John,
Here is a reference to a Microsoft publication that addresses issue like
this:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/314060 You may have to edit the
registry to fix it. The support bulletin tells you how to do it. The
bulletin applies to WinXP, but the fix has worked for Vista as well. The
suggested fix has worked for others in Vista who had similar issues. If this
doesn't work for you, post bask.
Here is some background information on the issue, which likely provides more
information than you ever wanted to know, but it's interesting to know the
reason for what is causing the problem. The problem existed before Vista
came to live with us. Here is the background: Many third-party programs that
control CD or DVD burning (as well as some player applications) install CD-
or DVD-ROM filter device drivers into Windows. These filter drivers are
meant to allow for low-level hooks into the hardware, to allow for functions
such as packet writing (where a CD-R/W or DVD-/+RW can be written
incrementally, like a hard disk). These filter drivers sometimes have
problems that can cause the CD or DVD drive to stop working correctly. The
device entry for the CD or DVD drive in the Device Manager may show up with
an error descriptor that reads "The device could not start." Additionally,
there may be an error message that reads "One of the filter drivers for this
device is invalid." The devices themselves do not show up in Explorer. Error
codes for the device include code 31, code 32, code 19 or code 39, and
sometimes the even more ominous warning "Your registry might be corrupted"
appears. Fixing the problem simply involves deleting the filter entries for
the third-party device drivers.
Hope this helps.
