Question：A message keeps coming up saying windows cannot complete the formatting - what is the reason for this? I have not had any trouble in the past formatting.
Answer 1：Hi Mikel,
Is this a relatively new problem? Are you using the same discs as before? As a troubleshooting issue, it's either the hardware, the software or the discs. If you have been able to format these discs in this drive in the past, then either the drive is having problems or there may be a software conflict. Can you play rewritable CD's/DVD's in the drive? If so, and if this is a relatively recent phenomena, you might try restoring your system to a previous date before this problem started.
The System Restore tool
If the issue that you are experiencing started occurring recently, you can use the System Restore tool. By using this tool, you can restore the computer to an earlier point in time. Using the System Restore tool may not necessarily help you determine the issue. When you use System Restore to restore the computer to a previous state, programs and updates that you installed are removed.
To restore the operating system to an earlier point in time, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, type system restore in the Start Search box, and then click System Restore in the Programs list. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password or click Continue.
2. In the System Restore dialog box, click Choose a different restore point, and then click Next.
3. In the list of restore points, click a restore point that was created before you began to experience the issue, and then click Next.
4. Click Finish.
The computer restarts, and the system files and settings are returned to the state that they were in at the time that the restore point was created.
Another alternative is to do a "clean boot" and see if formatting works. This will tell you if there is a conflict with another program or service:
Clean Boot
Test in a Clean Boot environment to see if this issue is related to interference from other services / programs:
1. Click Start, type msconfig in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER. (If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.)
2. On the General tab, click Selective Startup.
3. Under Selective Startup, click to clear the Load Startup Items check box.
4. Click the Services tab, click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box, and then click Disable All.
5. Click OK.
6. When you are prompted, click Restart.
7. Log back into your Account.
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If the problem does not return while your computer is in clean boot mode, a background program is likely causing interference. You can try to determine which background program is causing the problem while the computer is in clean boot mode.
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To find the process or program at cause follow the steps starting at enable half of the Services items, from the following article:
How to perform a clean boot procedure to determine whether background programs are interfering with a game or a program that you currently use
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/331796
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To restore your Normal startup:
1. Click Start, type msconfig in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER. (If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Continue.)
2. On the General tab, click Normal Startup.
3. When you are prompted, click Restart.
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Stay in this mode and keep testing your computer until you either experience the same issue, or it runs long enough that you know you are no longer experiencing it, after that you can restore to a normal startup and give us your results.
(Clean Boot is running your computer with minimal interference from any programs or service that are not Windows related).
Dave D
Answer 2：I believe the Windows Updates may have something to do with this. I have not had a problem in the past, but suddenly it now takes 20minutes to format a DVD and for CD's I get the same error message, "windows cannot complete the formatting." When I first got my Windows Vista in February 2007 I could load a disk and formatting took 5 seconds. As of July 2009 it takes 20 minutes or more on a DVD and will not format a CD. I've not done anything differently or added anything new.
I believe that Windows Updates has something to do with different problems that tend to "flair up." I say this also because ever since I got the laptop for some reason I could not get my screensaver to come on after so many minutes of idle time, so the desktop background was always displayed. The computer would never shut down or go into sleep mode on its own, it would just sit idle with the desktop picture showing for as long as I had the laptop on. Again, here lately my screensaver is now working and my laptop now goes into sleep mode after sitting idle for 25 minutes. I made no changes and did nothing different than before, but suddenly it is now working. I always notice small incidents of something every so often and it seems to happen when the updates take place...I can only contribute it to that. If you restore your system to an earlier time, good luck because something else tends not to work. I've done it and then had to contact Symantec to walk me through resetting up my anti-virus, Verizon to reset me up as my internet provider, etc. Restore is good for some things, but sometimes it can be more trouble than its worth.
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