Sounds like a loose, or defective cable to me, probably the IDE cable going to the burner drive. Check it by pushing in on the cables, both connection sides, but not real hard. If you feel it move at all, you could have had a loose connector. Just a guess. If that doesnt work, try replacing that cable. Its alot cheaper than a drive, and would tell you if the cable is bad. Just be careful to not bend pins when re-installing a cable, and get the orientation correct. Communication errors. IDE is the main data path for that drive. Again, just guessing, and its worth checking.
Ok, cheers. i will check this later. I have unplugged the drive a few times to check the pins, but didnt actually think about checking if the cable has bad connection or is loose. I'll get back to you.