not been on here for a while! i bet you thought id solved the problem. i just havent had anything to burn. anyway. i've tried uninstalling all the codecs.i've noticed if i turn my pc on with a disk in the drive, before windows boots up, i get a blank screen with a white cursor flashing in the corner for a couple of minuteswhile the drive works away trying to detect a disk. not sure if this helps any. i've also just found out this problem isnt specifically just with blank disks. my son just bought a game that seems to fo the same thing, although that does work eventually, if i eject and close the drive draw a few times.