I'm such a newbie - but I have learned so much from reading these posts! I've got 3 DVDs that I tried to burn, but was having problems with my burner (it's being replaced under warranty - yay), but my question is - is there a way to read or scan these DVDs to see if they're still blank? I don't know if maybe they had a little bit burned on them or not. I've got Decrypter (and Shrink, DVDFab Decrypter and VobBlank) - would I use that? Thanks in advance for your help (and not making fun of me! ha) -Also- Should I download ImgBurn (I believe that's the name) and then overwrite (I apologize for not knowing the terms) DVD Decrypter? Thanks so much! *Ü*
If the burn process started, and you received an error, they are as good as garbage. It doesn't matter if you were 1% in, or even .5% in, if it started to work/burn, you're screwed. If you're still not convinced, when asked to burn a disc, insert the said discs, and see if it's able to write. I'm guessing no, though. I have ImgBurn but only use it for dual layer burns (since it's better for the layer break). I still use Decryptor regularly.
Thank you for your help. That's the problem - I don't *know* if they've had anything burned on them or not. I'm waiting for my new DVD burner, so right now I'm unable to try them out. That's why I was wondering if there was a way to test them or ??something If they're toast, that's fine, I'll pitch 'em. Thanks also for the info on ImgBurn, I appreciate your posting to help me out!
@DebB, First, make sure you are using good media - Taiyo Yuden, Verbatim, my favorite is Maxell (made in Japan). You can only overwrite rewriteables, which is a good choice until you get the hang of things. I like using DvdInfoPro, there is a free version. Use it to find the make of your media (and what if anything is on it), change the booktype if your burner supports it, and scan your burns for crc errors. http://www.dvd-recordable.org/wwwimgs/media/flash/dvdinfopro/index.htm The free versions do expire, and sometime the updates can take up to a week.
Thank you mackdl for responding. Yes, I am using Verbatim (I learned that here!) I got the error message so quickly when I started to burn, that's why I don't know if anything actually burned onto the DVD or not. No, they are not rewriteable. I will download what you've suggested ~ thank you for your help!
Take one of those discs that you think has been written to. Take a new,empty disc out of your spindle. Turn both upside down.Look for the purple color change in the dye,starting from the inner hub to the outside. If it has been burned,then you'll see a very small purple ring-color change. If not,it'll look identical to the blank disc. What is the brand name and model # of your burner? What is the current firmware version of that drive? What is the speed rate and format of those verbs? I'm interpreting this thread as a possible firmware issue. Your firmware may not be up to date to handle those verbs.Especially if it is a little older drive,and you're trying to burn 16x speed verbs. Usually a fw update is in order if their is a failure during the lead-in phase of a burn.It means your fw can't handle that MID code. It'll try to burn,but no actual burn has taken place. Look for the discoloration of the inner dye-towards the hole.
Thank you saugmon for helping out! Following your advice of checking a blank DVD, I see that only 1 of the DVDs in question has been burned - I pitched it. We just bought our computer last month and the tech told me yesterday that our burner is Samsung (and they're replacing it, it's on its way). He told me the model #, but I didn't write it down because it's being replaced. I ofcourse will write down that info on the new one! You also asked: What is the current firmware version of that drive? This I don't know... What is the speed rate and format of those verbs? If speed rate is the speed at which I was attempting to burn, I have it set on 4X. I've burned approximately 35 DVDs from this same bundle of DVDs (Verbatims) and had no problems until a couple days ago. I'd just burned a DVD successfully about 2 days prior... I don't know what you mean by "format of those verbs" - sorry, I just don't know much about these things. Thank you for your help ~ I appreciate your time in helping me out.
Format of discs: Dash/Plus/dvd-ram. Speed rate: Verbatim +16x/ sony -1x-8x/ Maxell +8x/etc. Its says on the wrapper of your blank discs. 4x speed: That's what you burned those verbatims at. Now if I burned the Verbatim +16x at 4x speed,I have too many errors. I have to burn these at least 8x to get them to perform the best. Samsung Drives: I don't know a whole lot about them. I am a benq man. I got 4 of them and they will perform near perfectly. If you had a benq 1640 or higher,then yes-there is a way. It's called qsuite 2.0 and has a blank scanning test called qscan. It only takes a minute or 2,but you can set it at a certain speed/scan it/and it'll tell you if that benq drive is capable of burning it.Then you can increase that speed and scan it again. Do you have any Idea of what brand and model# of drive they are sending you?
I'm learning more each post... On the label it says DVD-R (So, then DVD-R is the format?) Verbatim 16X (16X is then the speed rate?) Okay - the next time I burn, I will set it to 8x - thank you for that information. The tech said they will be replacing our burner with the exact brand & model - all I caught was Samsung, I didn't catch the model number... and there is nothing in the information that came with the computer that gives any info on the burner - it's all supposed to be able to be accessed online. But to be honest - I've tried to find it a couple different times now on Gateway's site and was never successful. I'll ofcourse know more when the replacement burner arrives. I know I'm a whines - but I don't like it that we weren't given any manuals with the computer, that we're to access all our computer's guides/manuals online. Thank you so much for your help. I admit to being a little intimidated about posting, but everyone is always so kind (and patient!)
there is a program from Nero called cd/dvd speed this program is free and you get it at nero home page it allows you to scan the surface of a dvd or cd
