DVD burner will read, but won't burn

Looks to be a nice forum, and hope I can be of help along the way. But right now I am a bit perplexed, and in need of some help. Running Windows XP SP3, both my SATA Plextor, and my newly purchased SATA LG DVD Burners will read fine but will not burn. They will either not find the correct speed, or they will start to burn then lock up the computer causing the need for a hard reboot. I removed the Plextor, and installed the LG using a new SATA cable but get the same result. I also uninstalled the LG and let windows reinstall it with the same result. Any help would be appreciatted.
ehoove