Consider the following scenario:

• You have a write-protected Blu-ray Disc Rewritable (BD-RE) disc or a write-protected DVD-RAM disc.
• You disable the write-protection feature on the disc.
• You insert the disc into a compatible drive on a Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1)-based computer.

In this scenario, the disc is recognized as writable media. However, when you try to write to the disc, the operation fails, and you are prompted to insert writable media.

This problem occurs with all Universal Disk Format (UDF) file systems, such as UDF 1.5, UDF 2.0, and UDF 2.01.

Note: The write-protection feature is typically controlled by the notch on the DVD-RAM cartridge or by third-party write-protection tools.

When you format a DVD-RAM disc for the first time in Windows Vista, the formatting operation will be complete in 20 to 60 minutes. The formatting operation continues for this period of time even if you try to cancel the operation before the formatting operation is complete. Additionally, if you eject the disc or if you restart Windows Vista, you will forcefully interrupt the formatting operation. When you forcefully interrupt the formatting operation, the DVD-RAM disc is no longer recognized in Windows Vista.

In Windows Vista, when you try to burn data to a DVD-RAM disc in Windows Media Center, you receive the following error message:

INSERT MEDIA
Please insert writeable media that is compatible with your CD or DVD recorder, and then select Retry. (Retry/Cancel)

For example, you receive this error message when you try to burn music or a TV show to a DVD-RAM disc.

Or, when you try to burn music to a DVD-RAM disc in Windows Media Player 11, the disc is ejected, and you receive the following error message:

Insert Media
Please insert a blank disc in CD Drive (Drive_Letter:). Once Windows Media Player detects the new disc, it will automatically start burning.

When you insert a blank unformatted DVD-RAM disc into a supported DVD-RAM drive on a Windows Vista-based computer, you are not prompted to format the disc. You cannot format the unformatted DVD-RAM disc in Windows Vista.