I have been having trouble doind any DVD burning using my G4 iMac Superdrive. It writes fine to CD-R, but will not write to DVD. I get the following message:- Drive reported an error Sense Key-Illegal request Sense code- 0x30,0x08 Cannot write-application code mismatch The OSX reports.......Can't set up track for writing I am using Mac The Ripper, and then all i do is drag the vidoe files into Toast Titanium 7 My Mac should be able to write to DVD-RW, I do know that they cannot write to DVD+RW HELP
I'm having the same problems. I have a tuned-up Lombard G3 powerbook running a 433HZ G4 chip. 512MB RAM. The Superdrive unit is the same as on the Apple G4 Powerbooks. The error I get after 3 mins of burning a DVD-R at 1X speed on Verbatim DVD-R media is: The Drive reported an error. Sense Key = HARDWARE ERROR Sense Code = 0x3E, 0x02 TIMEOUT ON LOGICAL UNIT I am trying to burn a DVD-R from a Video_TS folder after having ripped it using MR2.66. I have tried using the Toast 7 option of burning a DVD-R from a Video_TS. That gave me the above error after about two minutes (and that was after a compression time of nearly 2 hours . Thinking the compression under Toast may have screwed things up, I recompressed the ripped files using DVD2onex to a size of 4400 MB. Tried burning to a DVD-ROM format following [bold]Mediaguru's[/bold] excellent DVD walkthrough, but the same error appears again. It looks like some kind of hardware issue, but I have no idea what. I know that there is a firmware flash to improve the early superdrives (2X DVD, 16X CD-R and DVD-RW capabilities). Would that help? I don't want to get into flashing firmware unless it's absolutely necessary. Anyone got any ideas?
Well, I flashed the Matshita Superdrive since I had no other options. At least I have managed to gain 16X CD-R burning now, which was previously restricted. I also gained 2X DVD-R burning, but I am still trying to burn DVD-Rs at 1X. I have tried several different DVD-R discs and I am still having problems. CD-Rs burn fine and I even managed to burn mp3s onto a DVD-R, so I don't think it's the Superdrive (unless it's just dirty inside) After flashing the Superdrive, the error I get now from Toast 7.0 is: The drive reported an error: Sense Key = MEDIUM ERROR Sense Code = 0x02 NO SEEK COMPLETE This appears after about 2-3 minutes. All that seems to get burnt onto the DVD-R is the menu part of the DVD (where you select the languages etc). The movie itself never burns. To a layman like me, this would appear to be a media error (ie the brand of DVD-R), but since I have tried Verbatims, TDKs and Sony to no avail, this seems very odd to me. Here in Spain it is hard to find many other brands. Most seems to be TDK or unknown own-brand DVDs sold by the big stores like FNAC. I'm wasting a fortune on media that don't work. Please, does anyone have an answer to this? I was wondering if perhaps Toast 7.0 isn't working properly (should I go back to an early version), or perhaps I haven't ripped the Video_TS file correctly in MactheRipper. Can anyone help?
Hi How have you flashed your Superdrive, I have done this on a PC but not a Mac, I would hate to mess up my beloved iMac. If I am brave enough i will do the same. By the way, Mac the Ripper does it'd job very well, and the DVD copy beautifully onto the hard drive, it's just the burning onto DVD I still cannot do! Twingo
Hi again I have found the update download, and downloaded it but when installing it says that it is NOT for my model (I have a G4 17inch flat screen iMac) I am beginning to think that my mac does not have a Superdrive! Twingo
Hi Twingo, Looks like it's just you and me I had my old Powerbook G3 sooped up with a G4 processor about 2 years ago, and at the same time they added a DVD player. The CD/DVD unit is a Matshita Superdrive UJ 815 which I was told was the same unit as in some of the newer G4 powerbooks out at the time (2004). Whilst trying to solve the DVD-R burning problems I came across this site where you can find firmware upgrades for these superdrives. They won't work unless your superdrive is the model specified in the info (check it with the Apple system profiler or Toast) http://superdrive.cynikal.net/ I don't think the firmware flash has helped my burning problem, but at least I gained a region free DVD player (you also need Region X), 16X CD-R burning and 2X DVD if I can ever get the bloody thing to work! I tried burning again today with some other brands of DVD-R and still no luck - although using the "DVD-R from Video_TS" option in Toast 7.0 got things a little further. At the moment I am trying to clean up my HD with DiskWarrior to see if it helps. I may also try cleaning the DVD unit itself (you never know). Asfar as Toast 7.0 goes, I have no more info. I may try going back to 6.1. I'm really stumped on this and I'm tired of paying for DVD coasters. If DiskWarrior doesn't help, I'm calling the mac tech guy from work and see if he can help. I'll let you know how it goes.
Hi, Well, yesterday was another saga. In trying to burn a 3.03 boot disc for DiskWarrior, I was getting the same error code as for burning the DVDs. I've never had problems burning CD-Rs before installing either the firmware flash or Toast 7.0. Curiously I had switched CD media from TDK CD-R to Verbatim CD-R (both good brands) and the Verbatims were really playing up until I dropped the CD_R burning speed to 4X (which is pathetic but at least it worked). So this leads me to believe this burning problem could be one of five things: 1. The burn speed (but since I was burning at 1X for DVD anyway, I'm screwed here if it is this) 2. The media (could also be the speed at which the CD/DVD is rated. Problem is that now it is very hard to find low speed DVDs - they are all at least 4X) 3. The firmware flash (but I can burn something, so I don't think it's this. A bad flash would screw the drive completely I think) 4. Toast 7.0 5. Some glitch on the computer (RAM, HD space etc) I will try and eliminate 5 and 4 by running Diskwarrior and going back to an earlier version of Toast. I'll post here later if I see any difference.
Hi Twingo, If your Superdrive is a Pioneer version, perhaps you need this: http://www.apple.com/hardware/superdrive/ Good luck rumblefix
[bold]Today I burnt my first DVD-R!!!!![/bold] I couldn't believe it. I was sat there for 45 minutes just waiting for the disc to bomb out like all the others, but no - it completed and verified ok! It's early days, and I have to try burning some more discs, but this is what I did. Maybe it will help you. 1. I threw out Toast 7.0 and went back to Toast 6.07. I am running OSX10.3.9 (Panther) so there maybe some issues with the new Tiger version of Toast and my computer/superdrive. If burning is still buggy, I may try other earlier versions like 6.09 or 6.03. I don't know which system you have. If you have Tiger, try Toast 6.1 (or 6.11). It is Tiger compatible, but doesnt have all the bells an whistles of Toast 7.0 2. I am using Maxell 1-8X DVD-R media. They have gold tops printed in green. I made some coasters under Toast 7.0 but today's first burn in 6.07 went ok. 3. I'm burning at 1X speed. The firmware flash gave me 2X capability, but I won't try that until I am sure burning at 1X is ok. 4. I am burning using the DATA tab in Toast and NOT the VIDEO tab. Go to the DATA tab and select DVD-ROM (UDF). Create a new disk and name it using capital letters LIKE_THIS. Drag and drop a VIDEO_TS and an AUDIO_TS (empty) folder into this tab. Insert a blank DVD and burn at your lowest speed. I tried using the create' DVD-R from VIDEO_TS folder' option in the VIDEO tab, but it sucks big donkey nuts (for me anyway). 5, Start up COLD. This is a paranoia, but it was worth a try. I started up the mac from cold (ie it had been switched off for several hours) and unplugged all peripherals and routers beforehand so the only thing running is Toast. 6. Previously I had cleaned up the HD with DiskWarrior 3.03. I also cleaned a load of stuff off my HD to leave enough HD space for expansion during Toast (leave at least 20GB) 7. I cleaned the DVD unit with a TDK lens cleaning disk. Again, paranoia, but you never know. Those are the major tricks that I tried. I honestly think the problem was with Toast, and to some extent the brand of DVD-R. Let me know if anything works for you. Incidentally, I gave up hope of anyone else helping us here, so I wrote to the technical guy who did the custom job on my mac. If he comes back to me, I'll pass on his info. I also spent hours on the internet looking for solutions and all I could find was 'try different media'. I did find a couple of posts about Toast problems, so that's what led me to try an older version. To get any help here you need to write a post header like "I'M A NAUGHTY HOUSEWIFE AND MY SUPERDRIVE NEEDS SPANKING".
Twingo - I forgot this: http://forum.rpc1.org/dl_search.php It might help you locate a firmware updater for your SONY superdrive (you can get the specific drive details - model and current firmware - of your superdrive from your apple system profiler)
I thought it was too good to be true. Things are back to normal now, with more bombed out DVDs. I think I am going to buy a new external Lacie FW DVD burner. They are only 100 euros and can burn up to 16X on a DVD. In the end it'll work out cheaper than wasting money on DVDs that don't burn. I'm not sure if Toast was the problem after all. I think it could be that the firmware on the superdrive is out of date because it is so old, and I guess there is no way to bring it up to speed with the new DVD media. Most are now rated at at least 8X.
Ha............great minds think alike!!!! I will be buying an external DVDRW to plug in to iMac and PC! I will have a look on Ebay! Twingo
Well, the story continues. Yesterday I was bored, so I flashed the superdrive firmware to the original apple spec (which I think is different to the firmware that originally was in the drive). I only gives me 8X CD-R, 1X DVD-R now, but I thought I might as well try it. Anyway I manged to burn two DVD-Rs back to back, and the machine wasn't cold either. So now I'm wondering if it was a combination of a bad batch of Maxells and/or the firmware. I'll try and burn some more (I don't have any more movies to back up yet!) and see how it goes. I may even try TOAST 7.0 again if things look ok.
Well that didn't last long. Shouldn't have opened my trap. Back to making coasters again I'm joining you and buying a 16X DVD writer next week. Which one are you going to get? rumblefix
I have a mac mini with the Matshita superdrive. I have had all sorts of problems in relation to dvd burning. I purchased a spool of TDK-R 16x, and made about 10 coasters before i put the problem down to a media issue. The errors i was getting were, The drive reported an error: Sense key = ILLEGAL REQUEST Sense Code = 0x21, 0x02 BUFFER UNDERUN & The Drive reported an error: Sense Key = ILLEGAL REQUEST Sense Code = 0x30, 0x05 CANNOT WRITE MEDIUM INCOMPATIBLE FORMAT I noticed that i could not check the ' buffer underun protection' box in the burn options, which was a mistery to me. Thinking it was a media issue, i bought a spool of ritek DVD-R 8x. I had the same errors. Even with 16x rated media, i am limited to 2x. i have been trying to burn files larger than 4 GB, and have not been happy with the drive at all. I think i have had one success out of 20. i took the computer to an apple shop to get the techs to look at it, and am still waiting on their results. i sugest you take a look at the following web page. you will find you two are not alone! http://superdrive.crc.id.au/ This problem is evident in many machines, and apple has not taken an action to rectify the issue.
Hey Funk! Welcome aboard the drowning superdrive ship I don't know much on the tech front - I can only pass on bits of advice that I have picked up scouring the net and various other forums. And of course the things I have tried myself. As you have a Mac Mini I guess your superdrive is a little more up to date than ours. What are the speeds for reading/writing that you are supposed to be able to achieve with it? The UJ-815 was restricted to 1X DVD-R, but there is a firmware patch to take it to its 2X potential. I don't think it can safely burn faster than that. Yours may be the UJ-835E mentioned in the petition you posted. What does your Apple System Profile say it is? And which firmware version does it have? If it is this drive it may be capable of faster speeds than ours, but I don't know. A BUFFER UNDERRUN error suggests that you are burning to fast for your drive to cope with, which is why you are being limited to 2X. You could try cleaning up your HD and giving yourself more HD space to work with, maybe that would help. Also don't run any other programs in the background and disconnect your internet and peripherals so nothing is interfering with the burn. The MEDIUM INCOMPATIBLE error suggests that you may need to try another brand of DVDs (yeah, that old story). Many people reccommend Taiyo Yuden, Riteks, Verbatims, and Maxells. I have had some success with Maxells and Verbatims. Try those instead of your TDKs. You can find the Taiyo Yudens here: www.rima.com You might want to check your blank DVD media with this software: http://macupdate.com/info.php/id/17154 It scans the info on the DVD and in the window at the bottom on the right hand side will appear info about the actual manufacturer of the DVD. So you can see if your batch of DVDs are really as good as you thought. Check the manufacturer code against the ones on this site: www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm You can look for new firmware updates here: www.rpc1.org But looking at the petition you posted, I suspect that the problem is that there are no firmware updates that can help. Still it's worth a look - there are some smart people on these forums and sometimes they crack it. The last thing about burning files bigger than 4GB. You have to be careful that you don't exceed 4300MB. A DVD cannot actually hold 4.75GB. It is closer to 4400, so you need to compress a big file to fit under 4400. Also burning at the outer edges of a DVD (when you are getting above 4GB can cause problems as the disc is not as stable spinning here). That's another reason to try and keep your files under 4400MB I hope some of this helps you. As I said, I'm not a tech expert, but one thing I do know: when you have a problem and noone answers, it's a pain in the ass Good luck
nice info guys.. really dont hang out here.. i'm usually in the mac forums and the dvd media forums... as far as the lacie drives go... I LUV THEM. here's what i got.. http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=10071 great drive.. and if you update to latest firmware via the lacie site.. this drive will also booktype your (+) media! http://www.lacie.com/support/drivers/index.htm
Hi Thelox! Wow, our little Mac hideaway is getting popular now. Pity our damn superdrives are up shit creek without a paddle I was going to post over in the mac forum initially, but being a newbie I thought I should stay clear. Glad to see you dropped by. I think I saw your username over at another forum whilst I was scouring for any info on this damn superdrive problem. I forget the name of it now. Yes, today I picked up a Porsche designed Lacie to go with the matching external Lacie HDs I have. Those little babies are great, and really small. Funny thing is, I also picked up a spindle of Verbatim DVD-Rs in the same shop, tried to burn one on my superdrive for the hell of it, and guess what - it worked. However, I have been led up this garden path so many times before that I need to try it again to prove its not a fluke. If it does work, I have found the answer to the superdrive bug: go out and blow 120 euros on a new external burner, and your knackered superdrive will suddenly work perfectly. Sod's Superdrive Law.
i also do have a triple interface 250gb.. great drive.. didnt pay anything.. gf got it for me.. she knows how treat me..
