Problem with burning CDs

[Zephos]

Alright, the other day I decided to reformat my computer (the first time I have done it since I bought the thing 2 years back, stupid I know ) because of all the crap loaded on it.

Anyway I go to backup some files such as photos and such by burning them onto CDs (I only have a CD burner on my DVD drive). However, once it starts burning the process will freeze, other programs running on my computer will freeze, and I can't start any up making me have to reboot. When this happens, a red light tends to appear on my CD drive, and it doesn't matter whether I'm burning audio/data or what program I'm using... it always does it.

I've tried searching, but I found nothing that could help my current situation, and I need to backup some important things before I reformat

(Not sure if they will come in handy, but here are my specs):
AMD Athlon XP 2800+
Radeon 128mb 9600pro LE
512mb RAM
Not sure of the exact specs of the DVD Drive until I find receipt later

 

[pomegranate]

Using CDs/DVDs for backup is a pain in the ass. Use a memory stick or an external hard disk.

 

[JFry]

Try lowering the write speed if you can. Also make sure you are only running the burning software. Try not to have other programs running.

 

[Shasta]

J Fry is right. Also have you ever had any Starforced games on your PC? SF can ruin CD/DVD drives. Among other things.

 

[Zephos]

J Fry is right. Also have you ever had any Starforced games on your PC? SF can ruin CD/DVD drives. Among other things.

Trust me, I avoid SF like the plague.

Anyway, I lowered the burning speed to 32x, however it still gets to a point (usually 9% in Nero) before again freezing. However, this time it hasn't made the whole computer **** up like last time, which is odd.

 

[giant384]

what the speed your cds can handle when writing? try setting it to that

 

[Zephos]

what the speed your cds can handle when writing? try setting it to that

They run at 52x just like my burner, so I already have tried that speed

EDIT: Err, what the shit... I think it's burning? It took 16 minutes to start, though there is still a nice possibility of **** up.

EDITEDIT: I guess reducing the speed did work eventually (I waited 30 minutes at 52x and nothing happened, so it wasn't that bad). Thanks!