LightScribe Hardware Support
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The reason you can’t use a ‘normal’ DVD drive to create LightScribe labels is because the drive needs added circuitry to perform the LightScribe function.
This added circuitry is hidden completely in all External USB and desktop internal drives. However we do get a glimpse of part of the added circuitry with the slimline drives fitted to laptops and notebooks.
What is visible on these drives, on the DVD tray, is the LightScribe Encoder Sensor
LightScribe Encoder Sensor
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This circuitry, when it fails on a LightScribe drive, leaves the user completely unaware of it’s failing (as the normal drive functions are unaffected…) until, that is, the next time a LightScribe label is attempted.
Put simply, if this is your problem there is only one viable solution…
You guessed it…
Buy a new LightScribe drive!
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The Last Resort
Chances are however this is not the problem. Most problems encountered with LightScribe are with the software conflicting with other software or simply not being installed properly. Second to this are issues with the LightScribe discs themselves…
Based on my experience of helping in excess of 10,000 lightscribe users I would say only about 10% of the problems are drive failures. This compares to 15% disc errors and by fare the greatest cause 75% software issues.
So before you consign your LightScribe drive to the trash can, take a look at the the following sections…
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