CD writer disappears during/after burning - returns on reboot

Win Me Pentium lll 866 128 ram built-in graphics and sound chip AC97
I have just started having an odd problem. When burning an SVCD (or anything
else) with my Magix Movies 2 CD and DVD program (which I have used for the
last year without problems), it has started doing odd things (I am
transferring wmv files to disk). It will say "no burner found" when reaching
the "write to disk stage. As I say, it has been working fine up to two days
ago (in fact I had burned over a dozen disks the previous few days).
Sometimes it will burn one and then, when trying to burn a second disk, the
CD burner disappears and it reports "no burning device). It's gone from the
device manager screen! (it was in "my computer" before I tried burning - and
no problems shown in device mamnager).
It comes back if I reboot.
I can't figure what is causing this. I have tried System Restore to a time
without problems but that doesn't fix it. I have also scanned for a virus or
spyware - again clear. I have also tried reinstalling the program. Again, no
results.
The only strange thing that has happened is that when after first did this
(well it just stopped working with no error report) , I went to msconfig (I
was going to check the startup folder in case anything had slipped in there)
and it reported "variables found in system.ini or autoexec.bat. Tansferring
to registry". I don't know why or what happened but presume that that is
where the problem originated. It in't a message I have had before
Can anyone help me to sort this out please?
Thanks,
Hillneerg

More info.
I do realise that the system config utility message is part of WinMe but
don't know why the program has suddenly decided to alter the autoexec file
after all this time. Looking at the bak file and the current file, there is
the entry in the bak file for "SET winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS" which, in the
current autoexec file is followed by "out of environment space" which sounds
worrying.
This is a copy of my current file.
SET windir=C:\WINDOWS
SET winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS
Out of environment space
SET COMSPEC=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM
SET PROMPT=$p$g
SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
SET TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
SET CLASSPATH=C:\PROGRA~1\SOFTQUAD\HOTMET~1\HMFX\APPLE TS
SET
PATH=C:\PAGEMGR\IMGFOLIO;C:\PAGEMGR;c:\windows;c:\ windows\command;c:\arj;C:\ABCMIDI;C:\PROGRA~1\COMM ON~1\ULEADS~1\MPEG;C:\PROGRA~1\ULEADS~1\ULEADD~1
hope this helps,
Colin (hillneerg)


"Hillneerg" wrote:

Win Me Pentium lll 866 128 ram built-in graphics and sound chip AC97
I have just started having an odd problem. When burning an SVCD (or anything
else) with my Magix Movies 2 CD and DVD program (which I have used for the
last year without problems), it has started doing odd things (I am
transferring wmv files to disk). It will say "no burner found" when reaching
the "write to disk stage. As I say, it has been working fine up to two days
ago (in fact I had burned over a dozen disks the previous few days).
Sometimes it will burn one and then, when trying to burn a second disk, the
CD burner disappears and it reports "no burning device). It's gone from the
device manager screen! (it was in "my computer" before I tried burning - and
no problems shown in device mamnager).
It comes back if I reboot.
I can't figure what is causing this. I have tried System Restore to a time
without problems but that doesn't fix it. I have also scanned for a virus or
spyware - again clear. I have also tried reinstalling the program. Again, no
results.
The only strange thing that has happened is that when after first did this
(well it just stopped working with no error report) , I went to msconfig (I
was going to check the startup folder in case anything had slipped in there)
and it reported "variables found in system.ini or autoexec.bat. Tansferring
to registry". I don't know why or what happened but presume that that is
where the problem originated. It in't a message I have had before
Can anyone help me to sort this out please?
Thanks,
Hillneerg

Weird ...

Can't think why it should be related but your follow-up post is timed 9
minutes BEFORE your original post. CMOS battery dying affecting the BIOS
enumeration/detection perhaps?

Coincidence?

Mart


"Hillneerg" wrote in message
...
Just as a quick PS. During the time I was writing the message, the CD
writer
came back in device manager (no problems shown) and my computer - I
checked
just after I sent the post - but it can't read a disk "please insert a
disk
into drive E".
It will work fine after a reboot (until I try and burn something!).

"Hillneerg" wrote:

Win Me Pentium lll 866 128 ram built-in graphics and sound chip AC97
I have just started having an odd problem. When burning an SVCD (or
anything
else) with my Magix Movies 2 CD and DVD program (which I have used for
the
last year without problems), it has started doing odd things (I am
transferring wmv files to disk). It will say "no burner found" when
reaching
the "write to disk stage. As I say, it has been working fine up to two
days
ago (in fact I had burned over a dozen disks the previous few days).
Sometimes it will burn one and then, when trying to burn a second disk,
the
CD burner disappears and it reports "no burning device). It's gone from
the
device manager screen! (it was in "my computer" before I tried burning -
and
no problems shown in device mamnager).
It comes back if I reboot.
I can't figure what is causing this. I have tried System Restore to a
time
without problems but that doesn't fix it. I have also scanned for a virus
or
spyware - again clear. I have also tried reinstalling the program. Again,
no
results.
The only strange thing that has happened is that when after first did
this
(well it just stopped working with no error report) , I went to msconfig
(I
was going to check the startup folder in case anything had slipped in
there)
and it reported "variables found in system.ini or autoexec.bat.
Tansferring
to registry". I don't know why or what happened but presume that that is
where the problem originated. It in't a message I have had before
Can anyone help me to sort this out please?
Thanks,
Hillneerg

Win Me doesn't process either autoexec.bat or config.sys, these files
being retained solely for backwards compatibility with applications that
expect to find these files. It's not strictly true that Win Me doesn't
process autoexec.bat, it does so but not in the way one might expect. Win
Me processes autoexec.bat at shutdown rather than at boot time at which
point it transfers any new environment variables to the registry so as to
be available when the system is next booted.

The default space for environment variables is 256 bytes in a DOS window
and can be increased up to 4,096 bytes by changing the Properties for the
window. I am unaware of any similar restriction in the registry.
--
Mike Maltby



Hillneerg wrote:

More info.
I do realise that the system config utility message is part of WinMe
but don't know why the program has suddenly decided to alter the
autoexec file after all this time. Looking at the bak file and the
current file, there is the entry in the bak file for "SET
winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS" which, in the current autoexec file is
followed by "out of environment space" which sounds worrying.
This is a copy of my current file.
SET windir=C:\WINDOWS
SET winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS
Out of environment space
SET COMSPEC=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM
SET PROMPT=$p$g
SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
SET TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
SET CLASSPATH=C:\PROGRA~1\SOFTQUAD\HOTMET~1\HMFX\APPLE TS
SET
PATH=C:\PAGEMGR\IMGFOLIO;C:\PAGEMGR;c:\windows;c:\ windows\command;c:\arj;C:\ABCMIDI;C:\PROGRA~1\COMM ON~1\ULEADS~1\MPEG;C:\PROGRA~1\ULEADS~1\ULEADD~1
hope this helps,

Ok, I understand that. What puzzles me is that this only started when the
program started losing the CD writer drive so I presumed the two were
related. How would this "out of environment space" impact on the PC if at all?
The program in question doesn't appear to have anything in it at all that
relates to a DOS command (nothing that clicking properties on brings up the
usual DOS details of memory/screen/font etc). As I say, this just started
without an obvious cause and re-installing the program hasn't fixed it nor
has using system restore.
I am possibly linking unrelated events here due to my lack of knowledge.
Something in the program (or on my PC) appears to be causing the CD writer
to be lost during operation and for this message to start appearing. I feel
they must be connected somehow.
Colin (hillneerg)


"Mike M" wrote:

Win Me doesn't process either autoexec.bat or config.sys, these files
being retained solely for backwards compatibility with applications that
expect to find these files. It's not strictly true that Win Me doesn't
process autoexec.bat, it does so but not in the way one might expect. Win
Me processes autoexec.bat at shutdown rather than at boot time at which
point it transfers any new environment variables to the registry so as to
be available when the system is next booted.

The default space for environment variables is 256 bytes in a DOS window
and can be increased up to 4,096 bytes by changing the Properties for the
window. I am unaware of any similar restriction in the registry.
--
Mike Maltby



Hillneerg wrote:

More info.
I do realise that the system config utility message is part of WinMe
but don't know why the program has suddenly decided to alter the
autoexec file after all this time. Looking at the bak file and the
current file, there is the entry in the bak file for "SET
winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS" which, in the current autoexec file is
followed by "out of environment space" which sounds worrying.
This is a copy of my current file.
SET windir=C:\WINDOWS
SET winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS
Out of environment space
SET COMSPEC=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM
SET PROMPT=$p$g
SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
SET TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
SET CLASSPATH=C:\PROGRA~1\SOFTQUAD\HOTMET~1\HMFX\APPLE TS
SET
PATH=C:\PAGEMGR\IMGFOLIO;C:\PAGEMGR;c:\windows;c:\ windows\command;c:\arj;C:\ABCMIDI;C:\PROGRA~1\COMM ON~1\ULEADS~1\MPEG;C:\PROGRA~1\ULEADS~1\ULEADD~1
hope this helps,

Can I take it that there isn't an obvious answer as to why my SVCD burning
programs either no longer can see my cd writer or remove it from the system
without comment? The original burning program (Adeptec ECDC4) for data and
music) still works ok but both of my VCD/SVCD burning programs now either
fail to burn or lose the E drive (the CD Writer) even after uninstalling,
removing all the registry entries with Regcleaner and reinstalling them. I
was hoping for suggestions that a file may have been overwritten, gone
missing etc. They have both worked fine fior the last 18 months.
hillneerg

"Hillneerg" wrote:

Ok, I understand that. What puzzles me is that this only started when the
program started losing the CD writer drive so I presumed the two were
related. How would this "out of environment space" impact on the PC if at all?
The program in question doesn't appear to have anything in it at all that
relates to a DOS command (nothing that clicking properties on brings up the
usual DOS details of memory/screen/font etc). As I say, this just started
without an obvious cause and re-installing the program hasn't fixed it nor
has using system restore.
I am possibly linking unrelated events here due to my lack of knowledge.
Something in the program (or on my PC) appears to be causing the CD writer
to be lost during operation and for this message to start appearing. I feel
they must be connected somehow.
Colin (hillneerg)


"Mike M" wrote:

Win Me doesn't process either autoexec.bat or config.sys, these files
being retained solely for backwards compatibility with applications that
expect to find these files. It's not strictly true that Win Me doesn't
process autoexec.bat, it does so but not in the way one might expect. Win
Me processes autoexec.bat at shutdown rather than at boot time at which
point it transfers any new environment variables to the registry so as to
be available when the system is next booted.

The default space for environment variables is 256 bytes in a DOS window
and can be increased up to 4,096 bytes by changing the Properties for the
window. I am unaware of any similar restriction in the registry.
--
Mike Maltby



Hillneerg wrote:

More info.
I do realise that the system config utility message is part of WinMe
but don't know why the program has suddenly decided to alter the
autoexec file after all this time. Looking at the bak file and the
current file, there is the entry in the bak file for "SET
winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS" which, in the current autoexec file is
followed by "out of environment space" which sounds worrying.
This is a copy of my current file.
SET windir=C:\WINDOWS
SET winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS
Out of environment space
SET COMSPEC=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM
SET PROMPT=$p$g
SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
SET TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
SET CLASSPATH=C:\PROGRA~1\SOFTQUAD\HOTMET~1\HMFX\APPLE TS
SET
PATH=C:\PAGEMGR\IMGFOLIO;C:\PAGEMGR;c:\windows;c:\ windows\command;c:\arj;C:\ABCMIDI;C:\PROGRA~1\COMM ON~1\ULEADS~1\MPEG;C:\PROGRA~1\ULEADS~1\ULEADD~1
hope this helps,

I posted in respect of one part of one of your posts - namely the use of
autoexec.bat and config.sys in Win Me. Being very busy and not being
particularly well at present I have chosen to make no other comments.
Sorry.
--
Mike Maltby



Hillneerg wrote:

Can I take it that there isn't an obvious answer as to why my SVCD
burning programs either no longer can see my cd writer or remove it
from the system without comment? The original burning program
(Adeptec ECDC4) for data and music) still works ok but both of my
VCD/SVCD burning programs now either fail to burn or lose the E drive
(the CD Writer) even after uninstalling, removing all the registry
entries with Regcleaner and reinstalling them. I was hoping for
suggestions that a file may have been overwritten, gone missing etc.
They have both worked fine fior the last 18 months.
hillneerg

Sorry to hear you are not well. Hope you are better soon. I will see what I
can find out myself (any replaced files etc) and repost at a later date.
Take care,
Colin


"Mike M" wrote:

I posted in respect of one part of one of your posts - namely the use of
autoexec.bat and config.sys in Win Me. Being very busy and not being
particularly well at present I have chosen to make no other comments.
Sorry.
--
Mike Maltby



Hillneerg wrote:

Can I take it that there isn't an obvious answer as to why my SVCD
burning programs either no longer can see my cd writer or remove it
from the system without comment? The original burning program
(Adeptec ECDC4) for data and music) still works ok but both of my
VCD/SVCD burning programs now either fail to burn or lose the E drive
(the CD Writer) even after uninstalling, removing all the registry
entries with Regcleaner and reinstalling them. I was hoping for
suggestions that a file may have been overwritten, gone missing etc.
They have both worked fine fior the last 18 months.
hillneerg

Just out of interest, things seem to have resloved themselves.
I took the cd writer out of the PC and took it apart and found a sliver of
the coating of a CD-R inside. Although by the time I had dismantled the
thing it wasn't in an obvious position, I feel that it had been partly
covering the lens so that, although it could (at times) read a CD, there
wasn't enough power to actually burn one. (most of the CD's I tried to make
remained either empty or with less info on them that there should have been
(say 340mb instead of 500+).
Anway, first step, clean the thing!
Hillneerg


"Hillneerg" wrote:

Sorry to hear you are not well. Hope you are better soon. I will see what I
can find out myself (any replaced files etc) and repost at a later date.
Take care,
Colin


"Mike M" wrote:

I posted in respect of one part of one of your posts - namely the use of
autoexec.bat and config.sys in Win Me. Being very busy and not being
particularly well at present I have chosen to make no other comments.
Sorry.
--
Mike Maltby



Hillneerg wrote:

Can I take it that there isn't an obvious answer as to why my SVCD
burning programs either no longer can see my cd writer or remove it
from the system without comment? The original burning program
(Adeptec ECDC4) for data and music) still works ok but both of my
VCD/SVCD burning programs now either fail to burn or lose the E drive
(the CD Writer) even after uninstalling, removing all the registry
entries with Regcleaner and reinstalling them. I was hoping for
suggestions that a file may have been overwritten, gone missing etc.
They have both worked fine fior the last 18 months.
hillneerg

Wow, first I heard of that happening...

thanks for sharing
(really)


Rick


Hillneerg wrote:
Just out of interest, things seem to have resloved themselves.
I took the cd writer out of the PC and took it apart and found a sliver of
the coating of a CD-R inside. Although by the time I had dismantled the
thing it wasn't in an obvious position, I feel that it had been partly
covering the lens so that, although it could (at times) read a CD, there
wasn't enough power to actually burn one. (most of the CD's I tried to make
remained either empty or with less info on them that there should have been
(say 340mb instead of 500+).
Anway, first step, clean the thing!
Hillneerg


"Hillneerg" wrote:


Sorry to hear you are not well. Hope you are better soon. I will see what I
can find out myself (any replaced files etc) and repost at a later date.
Take care,
Colin


"Mike M" wrote:


I posted in respect of one part of one of your posts - namely the use of
autoexec.bat and config.sys in Win Me. Being very busy and not being
particularly well at present I have chosen to make no other comments.
Sorry.
--
Mike Maltby



Hillneerg wrote:


Can I take it that there isn't an obvious answer as to why my SVCD
burning programs either no longer can see my cd writer or remove it
from the system without comment? The original burning program
(Adeptec ECDC4) for data and music) still works ok but both of my
VCD/SVCD burning programs now either fail to burn or lose the E drive
(the CD Writer) even after uninstalling, removing all the registry
entries with Regcleaner and reinstalling them. I was hoping for
suggestions that a file may have been overwritten, gone missing etc.
They have both worked fine fior the last 18 months.
hillneerg