An optical disc appears to be blank after you format the disc by using the Live File System component on a Windows Vista-based computer

Consider the following scenario:

• You format an optical disc by using the Live File System component on a Windows Vista-based computer.
• You eject the disc soon after the formatting operation appears to be complete. Or, you eject the disc soon after you write a file to the disc, after the formatting operation is complete.
• You reinsert the disc.

In this scenario, the disc appears to be blank. Any files that were written to the disc after the formatting operation are lost. Additionally, you cannot write any files to the disc. This problem occurs only when you use the Live File System component to format the disk, and then you eject the disk soon after a write operation has occurred.

This problem occurs for any one of the following reasons:

• The brand of the disc may be incompatible with the burner. Try a different brand of media.
• The disc may be defective. Try another disc.
• The burner may have malfunctioned. For troubleshooting information, see the documentation that was included with the burner.
• The burner or the disc may not support the speed that you used to burn the disk. Try using a slower speed.

Also consider the possibility that Windows Vista does not successfully run the close-session command when the disc is ejected. If the session is not closed correctly, the data that is written to the disc cannot be read. Therefore, the disc appears to be blank. Because this problem is timing-specific, this problem occurs only occasionally.

Service pack information

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows Vista. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Hotfix information

The following hotfix resolves only the specific problem in which Windows Vista does not successfully run the close-session command when the disc is ejected. A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Windows Vista, x86-based versions

Windows Vista, 64-bit versions

To work around this problem, wait at least three minutes after any disc operation is performed before you eject the disc.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section. This problem was first corrected in Windows Vista Service Pack 1.

For more information about how to burn a CD or a DVD on a Windows Vista-based computer, visit the following Microsoft Web site: For more information about how hotfix packages are named, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: