I back up all my DVD's in the +R format. I have been doing this for years. For Xmas my roommate bought me an "Emprex Dual 16x Internal DVD+R/RW Drive. The dics I have backed up will play on all the DVD's we have in the house except the most important, my bedroom. And it comes up with an "Invalid DIsc" error. I tried using a -R format (running out of reasons) and it still didn't work. Have any ideas or just a description of what an Invalid Disc is? I use DVD Express to backup and haven't had any problems for years. Is it just the case of why get a new burner when the old one worked just fine? I know, just because the car can go 200 miles an hour doesn't mean I have to drive it that fast Any help will be greatly appreciated. LLLevis
You failed to mention the manufacturer ID of your media that you burn to! Are you using quality media? Verbatim, Taiyo Yuden, Maxell, Sony just to name a few great top of the line media!
I use either Sony, Maxwell or TDK. Strange thing is that they will play on all the other DVD players, just this one gets the error. And I have tried older disc's too see if maybe it was my player but they play just fine. I even thought maybe it was a bad batch of disc's but then why would they play on other DVD players? LOL I know and yes I am driving everyone nuts with this LOL I know it something real simple that I am over looking
What's the model number? Is it one of the ones on this link? http://www.emprex.com/02_products_01.php?group=57&PHPSESSID=f7f21b16a4b6f7ec53e55db8cf4c9d8e Besides the brand, it's handy to know the manufacturer, as Sony 8X +R is either Taiyo Yuden (MIJ) or Sony (MIT). Both are good. Ever think it might be the player and not the burner. There's a lot to be said about firmware. I'm not familiar with Emprex. If it will booktype, select typing to DVD ROM for the DVD +R (it only works with +R). It sometimes helps with compatibility if you have the option. Otherwise you may have 2 incompatible pieces of hardware; especially since the other players around the house play the backup and only the one in your bedroom won't. I've upgraded firmware on both DVD burners and standalone players. Yours may or may not have upgrades. I'm not sure that is your problem, but it has all the earmarks.
I am going to assume that you have tried a few of your older backups on the "Bedroom" DVD Player to make sure that it is still in proper working order. The "Invalid Disk" error means that the player doesn't recognize the Format on the disk. Since the disks play perfectly on your other players, and DVD+R is a supported format on the Bedroom Player, there are a couple of things to do before tossing the new burner out of the window. If you have a DVD Lens Cleaning Disk, run that a few times. It is possible that the Bedroom player just has a dirty read lens. Also, it's possible that the DVD+R disks that you're using aren't compatable with that player; of course if you're using the same disks that you have always used, that possibility goes out the window. Keep in mind that if the disks play on your other players, then the "Emprex" burner is working as advertised. Center your efforts on either the DVD Player or the Blank Media. - Mike -
What did I say? If the system conflict can't be resolved, the cheapest out is to put the old drive back. The next cheapest, while keeping the Emprex, is to buy an inexpensive player at a discount center like Wal Mart. I ran into a similar situation, but with a friend's burner. He tried one of his backups on my Standalone. It wouldn't work. I copied it to another disc using my PC and it worked. Discs burned on his burner were incompatible with my player and there was nothing wrong with either. The drive was the likely culprit, but his media may have been at fault, but the manufacturer code was for similar media I used under other brands. You're the unlucky person with both incompatible items in your possession. I fear if you aren't able to solve the problem with a firmware upgrade or, on an outside chance, a media change, you're looking at an equipment change if you want to have everything compatible.
Unfortunately, with the delays the boards have been having, your post and the one above it did not exist when I started my reply. Nice to see that we were both on the same wave length though. - Mike -
Seems to happen quite often around here on delays. A lot of traffic during the busy hours I guess. I sometimes get distracted and even leave a post hung in windows for a while. The curse of multitasking. LOL This one is an aggravating problem, but nothing new. As I noted in an edit, I had a similar problem, only I didn't have both pieces of equipment. Firmware or media is about all it could be and most likely the firmware in one way or the other. You can't say either piece of equipment is bad as they both function proplerly with other drives and players.
I thank you all for all your help. I shall try everything you have suggested. If you hear loud screams coming from Arizona, you'll know it still doesn't work LongLeggedLevis
Check manufacturer support for firmware upgrades to see if there are any, then use a good DVD +R you've had good experience with in the past. Booktype if possible. With the equipment working well with other equipment, media doesn't sound likely. The problem is there may end up being no resolution. The problem may well be built into the equipment. If I hear the screams, I'll know what happened. Not all problems with electronics have solutions, sometimes we have to settle for a good guess as to the cause and move on. Often with relatively inexpensive equipment, the cost of the cure would outweigh the cost of buying a piece of hardware that will work.
