Windows CD writing or not writing

I'm trying to copy some folders to CD using right click send to and dragging
and dropping into the CD drive.All I get is *no CD in drive* or "CD full".
They aren't either 'cos I can do it with Nero. Any suggestions ? I would

pmj...

Yep.

Make sure that the IMAPI Service is Enabled & Running.

& go to the Properties of the CD Drive...
RightClick the Drive in Explorer>Properties
Switch to the Recording Tab
& make sure there's a Tick in the Box
DesktopCD Recording ---
[/] Enable CD Recording on this Drive

& make sure that there's enough room on the Drive that is Selected
for the "Image" File that it needs to make.

If all of those are OK & you still have the prob, please Post back

rather drag and drop for the odd folder or two.
This BTW is the first time I've tried to copy to CD on this pooter, the last
time I tried copying my old pooter folder to DVD I had the same thing but
the consensus of opinion in here was that I couldn't drag and drop or send

pmj...

That right.
With windoze built-in CD Burning thingy, you can only use Drag & Drop
with CDs (& not DVDs)
But you can use Nero Burning Rom to Create a CD/DVD using Drag & Drop

to with a DVD, now I'm beginning to wonder if there has always been
something somewhere not right.

pmj...

Well, you prolly Fiddled with something!!!

A PC almost always works as it should...
*Until* you actually Start using it!
Virtually everything you do with it, will involve various subtle
(but important) cahnges in lots of different Settings.

The drive is marked allow recording but is there something else I'm missing?

pmj...

If that's in the Properties of it (on the Recording" tab, then try
UnTicking it, Rebooting, then Ticking it aagain & ReBooting again.
& make sure that the IMAPI Service is Set to Manual (or Automatic)
& that it is actually Running - it should start up as soon as you try
to Drag & Drop to a (Recordable/Rewritable) CD

Also, try using RightClick>SendTo>{CD/RW-DriveLetter}

Rather than Drag & Drop & see if that works.

Tickettyboo...

Duno, but I looked at mine to see what happens when I put a blank cd into
the write drive. ( as you know, I only do numpty type stuff )

I got a box asking me what I wanted to do, and one of the options was to
open a writable CD folder using Windows Explorer.

Rabbit...

Nope I get nothing with a blank CD, no pop up box at all, not on the CD
writer or the CD reader drives.

Tickettyboo...

oh. Okay then I still have half a bale of hay so lets clutch another straw
:-)

What happens ..with no blank cd in the drive, if you right click a file ?
Do you get an option to send it to the cd rw drive? and if you choose
that, does the balloon thingy pop up to say you have files ready to be
written to cd and you can click the balloon to see them?

Rabbit...

Yep it does that OK. Does it when there is a disk in too it's only when I go
to *write this file to CD* it tells me there is not disk or it's full.One
other thing that may be relevant is if the CD already has folders on it and
thus has a name, when I click on burn to disk, the wizards thinks it's a new
disk, i.e. it gives it today's date as the title.

Tickettyboo...

okay, lol more questions :-)
Anything in your event viewer that says summat didn't do what was
expected?

Rabbit...

Yes there are several *The IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service service failed to
start due to the following error: Access is denied.* several times today
which probably coincided with attempts to burn a CD.

Tickettyboo...

okay, so have you tried looking to make sure the service is running

pmj...

<< is running 'before' starting to try to burn stuff to a cd?

'before' starting to try to burn stuff to a cd?

Rabbit...

Em no I never thought about it at the time, then again at the time I didn't
know it was connected. However now it is set on auto I've just had a look

pmj...

But the IMAPI (Image Mastering API - Application Programming
Interface) Service is *essential* to the built-in WinXP CD Burning
thingy...
If it isn't actually Running (or able to Start Running), when it's
needed (by the WinXP CD Burning thingy), then you won't be able to
Burn CDs, using the WinXP CD Burning thingy - but *other* (3rd Party)
CD Burning Applications which don't use the IMAPI Service, but use
something like ASPI (such as nero & Adaptec/Roxio etc,) will work OK.

and no it's not started so I like that suggestion as a solution. I'll have a

pmj...

Maybe it Started up, (at Boot up, which is what Setting it to "Auto"
does) then realised that it wasn't needed at that time & went back off?

try later to burn as it is just now and see if it starts, if it doesn't I'll
start it and report back. Watch this space :-)

pmj...

Oh dear!
That sounds a bit dodgy!!!

Have you got it Blocked in the "Application Behaviour" thingy
in your Firewall?

Tickettyboo...

I know you run a relatively new ( to you) version of Kerio Sandra, so if
you aren't sure which bit to look in, have a peek at Intrusions , bottom
section is Application blocking and then hit the advanced tab.

Tickettyboo...

Look on the applications tab, there should be a list of applications. At
some time they have tried to run on your pc and Kerio has asked if you
want to let them run or not if you made a rule they will be listed there.
( this is just about running them on your pc, not about allowing them
access to the net)
The one you need to look for ( AFAIK) is [drive
letter]\windows\system32\imapi.exe.
This 'may' be where the access is being denied..hopefully it is cos that
is easy peasy to put right :-)

Rabbit...

Thank you that saved me a lot of time hunting for it. Yes it's there and
it's permit, ask and ask. I've still to try manually starting it, been a bit
busy with other things since I booted up :-) I'll report back ASAP.

Tickettyboo...

Oh well, was worth a try and half the battle with odd problems like this
is to rule out what 'isn't' causing it so that the list of suspects gets
whittled down . 'Sides I can usually join in at the early stages, as
numpty stuff is my speciality. Sometimes we hit lucky and can manage

pmj...

LOL!
"Numpty" stuff - like Rummaging around in obscure things like the "Event
Log", is that?
:-)

You're right, though...
The Event Log (even if it *does* look a bit weird at first), really
is a great Help & everybody should get in the habit of checking in
there, when they have probs.

to sort it with a simple solution, but I like to try the simple stuff

pmj...

So...
What *was* the actual Solution then?
What did she do, to make it so that the IMAPI Service was no longer
Blocked wit htah t"Access denied" Error?

pmj...

Like looking in the Event Log?
:-)

Tickettyboo...

That all depends on how things are described in the first place :-)
If I see a post saying telling me where to find something on my pc that
can point the way to where a problem might lie and the first step is to
click something and then look at lists for a red circle with a white cross
on it, then I am happy to go a looking. Especially if it is made clear
that 'looking' doesn't do any harm or change anything on my pc. Having got
there, I may not understand ( well, dont understand) most of the stuff
that is in there, but I can recognise icons with words like warning,
information, success or failure next to them.

If I see a post that needs oodles of deciphering, by searching the web or asking
loads of questions about acronyms, terminology etc, then I know that is
going to take a lot more time, so the whole thing may have to be shelved,
depending on my mood and time constraints

before embarking on something that may entail a huge learning curve

pmj...

OK, how did *you* learn about the "Event Log"?
Wasn't there some kind of "huge learning curve" involved with finding
out about what stuff in there means?
& what's relevant & what isn't, with all the loads of Entries in it?

If not, we need to check the NTFS Permissions on the actual Execuatbel
File IMAPI.EXE

What make/model is the cd/dvd rewriter? If you set the imapi service to

Rabbit...

LG Electronics Model: HL-DT-ST DVDRRW GWA-4164B

pmj...

So, yo ucan do some web-searching, usin gthat Modela Number, to see
if there are known probs (& fixes!) with it.

run on auto ( or manual) and rebooted as pmj suggested then I am puzzled,

pmj...

It (the IMAPI Service) only needs to be Set (in the services.msc
thingy) to "Manual" (On Demand) - it should Start up (be Started up)
by whatever needs it (in this case the WinXP CD Burning thingy),
when it's needed.

pmj...

Well ,if it's Set to "Automatic" (which means it is Started every
time the PC Boots up) & it's not Running, that eitehr means that it
Started OK & then Exited, or it couldn't Start.

You can find out which of those is happening from the Event Log.

pmj...

But *first* you need to make sure that the IMAPI Service *can* Start!

In other words check that it isn't Blocked (by the Firewall
Application Behaviour Blocking Rules, for example)

pmj...

But you won't be *able* to Start it, if it's being Blocked!

pmj...

Yes, we will!
:-)

maybe its something to do with the hardware ?

pmj...

Maybe - that can't be ruled out *yet* - but first she needs to get
the IMAPI Service Working OK.

Rabbit...

It was on manual and I'm 99.9% certain that was as it came out of the box.
Changing to auto and rebooting had no effect. BTW son has told me he tried
to copy piccies from his camera last week and couldn't do it then with XP

pmj...

That just Sounds like something's wrong with the AutoPlay Settings.

That can be sorted out, but it's separate from the CD Burning prob.

either and had to fall back on Nero.Doesn't Nero burning OK rule out
hardware, as in I need to contact Medion support ?

Tickettyboo...

Sorry, not something brokted about the hardware - can't be or Nero
wouldn't do it either, but maybe an incompatibility between the inbuilt
windows software and the hardware..or the other way round LOl I am never
sure which. I read that some drives may not w*rk with the windows stuff
and

Rabbit...

I did find the MS page yesterday before I posted here and then went looking
on the LG site for drivers. Unfortunately they don't seem to offer any :-(
I'll try the first suggestion and see how that goes, might be the answer,
thanks.

pmj...

It is sounding more & more like it *isn't* actually a Hardware prob.

I really have no idea what the problem can be , but maybe I can help by
doing a bit of searching the web and see if I come up with anything different from
what you have probably already found. Perhaps there is a more recent
driver for it or its a known ( to the rest of the world , but not us LOL)
problem

Rabbit...

Thank you. You usually manage to come up with something in web-search the rest

Tickettyboo...

Well it will have to be tomorrow, cos its just about time for bed .
Nightbless

pmj...

Yep!
Tickettyboo is a good web-searchr!!!
She's one of their best Customers!
:-)

But she *still* Refuses to use my neat little BookMarklet I wrote,
to call up the web search Page with the Highlighted/Selected
Text (or the Text on the Clipboard!)

of us miss :-)

Do you at least get that far? If not, then maybe its worth looking in the
propertis od the drive , at the autoplay tab. I have a drop down box with
a list of stuff, one of which is blank cd. I have that set to 'prompt me
each time to choose an action'

Rabbit...

All options are set to prompt

Oh and have you got a cdrw drive in the laptop? If so, can you use the
same cd which your desk top didn't like, to drag n drop on the laptop?

Rabbit...

Rabbit...

OK now we're cooking with gas :-) IMAPI started manually. When I insert a

pmj...

Great!!!
:-)

blank disk I now get the pop up box asking me what to do, which I didn't get
before with a blank disk. And I wish to report one folder successfully

pmj...

Good!
:-)

But you can still use the CD Burning thingy without that, if you want.

You can Cancel out of it (or choose the "Take no Action" Option
& Click OK when you put in a Blank CD & then just Drag & Drop stuff
to the CD Drive as & when you want.

That's what the IMAPI thingy takes care of.
It makes Copies of the Files (in the "CD Burning Stash" Folder,
ready for actually Burning them to CD.
They *aren't* burned to the CD each time you Drag a File to it.
They are only actually Burned to the CD when you choose "Write
these Files to CD"

burned to disk with XP. I'll keep my fingers crossed that now it knows how

pmj...

Wey hey!!!
:-)

it will remember the next time but if not I'll know where to look now. Thank

pmj...

I'm intrigued to know what you actually did, so as to Allow it
to Start?
Cos you said that the Event Log showed Entries which indicated that
it had "failed to Start"?
& that was cos of an "Access Denied" Error?

What did you do, to get around that "Access Denied" Error then?

& what was it that was causing the "Access Denied" Error?

Can you try Rebooting & seeing if the IMAPI thing *does* Start up OK?
It should Start up & then Shut down.
You can check that it does that, by looking in the Event Log

& can you try Setting the Rule in the Firewall to "Deny" it from
Starting?
& see if that reproduces the original Symptoms?

If it *wasn't* the Firewall that was Stopping it, then I'm really
puzzled as to what was causing the prob & I'd be most interested
to know what you did to make it Fixted.

Tickettyboo...

Oh good :-) As per, this can be taken to the nth degree and you / we could

pmj...

"Battle on"?

Why think of it as a "battle"?
:-)

Tickettyboo...

Have you read this thread?

battle on till we discover why the service wasn't /isn't starting when it
should, i.e. when you want to bung something on a cd.

pmj...

Yep!
:-)

& that's the interesting bit!
:-)

That part is up to you though, you have solved the immediate problem with
help from various people, now only you can decide if you want to carry on
or quit while you are ahead. Based on your interest, time limitations,
needing to eat/go to the loo/ sleep etc etc LOL

Rabbit...

I'm just pleased it's jbexing now, I'll leave it at that, unless of course I
boot up tomorrow and it's gone again. Whatever it was I'm convinced it was
there out of the box.

I'm just pleased you were able to do what you had set out to do in the

pmj...

Well, yes!

But where's the fun in things if everything always works exactly
as you want/expect every time?
:-)

Tickettyboo...

The fun is then in using the pc you spent oodles of cash on, to do the
stuff that you wanted to go right in the first place. Mailing people,
posting in ngs, nattering on Skype etc, making webpages, doing daft
drawings and making them move, reading stuff on the web, ordering
groceries that turn up at your door, researching your family tree, reading
all sorts of stuff on the web that increases your knowledge, playing silly
games like point and click stuff, restoring old photos, designing and
printing cards and notepaper, booking flights and jollidays, zillions of
things - learning bit by bit with the help of others to do them. Look at
this group, a lot of us didn't have a clue when we got our pcs, we have
each managed to follow our own interests and discover what we can use
these little boxes of delight to do.
There is also fun in watching others learning and becoming more confident
at using this modern technology

The sort of problems where things *don't* always work can (often)
be the ones which provide the most interest & involving type of
stuff for the other people Reading the Thread & trying to make sense
of that sort of thing!
:-)

One of the best ways we have of learning how to suss things out is
when people Post up with probs!!!

Tickettyboo...

yep, I agree. I have learned more from reading other people's stuff than I
could have otherwise ( though my mistakes and problems have been legion)
Which is why I try to help if I can..it a sort of payback to those who
were kind enough to be patient with me when I started and are still
patient with me now. Not so long ago I knew zilch minus a zillion, now I
know zilch plus a little bit. But that has been built up to my timetable,
as and when I was in learning mode and had the time and interest, I think
its only fair to allow others the same leeway.
Push people too fast for their own learning curve , baffle them with
unexplained acronyms and techy words when plain explanations would get the
idea across more easily and they may not be as keen to ask their questions
next time.

Rabbit...

I'll second that. If a certain Dave Lear and Frogman hadn't been kind and
come down to my level in their replies to me when I plucked up the courage
to pop into * The Big Boy's Forum* and ask stoopid question ( which I was
told by them didn't exist only question you didn't know the answer to) I
would be sitting here today with a W98 pooter and sending one email to one
person. That was all I was capable of at that time.
Then there was the night I made a mess of the *make a web page for total
eejits) tutorial there was the clever G'dad who despite the fact the web was
I know, a total mess managed to find something good to say about it. That
one little thing ( he liked the choice of text on the background, a fib I
know but it was a nice fib) made the criticism easier to take.

If nobody ever Posted up with interesting probs, we wouldn't be able
to suss out how to make things like that Fixted, would we?

& then we wouldn't be able to Help the next time someone does have
an awkward prob.

There's only a limited amount of stuff we can do with our own
Machines, trying to suss out probs, so we need *other* people's
probs to work with!

first instance :-)

Rabbit...

And I hope you have ordered more straw from the same supplier it will
probably be needed here in the future and excellent straw it was :-)

Pam the goose...

Wow! At last!

I've read this thread with interest because I have always
put a blank CD in my writer and it's just come up with that
pop-up box. Burning is a doddle with XP. I put all my maps
onto CD with NP.

Glad the Gas Man's at last arrived for you:)

you.

Nope the laptop precedes CD writers :-)