I got a new dvd-writer to replace one that had died. The Liteon 812s was only 105$ and features the latest technologies: 8X DVD +/- R/RW. It now works great on my XP Pro system, though I did have to update Nero to recognize the drive. In addition, I had to do something so odd I want to note it here for future reference. This excerpt from a posting at CD Freaks says it all:
Dantz Retrospect users:
This program has problems with the “custom configure” feature with DVD+/-RW drives when the OS has ASPI drivers installed. There is a secret configuration option in Retrospect that tells it to ignore ASPI and use NT/XP’s built-in support, called “NT passthrough” (or “SPTI” by others).
In Retrospect open the Configure-Devices-Environment window and see if it says “devices visible using NT passthrough.” If it says “ASPI” instead type ctrl + ALT + P + P at any screen in Retrospect. Then tick the “use NT passthrough” box under the Execution heading.
That pretty much sets the record for non-intuitive key-strokes required to access a standard part of a program’s functionality. Oh well, thanks to the power of the web, it didn’t take long to find the answer.