This is what worked for me:

If you are running the basic version of Easy CD 5.1 then
try this:

1.) Remove Easy CD Creator 5.x from within add remove programs, as well as any other CD recording software including Adaptec if listed. Do not reboot.

2.) Open windows explorer and follow this path to C:\program files. If you see an Adaptec folder please delete it. Also delete the Adaptec shared folder under C:\program files\common files, if there.

3.) Go to the start button, choose run, type regedit, click ok. Once in regedit, click file in the upper left hand corner and choose export registry file. Save this file as Roxio backup on your desktop just in case your registry edit screws things up you will have a good copy of your old registry to restore to if needed. Once you have exported a backup of your registry then:

Locate and open the folder HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Under this key open the SOFTWARE folder then delete Adaptec.
Close the SOFTWARE folder.
Close HKEY_CURRENT_USER.
Locate and open the folder HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
Under this key open the SOFTWARE folder then delete Adaptec.
Close the SOFTWARE folder
Close HKEY_LOCAL MACHINE
Exit the Registry editor

4.) Go back to the start button, choose run, type msconfig, click ok. Click the startup tab, then click the disable all button. Click apply then ok, and restart your computer.

5.) Once you are back on your desktop, Install Easy CD Creator form the Roxio install disk and reboot.

6.) Download the xp_up_basic.exe from the Roxio download page and save it to your desktop. (This patch makes Easy CD Creator basic compatible with XP)

http://www.roxio.com/en/support/ecdc/ecdc_basic_xp_updt.html

7.) Apply the xp_up_basic.exe patch. Reboot your system.

8.) Go back to the MSCONFIG and enable your startup items again.

9.) Reboot your system and try the Easy CD program.

This worked for me when I was having trouble getting the Easy CD 5.1 basic that came in the XP upgrade package that I got from Dell to work correctly.

8-2-5: Helpful List for Easy CD Platinum (Author: Jerry~anthony12)

HELPFUL LIST FOR EASY CREATOR PLATINUM

1. INSTALLING THE PROGRAM

Make sure you go to there site and get the latest update. Site is Roxio.com

2. WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU FIRST RUN EASY CREATOR

Go to MUSIC CD PROJECT then TOOLS then TEST and then perform a test on all your drives. This will allow you and easy creator to insure that you don’t try to record songs at a speed that is to fast for your drives. Make sure that during the test that you do not do anything else on the computer.

3. DMA SETTING ( direct memory access)

On my older drive I had to have DMA off for the best results while on my new drive I have found that it should be set to on. To determine which is best on your drive do the following.

While in MUSIC CD PROJECT select a song and move it to the track title block, which then should turn the record button to red. Click on the record block and then options. Set the record options to test only, then insert a blank disk, and then do a test record. Make sure your record speed is set to the highest level you can record at. If you have set it to test only it will not record any thing on the disk. Hit the record option. While the disk is recording watch the buffer level and see how low it goes. Buffer underruns are what I have found that stops the recording and cause me to waste a disk during the recording. After doing the test and finding the lowest buffer level change your DMA setting for your CD re-writer drive and rerun the test. If this increase the buffer level then leave it. If it decreases it then change it back. How to change DMA under window 98 and me. Start key then settings then control panel then system. Under system then click device manager and then CD-ROM. Click on your CD re-writer then settings. Click DMA block to turn it on or unclick it to turn it off. I am not sure under windows XP but I think you deselect it by win pause device manager select properties and then settings.

Note: I have found that after using a blank to run a test or a test and record that fails during the test, that when I start to record again that it will ask me to insert a new disk but if I just reinsert the disk that was used during the test that it will work.

4. SETTING YOUR RECORD OPTIONS

I have found that recording without testing runs a lot of disk so I set my recording to test and record CD.

While in MUSIC CD PROJECT select a song and move it to the track title block which then should turn the record button to red. Click on the record block and then options. Set the record options to test and record CD. Click the set the Default button. This sets you default options and it will now be set at test and record CD. If a CD is going to fail it will fail during the test and you will not run a disk. You can then lower your speed or do remove the song that is causing you to stop recording.

5. TIPS ON HOW TO RECORD THE FIRST TIME.

Since, your CD-rewriter will stop, if you have buffer underruns, don’t do anything else while the recording is taking place that includes being on the internet, games, or anything else. You can also do ctrl-alt-del keys and stop all programs except explorer, systray, direct CD and easy creator to insure that nothing else is taking up computer time. I have found that in most cases I don’t have to ctrl alt del.

NOTE: Defrag your hard drive helps since it means less time for the computer to find your songs.

Having a much memory as possible also helps. I upgraded my computer to 288mbits of ram since ram does not cost that much.

Place all your songs to record in a file together so easy creator does not have to go from drive or file to another to get the songs. I used windows explorer to add a new folder that I use for this. Songs that I have on CDs I use sound stream to move them to the hard drive as mp3 files. I use sound stream in a lot of case to do my recording since; I can click the blue box at the bottom and then effects and then normalize the songs. Using sound stream you can also, when recording tracks off a CD right click and pick the name tracks, and sound stream will go on line to get the names and insert them in the recording. If you have not used sound stream and have only been using easy creator I suggest that you try it. During the recording you can send it to a CD or to a file on your hard drive also you can pick if you want it wav, mp3, or another type recording.

6. MAKING A COPY OF A CD USING CD COPIER.

8-2-6: Windows XP burning program (Author: Jim Hardin)

XP has no provision to format a CD-RW media.
With XP you have to use Explorer to select the files you want to copy to a CD, R or RW, then Right Click and send them to the CD folder.
After you have enough in there to fill a CD Right click on the folder and start the Wizard.
The CD created will be a data CD, finalized and ready to use/store or admire.
It is a very simple process unlike Easy CD, Direct CD or the Nero equivalents. It is limited too, but will suit the needs of most casual users.

XP’s Native CD writing ability, while limited, will probably be enough for many users.

First there is NO ability to copy or save directly to a CD. CDs are not floppies and require Packet Writing (UDF) software to do so. Roxio’s Direct CD or Ahead’s In CD are two such programs. Only UDF writing requires a CD to be formatted. Otherwise;

DATA and MUSIC CDs: These can be CD-R or CD-RW media. There are two ways to do this.

Method A, using Explorer:

1. Insert a blank CD in the drive. Could be a CD-RW that you want to overwrite.
2. Right click a file or folder or a selection of files or folders.
3. From the shortcut menu, choose Send To CD Drive.
4. Repeat until you are done.
5. Open your CD drive in My Computer.
6. Click Write These Files To CD on the Task Pane, or choose File, Write These Files To CD from the Menu Bar.

Method B, using Explorer:

1. Drag the selected files/folders (poor choice) into the Windows Explorer folder for your CD. A better method is to use Copy & Paste.
2. Open your CD drive in My Computer.
3. Click Write These Files To CD on the Task Pane, or choose File, Write These Files To CD from the Menu Bar.

The last step of either method will bring up the CD Writing Wizard to finish. If the files are data or mixed data & music, a Data CD will be created. If the files are all music, a music CD will be created.

There are some “defects”… One, is that the CD folder will not readily show you how much you have in there. Only when you get to the Wizard will it complain if there are too many. Solution, Right click the folder and select properties before you write. Another is the HD space required. The CD folder contains copies of the files, hence double the storage requirements. That will only be a problem if you are low on HD space.

CD capacity will depend largely on the Drive you are using & the media. MS mentions a 850 MB maximum.

Users wanting to create Video CDs, mixed CDs will have to seek other software.

At the time I am writing this, 01/02, I do not have XP so all of this is taken from a book, “Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out”, by Microsoft Press.

8-2-7: Check you ASPI Layer when experiencing various errors with CD/RW`s and Detection (Author: Rob Arco)

One of the most commonly overlooked areas for CD-ROM/CD-RW errors is the ASPI layer. ASPI (Advanced SCSI Programming Interface) was originally created by Adaptec to handle SCSI devices however, from Windows 95 on, Microsoft incorporated ASPI into its IDE routines. Unfortunately, both the OEM hardware manufacturers and Microsoft can incorrectly handle ASPI, causing people to experience numerous errors. The ASPI layer must be a complete set of DLL and vxd files working in concert however, the manufacturers often package subsets causing inconsistencies. The 6 main ASPI files are:

WINASPI.DLL, WNASPI32.DLL, APIX.VXD, ASPIENUM.VXD, ASPI32.SYS, and WOWPOST.EXE.

Also be aware that it is being reported that various CD burner utilities, such as Easy-CD Creator, Nero Burn and especially CloneCD may overlay an otherwise perfect ASPI layer in your computer. As an example, people suffering from the "Insert correct CD" error on their Windows 98 system when they tried upgrading other software. The overlay may be off one file causing the 4 file sync to be corrupted.

How to check the ASPI layer

http://www.adaptec.com/worldwide/support/driverdetail.html?filekey=aspi32.exe (Adaptec best site)

8-2-8: Creating VCD with Nero 5.7 (Author: Glen Waxwell)

All you need to do is start the Nero Burning ROM program. Under New Compilation you scroll down to the Video-CD Icon and select it. I left all setting as they were then selected NEW. On the right (FILE BROWSER) you select the file you want to burn example, "D:\AVI\whatever.avi" left click on file and drag to Video Window on the left then click on the burn image Icon (Opens the write CD Dialog) When the Write CD window opens just click on the write button sit back. It will go through the process of encoding the .AVI file to the proper format for the VCD and then burn on my Dell Dim. P3 866 384mb of Ram took about 3 hrs. to complete a 625 mb AVI file. The program creates all the files and directories needed on the CD to play in a DVD player capable of playing DVD, VCD, CDR and CD-RW disks.

8-2-9: Helpful tips for Direct CD (Author: Jerry~anthony12)

Here is some info I typed up about Direct CD that might help

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE WENT TO ROXIO.COM AND GOT THE UPDATES FOR EASY CREATOR FOR YOUR VERSION OF WINDOWS . Direct CD is also updated when you update easy creator.

You may use both CD-R or CD-RW media with Direct CD, but both require you format them prior to use. CD-RW media makes the most sense for most users. Format will require 22 MB initially plus 13 MB per session. Always leave about 50 MB open to use to finalize the media.

First make sure you are using your CD Rewriter drive. I know this sounds stupid but many times I have forgot and tried to send something to the disk and had it in the CD-ROM drive.

Second needs to be explained. There three ways to close a disk under Direct CD and only one of them will allow you to write to again. Without making it write-able again.

First lets make sure you have your options set to what I feel are the best under Direct CD. Go to Direct CD and you should see a Option Button near the bottom. Click on it and make sure you have the top three options checked. See Fig 1.

They are:

Show CD Ready Notification

Show Ejected CD Notification

Show Icon In System Tray

Below these there is a box for CD-R Eject Options. I have the center one checked which is, Always Show Eject Option Dialog Box. In Fig 1 it is grayed out because CD-RW was in the drive.

This box will come up with CD-R media and only to allow you to close it one of three ways. They are:

Leave as is so it can be written to as a drive letter. What this means is that you can read and write to it with a CD-RW drive, But a CD-ROM drive will not see the files.

Close to UDF v1.5 . Which allows you to see the files on your CD-ROM or any computer that has a UDF reader program installed. You can get a copy of this program at roxio.com, but most computers now have it. You can check to see if yours does by closing one this way. HERE IS WHAT is important about this if you close it this way you will not be able to WRITE TO IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT WRITE-ABLE AGAIN.

Close to Read on Any Computer. It to means you will not be able to write to it until you make it write-able. A second option is available when closing this way to Protect it. This means it cannot be used again.

Now how do you make it write-able?
First it must be formatted using Direct CD
you can do this by going to Direct CD and hitting the format key.
To write to it after it is formatted follow these steps

Insert the disk and go to Direct CD and wait for it to spin up this could take while if you have a lot of info on disk. You will hear the drive spin up and down a few times but if you check the three options I told you to you should see the CD Ready windows when it is ready. Make sure you leave it check so you see this window each time, and you will know when it is ready. It should tell you that it is ready to write to it if not go to direct CD and the blue make write-able button should allow you to make the disk write-able again.
The other way is to leave it write-able when you eject it or to change it so it can be write-able the next time you insert it.

Also I have found that, if I have damaged the disk that it will not always allow me to change it, and I have to use scan disk to fix the disk or copy the files to another one.

Do not cut off your computer and leave DCD formatted media in the drive or it can be damaged since it needs to be closed as it ejects.

A disk that has been formatted by Direct CD can be used to even save to off the internet, but remember it must be in the CD rewriter and must be formatted first. Also remember it takes time for it to spin up.

Also a disk that was formatted with Direct CD will only eject if Direct CD is running. A lot of us have tried to eject a disk that was formatted under Direct CD and the drive will not allow this.

That is what good about having the option show icon in Systray check it will allow you to see that Direct CD is running.

Hope this helps

Remember also that a formatted CDs are for using with Windows programs not with Easy CD Creator. A lot of people put a formatted CD in the drive, and try and use Easy CD Creator to write to it. You will get a message that it is already being used by DirecT CD. Easy CD Creator and DirecT CD are two different programs.

8-2-10: A little useful info from the Plextor website about CDRWs in XP (Care of Phatpype)

Can I use “Windows XP Backup” with CD-RW media?

The Windows XP Operating System cannot use “Windows Backup” to backup files to an unformatted CD-R/RW disc. The Removable Storage Management component of Windows XP recognizes the CD-RW disc as if it were write protected (read only) and will not treat the disc as a removable storage medium. You can manually copy files or folders using the project window, but Windows XP is unable to backup a volume, such as a drive partition, to a CD that has not been formatted with a packet writing application. The Windows XP Operating System cannot format CD-RW media by itself, but XP will work successfully with third party applications that CAN format the CD-RW for UDF. For instance, if the disc is formatted with DirectCD or another packet writing software, the backup program will then be able to recognize the disc and use it as a backup volume.

Note: Windows XP Backup does not have the capability to span multiple CDs (record from one to another) during a backup operation. When using Windows XP Backup, the total size of the backup file must not exceed the formatted capacity of the CD (approximately 533MB). If you need to backup an entire drive or a system volume exceeding 533 MB, you need to use a third party backup and restore program designed to span the file over multiple CDs.

Why can’t I delete files from my CD-RW disc in Windows XP?

Windows XP cannot format a CD-RW disc for UDF packet writing, but it will accept unformatted CD-RW media. Unformatted CD-RW media is treated the same as CD-R, and you can copy files or folders to the disc, but you can only erase the entire disc, not the individual files. When using CD-RW media, only the “quick erase” function is supported by the Operating System.

If DirectCD or other packet writing software application is installed, and the CD-RW disc is formatted with that software, then the CD-RW disc works normally under Windows XP as a large floppy, and individual files can then be deleted.

**Please also note that when using backup, the "enable CD writing" tab should be unticked during the backup, and then reticked when done using the CD as a "backup disk". You'll find this setting by clicking on the drive properties in windows explorer.**

8-2-11: CD/RW is Read Only (Care of Jack ~ Fireberd)

In generalities, although it would appear a CD-RW disc can be used like a floppy diskette, it really doesn't work the same as a floppy.  First, many programs will not write directly to a CD disc, you have to use a CD burning program and if you want to format it and then copy files to it with the Windows Explorer you need a to use a program such as the Roxio "Direct CD", Nero's "InCd" or Sonic's "DLA" for first format the RW disc (this is called a UDF formatted disc).

You can then write to it from the Windows Explorer by either copying files to it or "drag and drop" to it.  When the files are placed on a "UDF" formatted CD (either R or RW) the files become read only.  If you want to use that file again, you need to copy it to the hard drive, change the attributes (remove the read only) and then you can do what you want with the file.

There is one big minus with RW discs.  They are known to be unreliable and can either lose data or lose format (and data) so do not have your only backup or only copy of data on an RW. 

8-2-12: Uninstall Roxio with the add/remove programs (Care of ~ Jim)

Uninstall Roxio with the add/remove programs. Then manually remove two folders. C:\Program Files\Adaptec and C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adaptec. Restart Windows (this is critical so restart Windows after each function) and then do a new install of Roxio, Restart Windows again. Do the updates to Roxio, Restart Windows again. Then see how it works.

Jim