Troubleshooting USB CD Burners

A computer usually has two USB ports on the back of the system but more newer computers are being built with four USB ports, with two on the front and two on the back, its advisable to use the back ports as these are connected directly to the motherboard when the front ports connect to the motherboard using a cable internally.

We have noticed lots of issues occurring when the USB drive is connected to the front ports of the computer (not all PC’s have this option) or via a USB hub. It’s highly recommended to use the USB ports on the back of the computer; these are connected directly onto the motherboard.

If the CD Burner is connected to a USB hub and there are problem, disconnect from the USB hub and connect the USB CD Burner directly onto the USB port on the computer.

Most issues with USB drives are caused by:

1. CD Burner has a hardware fault. - try the hardware test
2. Drive is not powered on.
3. USB cable is too long or has a fault, so it cannot pass data correctly. - check cables.
4. USB configuration is incorrect. - configure USB
5. Version of Windows 95/NT4 is not compatible with USB Technology
6. Device Manager shows a conflict with the USB Host Adapters.
7. Drivers for the USB CD Burner are either conflicting or not installed.

Follow these steps to help solve "USB CD Burner" issues

  • Remove the USB cable from the CD Burner, which just leaves the power cable connected.
  • Insert an Audio or Software disc and study what the LED does on the drive, check with the manufacture on what they mean.
  • If the drive recognizes the disc, usually the LED will be steady green, then the drive is likely to be working fine.
  • Eliminate the laser, during burning, as the cause by testing the drive on a different computer.
  • If the drive also fails on the 2nd computer test with a different USB cable and if the fault still happens during burn then 99% chance the CD Burner has a hardware fault.
  • If the CD Burner works fine on a 2nd computer connect the drive to the computer with the issue but use another USB Port.