Can a chipset do this?

[showtime586]

I believe you are right, but it has refused to burn before when there was no overheating issue.
Apparantly, the advice I got from BJ (about DMA) must have helped, because I have had no issues since then. TRhe DMA channel was set wrong on the CDRom, not the burner, but the problem has not resurfaced. I guess it is one of those things that make you go "Hmmmmmmmmmmmm".