The other issue is RW media. It has to be formatted with packet writing software. CDRW  DVDRW etc. [URL]   Packet writing software installs at the driver level and makes a CD-R or CD-R/RW recorder seem to the user as just another removable drive. Appearing the same as a floppy or hard disk, users write files to a CD-R or CD-RW disc by simply dragging and dropping the files over the recorder’s icon or saving from within an application. This along with HIMAT were in windows as far back as XP from 2002. Nero, Roxio, Cyberlogic etc all wrote packet software and DVD playback software etc. Microsoft decided that they did not want to pay the other company's for every copy of windows so they started deleting and removing these "features" from windows. It was the same when they removed Java 1.4 and later from all windows versions. This practice puts the other companies out of business. Sun Microsystems is gone.  Netscape is gone. FoxPro is gone.  Ashton Tate Dbase is gone.  I think express burn is free (sort of) [URL]#system-requirements [URL]   Express Burn is a burning suite program to create and record discs quickly and easily. Create traditional audio discs or MP3 discs to store your music. Burn your home movies to share with everyone. Save your data on ISO discs. Just quickly drag and drop your files into the program and you can start burning right away. This free app includes some trial features that are available to try for a limited time in the free version, at the end of which those trial features must be purchased in order to continue to use those features within the app. Audio CD Burner Features: • Burning audio music CDs supports WAV, MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC and a host of other audio formats • Can normalize the volume and burn audio CDs in seamless mode without pausing between songs • Burn data discs as ISO/Joliet, UDF or Hybrid    
OptiPlex 7040 MT  Win7 Pro  (I have two - one is OK, the other has stopped working right) CD/DVD:  HL-DT-ST DVD+RW GU90N SCSI CdRom Device One of my OptiPlex 7040's has begun treating my CD/DVD drive as an unformatted fixed disc.  When I click on it in Explorer, I get this: You need to format the disk in drive before you can use it.Do you want to format it? [Format disk] [Cancel] Upon [Cancel]: Windows can't read the disc in drive D:\Make sure that the disc uses a format that Windows recognizes. If the disc in unformatted, you need to format it before using it. [Close] I know that the CD/DVD still works because I can burn an audio disc just fine with Winamp.  If I move the blank disc to my other OptiPlex 7040, I get the (normal) menu, "How do you want to use this disc?"..etc. I have verified that I have the latest drivers.  I uninstalled the drive, the PC automatically found it and restored it (to the non-burning condition). I am an experienced PC user (since 1978).  I have no problem working with the registry or any other software issue, but I don't know what could be causing this.  Anybody know what causes this?  
OptiPlex 7040 Can't burn CD/DVD discs any more