Why am I unable to read a CD-R or recordable disc?

Updated: 07/13/2023 by Computer Hope

Being unable to read recordable discs is a difficult issue to resolve because of all the different possible causes of this problem. Below is a listing of several steps and recommendations that can be taken to help resolve this issue.

Drivers

Verify you have the latest drivers installed for the CD-R or recordable drive. Numerous driver-related issues may cause a CD-R drive or recordable drive to stop reading a CD-R disc. If you are running Microsoft Windows, verify your drive is detected and listed in Device Manager with no conflicts or errors.

If Device Manager detects an error on the drive or if it has any other drives listed with errors, remove them and reboot the computer.

If Windows shows no errors, the steps above did not resolve the issue, or you are running an operating system other than Windows, check with the drive manufacturer for updated drivers.

CD-R disc

Computer CD-ROM

Not all CD-R discs are compatible with all types and speeds of CD-R drives or recordable drives (especially earlier CD-R drives). Verify the disc manufacturer gives a 100% guarantee for supporting all drives and disc speeds. For example, TDK discs often give a 100% guarantee. When in doubt, try a different brand of CD-R disc.

Pre-mastering/Mastering Software

The pre-mastering software can sometimes produce incorrect tracks due to bugs. An incorrect ISO image could be generated, or incorrect sub-header codes could be recorded in the case of Mode 2 discs. A way to check whether the incompatibility problems are with software or one of the other causes mentioned is to test the same disc on several CD-ROM (compact disc read-only memory) drives. If one drive can read the disc correctly, chances are the problem was not in the mastering.

Disc is a recordable disc that the drive or player does not support

Verify the drive supports the recordable media you are attempting to read. Below are some situations to consider.

  • Old CD-ROM or early DVD drive - Some early CD-ROM drives and first-generation DVD (digital versatile disc) drives (some of the first DVD drives released) do not support CD-R discs or CD-RW (compact disc re-writable) discs. Not only does this apply to computers, but also home entertainment DVD players.
  • CD-RW in CD-R or CD-ROM drive - Some CD-R drives are incapable of reading CD-RW drives. If you are using a CD-RW disc, verify the CD-ROM or CD-R drive can read the disc.
  • DVD recordable discs - If you have a recordable DVD that cannot be read, make sure it is not a first-generation DVD drive and that it supports recordable DVD media. Additionally, a standard CD-ROM, CD-R, and CD-RW drive cannot read DVD discs.

Disc was created incorrectly

Make sure you are creating the disc properly. For example, a common mistake when creating audio CDs (compact disc) is burning the MP3 files to the CD as a Data disc instead of an Audio disc. All this does is burn the data files to the disc and not create an audio disc. A data disk with MP3 files may work with a computer but does not always work in CD players unless they support MP3 format.

Disc or DVD contains media content not supported by the player

Not all home entertainment DVD players are capable of supporting and playing all the different formats of movie and audio files. Make sure the format or codec of the movie or audio file you're saving to the CD or DVD is supported by the DVD player.

If your computer can play the files off the DVD, but your home entertainment DVD player cannot play the file, you are likely encountering this problem.

Bad disc

If, after reading through the recommendations above you continue to have the same issue, the disc is defective. Try re-burning the disc and if possible, try a different brand of recordable disc.

Bad CD-R drive

If all the above recommendations do not resolve the issue, the CD-R (compact disc recordable) drive itself may be bad and need to be replaced. However, you can first try to clean the CD-R drive using a CD cleaning disc.

If cleaning the CD-R drive does not help, the drive should be replaced.

CD-R burning tips

When burning a new disc, below are some additional suggestions to make the processes smoother.

No running programs in the background

Try to close as many unused and open programs on the computer. Programs running in the background may cause issues during the burn process.

Device conflicts

Make sure Device Manager doesn't show any device conflicts with the hardware in your computer. If conflicts exist, it could indicate a resource conflict causing the issues.

CD-ROM properties

In Device Manager, under the CD-ROM properties, ensure that Auto insert notification, Sync Data Transfer, and DMA (direct memory access) are all disabled. To check this, open Device Manager, click the plus symbol next to CD-ROM and disc drives, and double-click the CD-ROM device.

Disable Power Management

Ensure that all power management is disabled on the computer. If the computer or a computer component goes into power saving mode during the recording process, it can cause issues.

13 milliseconds access time or better

We recommend your hard drive has a 13 milliseconds or faster access time to keep the memory buffer full.

PC Defrag & ScanDisk hard drive

Run Defrag and ScanDisk on the hard drive.

Primary on IDE channel

If the CD-R is an IDE/EIDE device, it's highly recommended it be the primary and not the secondary drive on the secondary channel.

Do not use compression software

Compression software can cause several issues during the recording process. We recommend you don't create CDs from a compressed hard drive.