Here are several suggestions for troubleshooting problems related to 'burning' CDs -- creating audio CDs, and copying files to data CDs -- and especially what to do when CDs burned on the computer turn out to be unreadable / unplayable.

Preparing to burn a CD

• Disable the Windows screen saver -- or any other screen saver application that might automatically start up during the burning operation and disrupt it. To disable the Windows XP Screen Saver, click the Windows Start button, then Control Panel, Appearance and Themes, and "Choose a Screen Saver". On the Screen Saver tab, select "[None]" from the Screen Saver list.
  
  
• Close all programs, aside from the CD burning software you intend to use, before attempting to burn a CD. This allows the CD burning process to use the full resources of the computer (processor speed, available memory capacity, etc.) -- without competition from the unpredictable requirements of other apps.
  
  In particular, be sure that no other CD burning app is running -- as it could conflict with the one you're using. The Drag'n Drop CD burning app is factory-installed on many Toshiba computer models. If you prefer to use a different app to burn CDs, then be sure to close the Drag'n Drop app. 
  
  
• You can use the Windows Task Manager to identify and close any other running apps and processes. Press the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys simultaneously to launch the Task Manager, or a menu from which you can choose Task Manager. From the Applications tab, you can select an app and then click the End Task button to close it. Under the Processes tab, you can review a list of other software entities that are currently running. If you can identify processes (by their filenames) that are unnecessary, you can shut them down by selecting them one at a time and then clicking the 'End Process' button. Virus scanning processes are good candidates. Proceed with caution, though, as ending some processes may destabilize Windows and necessitate restarting the computer.
  
  
• If your computer is running Windows XP, and you wish to burn a data CD (rather than an audio CD, or an ISO image CD) then consider using the built-in data CD burning capability of Windows XP, rather than a separate CD burning app. Doing so makes it possible to close all applications, and also circumvents any problems that may be introduced by other CD burning software. For more on this topic, see bulletin 98081246 How to burn a data CD with Windows XP
  
  
• To prevent Windows from automatically starting applications or other software processes that may interfere with burning CDs, run the MSCONFIG utility --  by clicking the Windows Start button, and then Run. Type "MSCONFIG" into the "Open:" field. When the MSCONFIG utility appears, click its Startup tab.  Review the list of programs that are automatically launched whenever Windows is started. Uncheck the 'Startup Item' boxes for  any  programs that you would prefer to launch only when you plan to use them. Consider unchecking other software just for the duration of the CD burning operation. Once the CDs have been burned, restart MSCONFIG, and re-check the boxes for the temporarily disabled software.

In case of trouble reading or playing CDs that were 'burned' on your computer

• If a CD player or computer can't read or play a CD you've 'burned', try the CD in another player or computer. If it works fine there, there may be a problem with the first device you tried it in. If the CD doesn't work in another player or computer, then try it in the computer in which it was burned. If it plays or can be read fine there, but not in other devices, there may be a problem with the CD drive used to burn it, or with the CD burning software.
  
  
• Try reading other CDs in your computer (including CDs burned on other computers), to help verify that the computer and its drive are working properly.
  
  
• Try playing a commercially-recorded music CD in the computer's drive. If the CD does not play correctly, verify that it's OK by playing it in another computer's drive, or a CD player. If it plays fine elsewhere, but not in the computer, restart the computer, and try again. If the computer still will not play the CD, there is probably a problem withthe drive, the computer, Windows, or the software that should be playing the CD.
  
  
• Some consumer CD players -- including those made for automobiles -- won't play music from CD-R media. Fewer will play CD-RW discs -- even though they will play the same music from the original commercially-produced CDs. Consult the player's manual for a list of supported media types. 

More tips for successful CD burning

If you've had trouble reading CDs that were burned on your computer, consider the following suggestions, in addition to those listed above:

• Disable power management while burning CDs. The simplest and safest way to do so is to power the computer from its AC adapter -- so that the computer's power mode is 'Full Power' rather then one of the battery saving modes. Alternately, you can disable power management through the Toshiba Power Saver utility (Click Start, Control Panel, Performance and Management, and then Toshiba Power Saver).
  
  
• Give Windows a few seconds to recognize that a blank CD has been inserted before attempting to write to it. Wait for the 'CD Drive' window to pop up (the Auto Insert Notification). If it doesn't appear, wait until you hear the disc fully 'spin up' to initiate the 'burning' process. A CD in an external drive may take a little while longer to spin up.
  
  
• Try burning a data CD (a collection of files and folders) rather than a music CD or any other type of CD. Creating a data CD is a much simpler and easier task for the CD burning software then creating a music CD. If it's possible to burn a data CD, but not a music CD, there may be a problem with the CD burning software. Try installing and using a different CD burning app.
  
  
• Simplify the operation by burning to CD-R media rather than CD-RW media, which may require formatting, and is subject to other problems.
  
  
• Allow the CD burning app to close (or 'finalize') the CD. This will make it impossible to write more data to the CD at a later time, but it will increase the likelihood of burning a readable CD.
  
  
• Try burning a CD at the slowest possible speed (1x), to verify that the drive can write correctly at all. CDs are rated for a maximum write speed, but they may sometimes be successfully burned only at lower speeds -- depending upon several factors, including those mentioned above. If a CD burned at the 1x speed proves to be readable, then gradually increase the write speed each time you burn CDs, until an unreadable CD appears, and then back off to the next slower speed increment, or one or two slower than that. The slower the write (burn) speed, the smaller the load on the computer's resources, the less likelihood of seeing "buffer underrun" error messages, and the greater the odds of burning readable CDs.
  
  
• If you find it possible to successfully burn some discs, but not others, it's probably due to variations in the quality of the media (the CDs themselves).
  
  
• Scratches on the surface of the CD media, and other imperfections (sometimes visible, sometimes not) can make it impossible to burn to a CD at all, or to complete the burning operation. If this is the cause of the problem, another blank CD from the same batch may burn perfectly.
  
  
• If you find it possible to successfully burn some discs -- but not others -- of the same speed, from the same manufacturer (and assuming the same settings in the CD burning software, and no changes to any other factors), then it's probably due to variations in the quality of the media (the CDs themselves).  Try using higher quality media. Try blank CDs from other manufacturers, possibly ones with a lot of 'brand equity' to protect. Try media that is rated for faster write speeds than the CD drive (for example, if the drive is rated 40x, try CD-Rs rated for 52x). Try burning to this faster media at much  slower speeds, at first -- gradually increasing the write speed as you successfully burn readable CDs
  
  
• Remove added memory. Burning a CD can cause access to areas of memory that are not typically accessed, so it's possible that a memory problem that disrupts CD burning would not show up otherwise. If removing the memory helps, try re-installing it -- in case the problem was just a loose connection between the memory module and its socket. 
  
  
• Conduct a virus scan. Viruses can cause unusual and unpredictable behavior, including various problems related to burning CDs.
  
  
• If the CD burning application does not recognize the CD drive, try closing it and restarting it. If it still does not 'see' the drive, consult Device Manager in the Windows Control Panel  to determine whether Windows correctly recognizes the drive or not. If Windows lists the drive as "working properly", then try another CD burning application.   To see the Device Manager listing, click Start, Control Panel, Performance and Maintenance (this step for Windows XP only), System, Hardware tab, and finally the Device Manager button.  
  

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