software works; you buy a CD from a music artist whose music is distributed by a bunch of shady a**holes like Sony. Because they're shady, they distribute the music CD with a hidden software installer on it that write to your computer copy protection software that prevents you from copying their products. That software is a bitch to detect, and a bitch to take out; sometimes they even rewrite your friggin' Kernel!

It's also a huge security breach of your computer. The problem with invasive rootkits of the sort I'm describing is that they invariably involve opening up a hole in your OS security big enough for Terabytes of malware to just march on in without you knowing a thing, particularly if it's Kernel-rooted. Sony got in trouble for just this sort of thing, and the "patch" they issued to correct their f*cked-up actions actually was worse than the rootkit it was supposed to remove; the patch only managed to weaken OS security more. Sony had to release a patch for the patch; how messed up is that?!

A lady in Maryland is suing, uh, Electronic Arts for just this infarction of her consumer rights (as I see it, it is a right to applied merchantability, that you are buying only what you thought you were buying. It's also injurious to you because you obviously don't want your computer made easily exploitable by virus attack simply because you like Lady Gaga or Kenny Chesney or whomever you like on a major label). EA games come with copy-protection software that you can't uninstall even when you uninstall the game. It just stays there and eats up resources. This is why I will never buy an EA game, or games from some other manufacturers.

I suggest getting a rootkit detector and running it (I use one called, uh, Blacklight, something like that) and see if there's one operating. If one's not, then you indeed have a hardware problem that involves either some soldering iron shenanigans or buying a new hardware card. I also suggest, personally to you, that you not play newer audio CDs from any major music distributor like Sony or Bertelsmann or Warner on your computer CD drive; use a CD conventional player and your mic-in jack and audio software like, uh, that free one, uh, what's it's name... Audacity! Yeah, that's the one. Audacity's good software: does a lot of things well enough for home use.

Me, personally, I listen to drum and bass (small labels) and world music (old and trusted labels) and techno (small labels) and really old classical music CDs (definitely rootkit-free) for the most part so I have little to worry about. All you fans of current pop music, though, I feel for y'all. Y'all probably got all kinds of mischievous software running around you have no idea about.

Have you tried burning other, different CDs, like a CD you bought, say, in the early Nineties? Who distributes the CD you tried to burn?

Pauliewalnuts, thanks for your feedback. the blank CD and dvd I have tried to burn to are from Memorex, Fuji, maxell. I have always tried to burn a playlist from iTunes, with then iTunes burner Roxio EMC, Nero and NTI DVD maker. I will look for the rootkit detector

You might want to go to your device manager and check your IDE drivers. They should be set for DMA but sometimes they will change to PIO making your CD/DVD player not work. It seems to be pretty common. One reason this will happen is when NERO has been uninstalled from a system, they other from a bad disc. You may also want to make sure you have your master and slave figured properly. Good luck!

Response to rene636: ok I went to Device Manager and there was no line item for IDE drivers. So I expanded the DVD/CD Rom line entry and right clicked on both of my DVD Drives and the message on both was that both devices were working properly. I tried to update the drivers on both drives and the message was that the best driver software for your device is already installed.

Response to pauliewalnuts: I have norton360 premium installed on my machine so in addition to scanning my system and finding no virus I went to the Symantec chat support and they scanned my system again and found no viruses. I mentioned the rootkit virus and they finally wanted me to pay one of their consultant to find the rootkit virus. I declined that approach because they did not appear to have a clue about the rootkit virus. I don't mind paying for support but this is one of those situations where I felt it would be $100 later and problem still not resolved. My next step is to give Blacklight rootkit detector a try

dpharr, I noticed you are running Vista Home Premium. Is that 32bit or 64?

32 bit vista home premium

I am running 32 bit as well. In your device manager, under Human Interface Devices should be your IDE. If not, what follows on yours. Is it possible to take a picture of your device manager for me to see?

Sorry, I just found it!

Looking at your device manager, I don't understand why you have no IDE. Unless I am missing something. Looking in your hardware and see if you have a IDE Cable attached to your DVD/CD player. Let me know.