What's wrong with my DVD writer?

Question

I have:
Windows XP SP2
3.06 GHz
504 MB RAM
HP DVD Writer 640b w/ Lightscrbe.

When I insert a blank CD-R, the computer almost comes to a complete halt. When I actually get it to burn (CD or DVD), it goes WAY slower than it's capability. When I insert a movie, it plays choppy and slow. There are no other programs runnng in the background so I can't figure out what the hell is going on.

Answer 1

your drive is probably dying.. i just replaced the same exact model earlier this week.. can get the hp dvd writer 1040i w/lightscribe at best buy for about $60... go through all the regular troubleshooting steps.. uninstall/reinstall the driver, go through windows troubleshooting, check all the connections. don't know what else to suggest.. mine was weird.. wouldn't recognize any discs but the lightscribe still worked. grrr guess they don't last too long

Answer 2

Go to the manufacturer's site and replace the driver, there might have been a compatibility issue with your OS or Motherboard, it could already be patched at hp.com check it out. Also check to make sure you are not running Hyperthreading (Pentium 4 HT) Processor as I've seen that happen with "virtual" processors that's just the nature of the beast on it, but check manufacturer's site for clarity.

Answer 3

Sounds like the drive is spinning a little out of alignment. I agree with the first poster, it might be on it's last legs.

Try uninstalling and replacing the drivers first, but don't be surprised if it turns out to be a hardware problem.

Answer 4

Try going into your Device Manager and uninstall the DVD Rom , reboot the computer and windows should come back up and relocate the device and reload it. Something could be corrupted. If this doesn't help, it could be the dvd rom is bad.