BBC Saturday, 5 May, 2001, 09:38 GMT 10:38 UK

Computers burnt by CD software

Easy CD Creator is Roxio's leading product

Computers users have been warned about installing the latest version of one of the most popular CD recording programs. The latest version of Easy CD Creator is causing significant problems for computers using the Windows 2000 operating system. In a statement on its website, developers Roxio admitted its software was faulty, but said this was only affecting a small percentage of its customers. It said the software was causing a blue screen error, known in computer circles as the blue screen of death. It also said the software could cause a computer to take a long time to reboot. 'No hard drive activity, nothing' Messages posted on news groups suggest the software is causing havoc with Windows 2000 users. "I just installed Easy CD Creator 5 Platinum and the update. After a reboot, Windows 2000 is stuck in the flashscreen status. No hard drive activity, nothing. Cannot even boot to last good profile or safe mode or debugging," said one user. Others managed to use the software for a few days before something started to go wrong. "Then my computer would not boot. I had no idea what could have caused it and was dumbfounded as to what to do," said one news group user. "So I come in here to see if there is anyone that could help and I saw this posting - uninstalled it and it worked fine." For some, the problems were so severe, they even resorted to reinstalling Windows. "The machine would not boot even in safe mode. I reinstalled Windows 2000, and with nothing else at all installed - no third party drivers or software. Installed Easy CD Creator 5 and guess what? No booting, even in safe mode." Backup issue Roxio says it is aware of the problem and is working to correct it. It has tracked the trouble to one of the modules in the software - Take Two. This is a backup program that allows you make a full copy of your hard disk so it can be restored in an emergency. Roxio suggests that instead of doing a full install, customers select the custom install option and un-select Take Two. The problems have alienated fans of Easy CD creator, a popular choice for CD burning because of its ease of use. "I strongly recommend that you stay clear of Easy CD Creator 5. Roxio has made a mess of what used to be a good CD-R program," says one news group posting. "I was using Easy CD Creator back before Adaptec took it over in 1997. I consider it next to worthless now." Easy CD Creator is Roxio's leading product. With it, users can burn music, photos and video onto a CD. It enables people record a CD of MP3s or a slideshow of photographs.

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2001

Answers

thanks for the tip! We have version 4 of the Adaptec program. I can find no mention anywhere of Roxio. we will not upgrade it, though, just in case.

-- Anonymous, May 06, 2001