Hello, I am totally confused by this. I was able to burn twice in a row at 6X using Smartbuy 8x DVD-R (I know it's shit media, but I want to get rid of it and it works in my standalones). I then tried to burn with Verbatim 4X DVD-R. My burn failed at 97% due to "Positioning Error." The 109 made a locking sound and the burn stopped. I tried to do burn again using the same Verbatim, changed to Verbatim 4X DVD+R and then tried Smartbuy again. The DVR won't read the blank disk. It makes four locking sounds, beeps and shuts down. I haven't used any firmware yet since it was burning fine with 1.01. I am tempted to try the upgrade, but I am wondering if I can get a diagnosis from you guys first. Should my drive be returned, or will the firmware fix this? Has anyone else had this problem? Thanks so much guys. I appreciate it. Timbot
sounds like the burner is about to implode on itself. is it new? if so go and get a better one. if not, upgrade the stuff.
Hi dvdripdvd, I bought the burner 3 weeks ago. Should I even bother trying firmware or just ask for a new one?
Have you tried to reboot your computer? Sometimes that s quick fix. If not it can't hurt to update your firmware. I have had that same drive for a while now with no problems. Here is latest firmware http://www.pioneer-america.com/pna/article/0,,2076_4273_128163990,00.html should be 1.17 It is possible something happened to the drive, but lets hope not
don't even bother updating. just exchange it. but what the hell, wouldn't hurt to update the firmware.
Hey bbmayo, Yep - already tried rebooting the computer. I put the DVD+R Verbatim in, it rattled around a bit and was finally recognized after 60 seconds. I started to burn and it was going along sucessfully until 97% complete. Once again, I got a "positioning error", which then caused me to get an "unable to recover TOC" warning and "could not perform end of disc-at-once" to follow rapidly after. Given the sounds it's making, I am tempted to take it back. I will try the firmware - as long as I use the correct one (1.17), it won't reflect poorly on me when I try to exchange it, correct? Timbot
No they will have no way of knowing and its from the Manufacturer anyway and they tell you to do it... If its making strange sounds though that can't be good you probably need to replace it, but it cant hurt nothing to update the firmware..
Howdy Timbot421, welcome to aD, That does sound like a faulty burner - you might wish to exchange it - You say it's a "109" - do you mean a Pioneer 109 ? If so, get another one - it's what I have and is an excellent product though a lemon can happen in any product. As far as your media, here's a little something on that - Eliminating errors and going for the "Best burn" ~ Tips ~ When attempting to achieve the best burn, consider reducing that burn speed to the 4X area. Iffin you have a new 16X, DL burner, you'll probably do well at 6X. It is my feeling that 8X and over leads to occasional coasters, even when using top grade stuff such as Verbatim DataLife Plus media. The second part of the solution is to always use a decent grade media. I suggest something like those discs made by Taiyo Yuden, Ritek, Mitsubishi or RICOH. Unfortunately they are also the discs most plagued by pirate Mfgrs. and for that reason I like dealing with Mertline, Supermediastore OR Newegg who have a great return policy on their products. I have had great luck with RiData and Verbatim DataLife Plus discs and their prices are extremely reasonable. As a passing note, when buying Verbatim's, they come with a lifetime warrantee. Return them with your sales slip OR register receipt and a new one will be shipped to replace it. For the best online media stores to shop, try - Mertline.com http://meritline.com/ Newegg.com http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-132-344&depa=0 And, Supermediastore.com http://www.supermediastore.com/media1.html Something to watch out for, ~> In today's market, now more than any other time, beware of pirated fakes. DVD-R market plagued by fake media and inconsistent quality. Fake Taiyo Yuden media, and the current quality of RITEK products is discussed here. Is the quality of Verbatim affected by the fact that they are now outsourcing production to CMC, and Moser Bayer? http://www.cd-rw.org/articles/archive/dvd-r_media_report.cfm The DVD recordable media market: What's up with RITEK? What a convenient timing - few days after we publish articles about the quality issues on the DVD recordable media market, RiDisc promises to start delivering premium quality. They use strong words in describing their new RiDisc Xtreme products - "Grade AAA+ RITEK G05" and "zero tolerance quality control". http://cd-rw.org/articles/archive/ritek_dvd-r_quality.cfm DVD-R market plagued by fake media and inconsistent quality http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/6090.cfm DVD Video media quality notes; Memorex is an excellent example as DVD media goes. 90% of Memorex, made by CMC, is sub-standard as far as DVD backups are concerned, figures as high as 50% coasters have been reported (One member bought a stack of 50 and got 23 good burns.), not what I would call an impressive record. Memorex made a name for itself with their magnetic tapes (VHS and audio cassettes) and have been living off it ever since. There are 4 different companies that manufacture Memorex DVD's BTW and product quality varies widely as you might imagine. Only 10% of the Memorex out there, those are discs manufactured by Mitsubishi in the 25 pack spindle , and they're the exception - they are the good ones. It's easy to see now why the quality of a big-named company can't be trusted - " Who's making your Memorex tonight ?" Is it just Memorex ? No ! I just used Memorex as an example, Princo, Orange Pack, Great AZO and most "store" discs aren't all that suitable as a DVD backup media - that's why we are specific in the type of media we are recommending. 1. * Cheap media freezes, skips, pixelats and may refuse to be recognized by both burners and players :-( Besides "Freezing", "skips" many times you'll get a "Cyclic Redundancy error" or an "I/O error". This message can mean that your discs are scratched or dirty, it can also mean that your burner won't accept your "cheap" media :-( Another problem which, "Pops up" is a "*Power Calibration Error". This can stop you right in your tracks and most often is caused by, Yep, you guessed it, inexpensive media. *A "Power Calibration Error" can also be attributed to the Optical Components of a DVD Writer, though this isn't usually the case. Orange Pack, Princo, Great AZO and 90% of Memorex plus many others are just not that good for DVD burning. Those same discs however, are quite good for your MP3 music, picture archives, Spread sheets and Data..Even DataSafe G04's made by Ritek have been reported as an inferior quality media and are evoking that "Oh no, I shouldn't have gotten those." What we are suggesting is to download this DVD Identifier to find out who manufactured your DVD and if it's a decent quality. http://dvd.identifier.cdfreaks.com/ Once you have your disc identified, click the "More information" icon and see what information you're given. if you're not sure of the quality, come on back and we'll check it out for you - 2. A good grade, Hi-quality media is needed for DVD reproduction ! RiData, Phillips, Sony, "Branded" Ritek G04's or "Branded" Verbatim Data Life, Verbatim DataLife plus, Taiyo Yuden's and generally, almost any discs manufactured by Mitsubishi or RICOH are excellent bets. Among the better discs we're looking for, any media boasting "Advanced Metal AZO" - BUT it must say "METAL" AZO !, this indicates a superior dye and dye application on a good composite disc, while they are sometimes a bit "pricey" they are just the type of media we're looking for to do our DVD backups, Prices online from Meritline.com OR Newegg.com have gotten Ritek G04 starting at about a $ .45 (USD) a disc - For DVD backups, purchasing inexpensive media or even average media is a gamble, some people win BUT the majority lose, they lose varying amounts true but, they still lose :-( Using good grade media can guarantee you one thing to an absolute certainty; it surely cannot hurt. In an effort to clear the air, when I speak of "Cheap" or "Inexpensive" media, I'm not referring to the price you pay at the counter - I'm referring to poor quality control used during manufacturing and the quality of the dye, dye application or composite type used. I'm not saying it won't burn - Some may burn, some may not. It's quality is inconsistent, meaning it's not dependable. To make matters worse, many times the discs that you do burn may play in your PC BUT your standalone player may not accept them - what good then is a backup DVD that cannot be watched on a DVD player ? When I say "Branded," that means that when you pick up a disc in your hand, it says "Ritek" or "RiData" on the disc itself. The monetary cost of the media we recommend many times is cheaper than what you are purchasing now. We like to verify our information prior to recommending things. There are certain things we look at. For instance, when their dye and dye application are listed as unknown, this almost guarantees us they are using whatever they can get at a cheap price. Companies that use quality materials like to BRAG about it, naming names and staying with quality manufacturers who produce their media. Using DVD identifier and MediaMatch can help you find out a lot about what you're using. Purchasing your DVD media online can insure that you're getting quality merchandise at a good price. Shopping wisely will save you time, aggravation and money. Cheers, Pete
Thanks so much guys. I really appreciate all the great advice & how speedy it was. I will keep you informed as to how it plays out. Thanks! Timbot
