Before, it was showing up intermittently. I tried it again today and the drive icon stayed onscreen the whole time. And it also showed up in Windows DVD Maker software as a selectable drive. I clicked on 'Burn' and the encoding process started. All was going well until the burning process began. At that point, a message appeared which said: "Cannot create the DVD. The CD / DVD device is no longer responding. Please make sure it is connected to the computer and powered on." At that point, it started making loud noises until I shut it down.
This thing is powered entirely by usb (there are two usb cables I have to connect.) I wonder if the issue could be not enough power is supplied via usb for the burning process? I think it is possible to plug it into the mains power but I don't think the necessary attachment came with the packaging.