Why a Burned Disk Won't Play in Your CD/DVD/Blu-Ray Player or Car

Troubleshooting a Burned CD/DVD/Blu-Ray Disk/Disc That Doesn't Work in a Player/Car

If a disk/disc burning program like Express Burn burns your disc without reporting any errors, but the the disc doesn't play when you put it in your CD / DVD / Blu-ray player, there are a few things you can try to fix this irritating but common issue:

Confirm Which File Formats Are Compatible

Again, check the manual that came with your player. An MP3 CD can store more songs than an audio CD, but an older CD player may not be able to play MP3/Data CDs. Likewise, a data disc of JPEG files is a great way to view a photo slideshow on recent DVD players but to view a slideshow on an older DVD player, you may need to create a video DVD using something like PhotoStage Slideshow Software.

Confirm Which Disc Types Are Compatible

Check the manual that came with your player/car for a list of compatible disc/media types. Are you trying to use a rewritable (RW) disc when the player only supports non-rewritable (R) discs (like in many older disc players, especially in cars)? Are you trying to use a "plus" (e.g., DVD+RW) disc when the player only supports "minus" (e.g., DVD-RW), or vice-versa? (The manual may use the symbol "±" to mean either plus or minus will work.)

Use Quality Discs

Cheap discs often have more read errors than higher quality discs, and some players will have more trouble with reading errors than others. Buy good quality blanks, and avoid discs with scratches, fingerprints, or dust.

Choose the Burn Speed Carefully

Take note of the minimum and maximum burn speeds that your drive is capable of, and that your selected discs are capable of. Contrary to popular belief, burning at a slower speed does not always give a better result than burning at a higher speed. Check what write speed(s) your disc has been rated for. If the disc specifies a single write speed (e.g., 4x) then you must burn at that speed. If the disc specifies a range of speeds (e.g., 4x-12x) then you must not burn at a speed outside that range.

Make Sure Your Drivers are Up-to-Date

Sometimes another program can damage Windows drivers for your CD/DVD drive. Microsoft provides a utility program to fix these cases and instructions: Windows CD or DVD drive support

Enable Verification

A feature in Express Burn; you can check the Verify burned content is correct after burning the check-box in the burning dialog. It will take longer, but you can be sure at the end of verification that your burn actually worked.

Click on the link to download or purchase:

Express Burn ISO/Disc Burning Software by NCH