windows 7 ultimate
memorex slim ext dvd recorder
and gearhead slim ext dvd burner
...says that windows wont start the device because the drivers (in registry) are incomplete or damaged.
I think may have found a solution to your problem and I don't know why I didn't recognize the problem off hand at first.
I have had this problem in the past 2 years ago with my memorex dvd-rw drive and old LG burner.
It should be simple to fix in 10 minutes and get your new DVD-RW drive going in no time...
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dvd driver, corrupt in the registry, how to fix it? - Microsoft Answers
A registry problem was detected.
This can occur when more than one service is defined for a device, if there is a failure opening the service subkey, or if the driver name cannot be obtained from the service subkey. Here are some things that you can try to resolve this problem.
Uninstall and reinstall the driver
Uninstall the driver from Device Manager and scan for new hardware to install the driver again.
You may be prompted to provide the path of the driver. Windows may have the driver built-in, or may still have the driver files installed from the last time that you set up the device. However, sometimes, it will open the New Hardware Wizard which may ask for the driver. If you are asked for the driver and you do not have it, you can try to download the latest driver from the hardware vendor's Web site.
On the device Properties dialog box, click the Driver tab, and then click Uninstall. Follow the instructions.
Restart your computer.
Open Device Manager, click Action, and then click Scan for hardware changes. Follow the instructions.
Sometimes you just gotta love the windows os drama at times even when you want to throw your computer out of a window at times!
This should clarify further what mak was saying and to further fix up the problem.
Let us know if it helps, if I don't respond for most of the day MoM or KSoD will finish up the job with you.