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$,jACkdA\W$ · 06.10.2005, 22:17

First: what game/installer(s) is/are this? If i scan you right you get erratic system performance only after running this installer, or else? btw. Alcohol's virtual drive basically is the DT one... i do not get if this happens anytime you kick up anything in Alc/DT, or if it's just specific stuff there? You might anyway try geting rid of all Roxio stuff, just to stay on the safe side...

**mrbond** · 06.10.2005, 22:46

I tried to load an iso I have of a data disk and just browsing the files. Eventually the explorer window stops responding. I close it and check out My Computer and the same thing happens. The image is unmounted and then my system goes to hell once again.

So to answer your question, my problem occurs anytime I use anything in Alc/DT.

May I ask why you'd suggest that the Roxio is causing a problem? Doesn't it use a different layer of drivers?

$,jACkdA\W$ · 06.10.2005, 22:55

Suggested this because at least older versions of theirs did cause trouble of sorts... sadly, have to admit i ain't got further clues for you as of now :oops:

**mrbond** · 06.10.2005, 23:03

I figured this wouldn't be as easy as simply posting what was wrong. I've spent half of the time trying to fix this thing on forums no one seems to have this problem except for me. I had this problem before I reformatted my machine (thinking my computer was just going to hell, when really it was the virtual CD auto-loading an image when my computer booted up :evil: )

So much wasted time

Any other input/solutions would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

**Underheaven** · 07.10.2005, 04:55

maybe: overall system problems

It seems like you have overall system problems and just one of which is problems with browsing virtual drives. Do you have enough RAM, an adequate pagefile size, enough space on %homedrive% and enough space in the
%temp% folder (usually both point to the C: partition). Are you on a windows domain? Can you try to disable the fast user switching service and see if that's the cause.

**mrbond** · 07.10.2005, 05:41

Underheaven,

Thanks for your reply. I doubt it is overall system performance issues. The issues described above only occur after I mount a CD image to a virtual drive and do not occur beforehand. Otherwise my system is almost completely stable.

I am running a Pentium 4 2.6 Ghz, 1.0 GB Dual Channel DDR RAM. I have 1534 MB allocated system pagefile size. I have 92.9 GB available on my drive C: (which %homedrive% and %temp% reside in). I don't think I am on a windows domain. My computer is connected to a linksys router with dynamic IPs.

I thought fast-switching issues were to do with inadequate system resources? I don't believe I am in that boat.

Can you think of anything else that it might be?

**Underheaven** · 07.10.2005, 06:03

Re: weird problems after mounting an image

Ok, we're going really off-course here, I'm trying to understand this better though.

Originally Posted by mrbond

When I go to try to mount anything else I get a "could not be opened by miniport in kernel mode".

Are you always not able to mount anything else? What if you choose unmount image then mount image?

Try loading a nero (non Alcohol created) CD/DVD-ROM image?

Originally Posted by mrbond

Then I go to start menu and all my icons are missing or black shadows.

Try scanning with Trend Micro Anti-Spyware for the Web(really good scanner), Ad-Aware, and Spybot - Search & Destroy. I recently fixed an issue with black start menu icons that was caused by Adware/Spyware. Some game force you to install adware components, you may have to remove everything found by the scanners to eliminate some of those items from being possible causes.

website for Trend Micro Anti Spyware for the Web = www .trendmicro.com/spyware-scan/

**mrbond** · 07.10.2005, 06:47

Here's what I did this time. I loaded an ISO I made of my CD. I browsed the files for a bit. I unmounted and mounted another image from a program (other than alcohol). Then things started getting unstable again (see one of my previous posts to explain what happens).

I did a start --> log off. Then at my user selection screen, I relogged in and everything was fine.

My problems only occur when I load an image into my virtual CD. Otherwise the virtual CD can be loaded and it is fine. It seems to me that my system degrades further and further as I do ANYTHING with the loaded image (browse, run a program, look at a jpg image, etc).

I did a spyware scan and it came back clean (using trend spyware scan, like you recommended). There were some cookies and one registry entry. But no memory resident spyware.

**Underheaven** · 07.10.2005, 07:16

Roxio?

Just to make sure-- you've no Roxio software installed. Can you list all your buring programs?

Read this link from the Common Problems and Solutions forum and post all the drivers your Virtual CD/DVD-ROM's are using (ex. cdrom.sys, storprop.dll, and redbook.sys) but otherwise that link does not have any relation to your issue - it just explains about viewing what cd/dvd-rom drivers are being used.

**mrbond** · 07.10.2005, 14:11

Roxio

As I've said in my previous posts I have Roxio Media Creator 7.5.

I checked my virtual CD Driver Details and I have the following:
Cdr4_xp.sys
Cdralw2k.sys
cdrom.sys
drvmcdb.sys
imapi.sys
pwd_2k.sys
PxHelp20.sys
redbook.sys
storprop.dll

Let me know if this sheds anything new to the situation.

Thanks for the help thusfar.

**NetSoerfer** · 07.10.2005, 20:56

Roxio products are... well, to say it politely, badly programmed. They install some pretty messed up drivers, so that it's impossible for software that hooks itself as deep into the system as Daemon Tools to run without problems.

I understand if you want to complain about this, but we're not the ones breaking standards, so you might want to consider directing your complaints at Roxio.

If I were in your situation, I'd try and find myself another burning software... But that's for you to decide.

Should you decide to keep Roxio software, have a look at this page on Roxio's homepage, maybe the offered patch can help you. But that's just a wild guess.

Still, hope this helps!

**mrbond** · 07.10.2005, 23:59

Thank you so much for your help. I appreciate someone who can tell me how it is. I didn't find it to be blunt at all.

I don't mind chucking Roxio Hard CD and System Screwer 7.5 if I can find some good substitutes for Direct CD (I like to be able to just use windows explorer and write my CDs like they were a mounted disk) and a good audio CD creating program.

Can you suggest some to me?

Thanks

**NetSoerfer** · 08.10.2005, 01:42

Lately I've tried some freeware burning programs, but I've ultimately gone back to Nero 6. It includes InCD 4 (which is an alternative for DirectCD), but I haven't used that much. (I don't burn much anymore, most data is put on a USB stick for transport.) Nero is pretty okay, although a little bloated lately... Looks like they created a full-featured program with Nero 5 and had to add more and more features to justify taking money for a new version.

What exactly are you looking for in an audio CD creating program? If you're just looking for a program that can burn your MP3s to an audio CD, Nero will just work fine. If you need more advanced features though, I'm not sure what to recommend.

> If I was inappropriately blunt - sorry. I do that a lot

I didn't find it to be blunt at all.

*smirks* that's just my signature which is put under all my posts. It wasn't aimed at this particular post at all

@Underheaven: damn, why can you edit your post without an editing notice beneath it and i can't...?! *grins*

**Underheaven** · 08.10.2005, 01:42

Roxio? (with lynn98109 post reference entitled Re: CD write protected?? )

Not replying to you NetSoerfer (we both seem to have posted at the same minute), even the top posters at Roxio forums say not to use packet writing software : http://boards.support.roxio.com/roxi...sage.id=155419

@NetSoerfer: maybe you hero powers are fading, ask Nemerov about the next undead battle

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