Hello. I'm new here and know next to nothin' 'bout computers. I have chatted with a Dell techie (hardware) and they didn't think it was a hardware problem.

Here's what happens:

When I try to burn a cd, the little green light blinks for several seconds, and then an error message comes up that says, ''Insert Media.'' I'm given the choice to ''retry'' or ''cancel.'' Nothing works. I've tried burning by different methods, but it still does not acknowledge the blank cd. I've tried different cds, and a different brand...same thing. Occasionally, if I go through enough cds, I may find one that works, but it takes forever and a day.

As far as any changes I've made to software, there haven't been many. A couple of weeks ago I downloaded a couple of tools to convert files to mp3, etc. I've since uninstalled them. I use Nero to burn DVDs, so I uninstalled that, still, the same thing happens.

I've been able to rip cds w/out any problems and have burned photo slide shows w/out error. I've been advised to take it some where to get hands-on help, but I don't have any money to pay for it.

So...is this somethin' I'm gonna hafta live with, or do you think I can fix it with the help of all you pc wizards? I really hope you can help me! I'll not be far from here so I can answer any other questions you might have rather quickly...feel free to email me, and if necessary, we can get on a messenger service.

I have a Dell Dimension E510 XP Media Edition