Guest can't recognize 2 separate DVD burners as burners

[sjkoehler]

Hi -

I've tried using two different DVD burners and my Windows 8.1 guest sees the drive and can read discs, but none of several apps I have recognize the drive as a burner (i.e. Nero and UltraISO). Am I just dealing with a compatibility issue, or is there a setting somewhere I'm missing. Here's some relevant details:

• On ESXi build 5.5 1892794.
• One drive is an internal Liteon SATA DVD writer.
• Another drive is a USB external HP DVD writer.
• I tried adding both drives (separately) as SCSI devices.
• I've tried setting up the internal drive as a regular cd/dvd rom device, pointing to host device.
• Both drives will show up in Windows Explorer as a DVDRW, it's just that the apps don't recognize it as a burner.

If this is believed to be a compatibility issue, can anyone recommend an internal DVD burner drive that would work with my guest?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[admin]

If the CD/DVD drives have been configured in VM as IDE (Client) devices, then the Mode should be Passthrough IDE rather than Emulate IDE.

[sjkoehler]

I'm confused, I didn't add as a client device. Isn't that for using the DVD burner on the laptop of my laptop that I'm using to connect to vSphere web console? If so, I don't want that.

To make sure I was clear, I have an ESXi host device that's a desktop class PC. On that pc, I have 2 DVD writer drives hooked up. One drive is an internal SATA LiteOn brand burner, and the other is an external USB portable HP brand burner. I'd be content with either drive working on my ESXi guest that's Windows 8.1. I also use a laptop to connect to the vSphere console, and I do NOT want to use the burner in the laptop. Here's what I tried specifically.

USB HP Burner

1. Select Edit Settings from the guest VM within vSphere console.
2. Select SCSI Device from the New Device drop down for adding new hardware.
3. Click the Add button.
4. From the New SCSI device drop down that now shows up above in the list of hardware, I select "CD/DVD hp" (so my drive IS seen here in this interface).
5. Click OK to apply the changes.
6. Navigate to my Windows 8 VM console, where I can now see a new drive "DVD RW".
7. Insert a read only disc, and it can read the disc just fine.
8. Insert a blank DVD, and try using either UltraISO to burn the disc, and it comes back with "No CD/DVD drive found". Trying to burn through Nero doesn't allow me the option to select my burner drive in the drop down of "Current recorder" devices.
9. I even tried to see if I could get UltraISO to create an ISO image from the read only disc, and it still doesn't recognize the drive.
10. Oddly, when I run Nero Infotool, it sees the burner drive, and related info.
11. I try a 3rd program, the Windows Disc Image Burner that's built into windows, and it also doesn't show anything next to the Disc burner drop down.
12. To clarify, these specific software program versions work fine on a physical device with a burner attached (even the same USB DVD burner I tried using above).

The same thing happens when I try selecting the internal SATA burner when I add the SCSI device in vSphere (listed as "CD/DVD ATAPI").

The same thing happens when I try alternatively to add either device as a CD/DVD drive in vSphere (instead of SCSI device).

Unless I'm missing a setting somewhere that will allow these drives to be fully recognized as burner drives, I'm starting to think neither drive is compatible (and would appreciate recommendations of a working brand/model if so).

Thanks again in advance for any advice.

[admin]

Thanks for clarifying. Unfortunately I don't have access to my setup right now, so I'll refer you to a link which shows the steps you are following, along with the Pass through option I was talking about. That's for ESXi 5.1, but the options should be same for 5.0 and 5.5.

http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-51/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.vmware.vsphere.vm_admin.doc%2FGUID-BC953DD5...

OR

http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-51/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.vmware.vsphere.vm_admin.doc%2FGUID-C58B93A7...

Hope that helps.

[sjkoehler]

Thanks for those links. It appears, from what I can tell from them, that I'm using the right method to add the drive. I can't find the link, but I did see somewhere in the VMWare KB that adding the drive(s) as a SCSI device helps get past some issues as well, but doesn't seem to help any for my situation.

I should clarify one thing though, I don't have the option to emulate IDE when I set mine up:

I welcome any additional advice. If other folks are adding via the simple methods in your links, I'd be curious to know the make and model of the drive they're using.

[skoehler122]

I figured out my issue. Nero was causing some sort of problem. As soon as I removed it, my other apps could burn just fine.