So right now I have installed k3b on this notebook. I am using my Storix DVD/CDRW usb drive. I can read cds with it. Cannot burn CDs. First k3b suggests slowing down (from 8x to 4x). Then use TAO. Then it gave up. So I try cdrecord directly. -checkdrive finds some interesting things. Got to close the drive manually; cdrecord says it can't. then try a cdrecord -v dev=dev/scd0 sample.iso and if fails: cdrecord: No write mode specified. cdrecord: Asuming -tao mode. cdrecord: Future versions of cdrecord may have different drive dependent defaults. cdrecord: Continuing in 5 seconds... Cdrecord-Clone 2.01 (cpu-pc-linux-gnu) Copyright (C) 1995-2004 J?rg Schilling Note: This version is an unofficial (modified) version with DVD support Note: and therefore may have bugs that are not present in the original. Note: Please send bug reports or support requests to http://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla Note: The author of cdrecord should not be bothered with problems in this version. TOC Type: 1 = CD-ROM cdrecord: Cannot allocate memory. WARNING: Cannot do mlockall(2). cdrecord: WARNING: This causes a high risk for buffer underruns. cdrecord: Operation not permitted. WARNING: Cannot set RR-scheduler cdrecord: Permission denied. WARNING: Cannot set priority using setpriority(). cdrecord: WARNING: This causes a high risk for buffer underruns. scsidev: '/dev/scd0' devname: '/dev/scd0' scsibus: -2 target: -2 lun: -2 Linux sg driver version: 3.5.27 Using libscg version 'schily-0.8'. cdrecord: Warning: using inofficial libscg transport code version (schily - Red Hat-scsi-linux-sg.c-1.83-RH '@(#)scsi-linux-sg.c 1.83 04/05/20 Copyright 1997 J. Schilling'). SCSI buffer size: 64512 atapi: 1 Device type : Removable CD-ROM Version : 0 Response Format: 2 Capabilities : Vendor_info : 'SAMSUNG ' Identifikation : 'CDRW/DVD SN-308B' Revision : 'U006' Device seems to be: Generic mmc2 DVD-ROM. Current: 0x0009 Profile: 0x0008 Profile: 0x0009 Profile: 0x000A Profile: 0x0010 Using generic SCSI-3/mmc CD-R/CD-RW driver (mmc_cdr). Driver flags : MMC-2 SWABAUDIO BURNFREE Supported modes: TAO PACKET SAO SAO/R96P SAO/R96R RAW/R16 RAW/R96P RAW/R96R Drive buf size : 1353728 = 1322 KB FIFO size : 4194304 = 4096 KB Track 01: data 48 MB Total size: 55 MB (05:32.48) = 24936 sectors Lout start: 56 MB (05:34/36) = 24936 sectors Current Secsize: 2048 cdrecord: Input/output error. read disk info: scsi sendcmd: cmd timeout after 9.040 (240) s CDB: 51 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 04 00 resid: 4 cmd finished after 9.040s timeout 240s cdrecord: Cannot get disk type. ========================== and in /var/log/messages Dec 27 21:11:11 nc4010 kernel: cdrom: This disc doesn't have any tracks I recognize! Dec 27 21:11:11 nc4010 kernel: usb 3-3: reset high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 21 So what of this? These are Memorex 700Mb/80min CD-R disks. Bought them probably 4 years ago. Got about 200 of them and down to about 30.