DVD & CD drives killing me (kinda long)

[Buck_nekid]

OK, my friend, she wants to browse the web, watch videos, ect No gaming.

She has a Compaq box with this motherboard with a AMD Sempron 3000+ at 1.8. (more than enough for what she's going to do.) I added 2 gig of ram, and a 500 gig SATA seagate for storage. I did a fresh format on her 80gig, I think it's a samsung hard drive. Installed XP Pro (SP3) and most programs she would need (Nero, Office 2007, foobar, etc.)
Then she tells me it won't burn to a DVD, Duh, it's a CD-R/DVD reader (TSST TS-H429A) so we run down to circuit city and grab this burner a Nexxtech LH1P20A. Seemed like a nice piece... So we are then walking through office Max: big display of buy 1, get 1 free of Magnavox DC-R & DVD-R, so we now have 200 CD-R & 100 DVD. Then it gets weird... I burn about 20 CD-R trouble free. From her 500 gig that I 'accidentally' copied over 350 gigs of MP3's. Then went to try some DVD-R I got four burnt with no problem, then the next one grinds the drive and can't find the blank. I thought ok, junk media. Nero reports it as CMC. This continues though about 5 tries. I then un-installed the nexxtech and popped the TSST back in and it makes the same noise looking for the DVD-R I had just burnt. I am out of ideas, this thing won't see any media (Magnavox, TY, Verb) This happens with all programs, Nero, WMP, Power ISO, Magic ISO, IMGBurn. The media burnt in my Lite-On won't read in this drive. Almost thinking a windows issue since windows can't even see the media (but only 3 days old) I put the Nexxtech in my box, same result.

Conclusions:

Junk media.
Junk Nexxtech drive (getting returned tomorrow.)
Failing TSST drive.
NOT virus spyware (only been on the web about 10 minutes to get SP3.)

Questions:

Can bad media take out the drive? if so I don't want to kill the next one.
Is there any software conflicts causing this? (full list will be given if needed.)
Is the moon not aligned with Venus?
What is the best drive to get from circuit city (close, instant satisfaction type) A) Sony DRU840A, B) Memorex 32023257 C) LG GSAH54LI. That's what is in stock in our local store.

Any answers or suggestions you can give will be appreciated.

 

[Nagasama]

windows wouldn't see the media, if the drive is not reading it.
put your lite on in the box and see if it works. use a successfully burned disc.
dont think the media is going to cause something like that, almost certain of that.
software conflicts? unlikely if you have tried all the seperate programs you listed.
moon...i dunno, im not an astronomer (math was never my subject).
i'd go with the LG...i bet its the cheapest and (quite) probably the best out of those 3. i love mine and it burns like a forest fire.

try and update the firmware for the new drive. beware, sometimes foolish windows will make you enter your oh-so-precious key for something as routine as that. if you are out of tries, you have to get on the phone and talk to that chick in india, reassuring her that you are not rushing PCs out your doorway by the thousands...all using the same copy of XP.

otherwise, pop in the new drive and let 'er rip. you can always take it back to CC. those jagovs would probably take back one that smelled like burning and was in the wrong box.