It wont recognize a recordable DVD. i tried both the R and the -R

It's not really the firmware of the drive. Although that's what you can check if that picks up with the Control Panel in Windows. If your drive lights up when you start up the system. If it doesn't that means you can't at all use it. It's plugged in by the power supply but the data cable isn't so check the data cable. Other is if loading it and all else clears that means the drive's own laser is going so you need to buy a replacement drive. You can try buying an external drive to check and use it to load the CD or DVD up and then you know that if you need to replace it. E-machines has a whole line up of their replacement parts so if you need to buy the drive for your system. Just look into the parts directory for your system and you will be able
to purchase the drive.

Be sure that your hardware is a CD/DVD writer,
not just a "combo" drive (CD-reader/writer-and-DVD-reader).

Try a different brand/manufacturer of recordable media.

You may need to update the "firmware" (software residing inside the writer) to allow it to recognize "newer" blank disks.

Note that "blank" disks have some data recorded on them, to identify the manufacturer and composition and capabilities of the media (2X? 4X? 8X?). So, the values on "new" disks may not be allowable by "old' firmware inside the writer.