Assumedly plugging in any hardware while it's powered up is hard on systems and hardware, so always use "safely remove hardware" (a given).
But when shutting down the OS and a USB burner and/or EHD are still powered up (and recognized by the OS), while it seems innocious enough, can it cause issues with burning applications such as their no longer detecting the burner?
I ask as MSWMM (movie maker) and DVD Flick seem to have burner detection issues regardless that all my remianing DVD/VCD burning app's have no issues detecting the usb burner.
MSWMM reports "recordable CD drive was not detected" when I try using it to burn a properly produced VCD onto proven media (CD-R).
DVD Flick (free), once detected the usb burner, worked several times burning a DVD, but now it isn't detecting the usb burner.
Tried un/re-installing everything related (MSWMM, DVD Flick, and the burner) but same thing, burner not being detected.
Even was adviced was to uninstall the secondary IDE controller, but I sought a 2nd opionion, and I was informed that the usb burner isn't even connected thru that.
I'm pretty sure that as only MSWMM and DVD FLick have 'blinders' on, that XP/SP2/Windows somehow is the cause for that, but 4th level newbie that I am, I'm at a loss as to what to try.
Lastly, potentially related is that My Computer drive naming for the usb burner seems quirky at best.
Mostly Windows names the usb burner as CD Drive[H:] and that changes to the movie's title when such VCD/DVD disks are inserted, but I think the drive name should be always named as DVD/CD-ROM or CD-ROM depending on if disk is inserted, and if its a 'CD-R' or 'DVD-R', no?
I can't figure what it is that I do to get the drive to occaisionally be named as DVD/CD-ROM, and so I'm trying to nail that down.
While I haven't yet answered most my initial questions, I did figure out a solution (or specifically was wrong) to resolving my USB burner not having been listed correctly in My Computer.
