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General discussion

Faulty DVD-RW?

Sep 2, 2004 9:56PM PDT

Hi Every1,


I wonder if any1 has had the same problem as me.

I have a Pioneer 107 DVD writer and copied some files (using Nero) to a new DVD-RW. Fine, this worked.

When I came to use Nero to "Erase Disc", the software got caught up in the middle of the erasing and now the disc is "not valid" or "not accepted".

Any ideas on

a) Why this is happening,
b) How to avoid and
c) Is there anyway to re-use the DVD-RW disc, or have I got myself another coaster???

Many Thks,

rgds,


chandwpl

Discussion is locked

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Re: Faulty DVD-RW?
Sep 2, 2004 11:00PM PDT

I have the same problem since I upgraded to Easy Media Creator 7. Tried to copy some files to a CD-RW with "Drag to Disc" now I have at least 4 CD-RW that are junk. If I put one in my drive the light flashes very fast and I cant eject the disk I have to re-boot the system. I am running XP Home SP1.

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Re: Faulty DVD-RW?
Sep 3, 2004 12:07AM PDT

My Pioneer failed recently. I found a new Teac all format drive for under 50 bucks and that fixed the issue.

Just like when a CDRW fails, the owner goes into denial that the drive may have failed. I have no cure for them.

They should try a CD/DVD lens cleaner and another make of media. They usually have tried uninstalling, reinstalling the recording software.

These drives don't last forever and many die sooner because few make sure the case is cooled well.

Sorry to read about your loss.

Bob

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Re: Faulty DVD-RW?
Sep 5, 2004 8:29AM PDT

You don't mention your OS. If Win 98, use your search function and find this file: scsi1hlp.vxd , and rename the extension to something like .bak. This file is a virtual device driver, and cause nothing but headaches with burners.

How old is your drive, and how heavily do you use it? As Bob mentioned, it could simply be dying. That said, I've had around a dozen burners over the years; 4 under XP, and not a single one failed. I think my experience with burners differs from Bob's in that Bob deals with LOTS of systems, where I generally deal only with my own, and, overall, I guess I've been lucky ('cept see my own post above, lol). When encountering problems with burners, I do all or most of the following in no particular order:
1. Look for a firmware upgrade at the vendor's site.
2. Enable DMA, set DMA to "auto" in the BIOS. If DMA is already enabled, DISable it; you'll probably be in something like PIO mode 4. If the problem remains or gets worse, go back to original settings.
3. If the burner is the master on the secondary channel, make it the slave; if slave, make it the master, or slave it to the primary channel. Point: make it the opposite of what it is now. CHECK THE JUMPERS FOR THE PROPER SETTINGS!
4. Flash the BIOS for your motherboard.
I don't do firmware or BIOS upgrades just for the sake of upgrading. I read what the upgrade is for; if I feel the upgrade doesn't apply to me, then I don't bother.
5. Check for compatibility of your burning software and your burner, and see if there's any patches that address your issue.
6. DO NOT have 2 types of packet writing software;e.g. InCD & DLA, or DirectCD. Have only ONE type of packet writing software, as they tend to conflict.
7. If using XP, disable XP's built in burning software, since you're using 3rd party software, and they often conflict with XP's burning utility.
8. Is this the first time you've used this brand of media? Buy ONE brand of various type of media and test them for compatibility. Check the vendor's website for their "approved" list of vendors.

Don't want to deal with the hassle? Burners are cheap; buy a new one. Good luck.

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Re: Faulty DVD-RW?
Sep 7, 2004 2:16AM PDT

Hi,

Many Thanks to Jonathan, Bob and Brandon for your replies. Sorry for the delayed reply - long weekend away.

I am actually running XP with SP2. (SP2 downloaded from microsoft.com)

My Pioneers DV-107 drive is actually 2 mths old and this is probably only the 6th time I have used it with a DVD-RW disc! I haven't really burnt many DVD-R's neither....maximum 10. So, to me anyway, all in all, still a brand new drive.

FYI, the 2 discs which failed are IMATION brand. Dunno if this is sold in the UK specifically, or worldwide. I have tried a different brand too - Ritek. Will see if I can erase a Ritek tonight.

Thanks to Brandon for the numerous suggestions. My DVD-Rom drive is the Master drive, but, pls bear in mind, it's OK on 1st burn. It's only the erasing which is the problem and subsequently buggers up the -RW disc.

OK, I will try some of your suggestions and report back asap.

Thanks again.

rgds,


chandwpl