OptimusM

I have an external DVD burner, whenever I use it, it seems that it only lasts for a while. So when trying to burn a DVD, the drive dissapears from the computer and the burning process is cancelled.

It also disappears from My Computer, and the list of DVDs in the computer. It is like it goes to sleeping mode. Does anyone know how to fix this problem or have any other tips?

smz

by any chance would this external drive happen to use a firewire interface?
I've been looking for someone with a firewire external dvd or harddrive to compare notes with. I have this problem but only with the firewire connection. With USB, i'm all good. But with my 3rd party USB card, it doesn't work well. I definitely would use your original usb ports supplied by the motherboard.

I'm eager to hear if this is Firewire.

OptimusM

no, it is USB I am speaking of.

smz

This would be a tricky one. The standard troubleshooting would have you try another cable and use another slot. Is your motherboard the only source of USB ports on the machine? The only reason I see a USB device getting kicked off for no reason is a connectivity problem Like the powersupply in the external unit is not sustaining voltage or maybe the drive isn't able to initialize properly, like it thinks discs are bad when they are not. Nevertheless, that would more than likely kill the connection. I don't think there is a rule of too many devices though I am not a huge usb fan so I try to use the essentials. But some people like to take usb hubs and keep piling them on to the chain. This makes connecting things easier however you aren't adding anything to your allocated 480mbps.

I'd be interested in hear your setup and if you take an ear to your drive to see if anything sounds funny.

This is such a tough issue to deal with, to this day I still have not solved mine with the firewire interface. If anyone wants to chime in here, go for it.