Hi everyone. I have a MicroAdvantage 2x/4x DVDR/RW drive which records on both + and - media. It's hooked directly to my motherboard, not passing through another drive, and with nothing else passing through it. It has worked fine for a few years now, including with the current DVD+R media brand that I'm trying to use. Now, for some reason, it won't record DVDs. Here's what I've tried. 1. Opened the machine to ensure that connections are solid. 2. Ensured that device was visible in My Computer, and that it was listed as working properly. 3. Had the device read a data DVD, had it play a home authored DVD which was burned using that same drive and burned onto the same media type/brand that I'm now trying to use. Had it play a commercial DVD. All of these work. 4. Burned data, audio and video CDs on the drive using RecordNow 4.60, which is the recording software I have always used due to my visual impairment. All of these things worked fine. Here's what I've tried that didn't work. 1. Using RecordNow 4.60 to burn a DVD movie by burning it as a Data DVD and adding the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders. Received no errors, but both computer DVD-ROM drives and 2 different brands of stand-alone players showed as No Disc when attempted to play. 2. Used RecordNow 4.60 to burn a data disc of various AVI files such as TV shows for play on my stand-alone Philips DVP-642. Both Philips stand-alone and computer DVD-ROM showed No Disc when attempted to play, though burn was supposedly successful. 3. Used RecordNow v4.60 to record a DVD image. Tried both ISO and IMG formats, both data and video images. Had my roommate burn all images tried on his machine and they all worked fine, so know the files were good, but received same result, No Disc, when burned on my machine. 4. Used DVD Decrypter to burn an image, with the same No Disc result on both PC and stand-alone players. Roommate used same version of DVD Decrypter, same image file, and same type/brand of DVD on his machine and it worked perfectly. 5. Used DVD2One v2 to compress/burn a decrypted DVD. Same result on PC and stand-alone players, No Disc. Roomate used same decrypted DVD file set, same version of DVD2One, same brand/type of DVD and worked perfectly with no playback problems on PC or stand-alones. Could this be some sort of hardware problem? I've tried to eliminate every other issue I could come up with, as in bad files, software problems, bad connection, etc., and still can't get it to work. It seems like some sort of hardware issue is all that's left, but I'm not certain that it can be a hardware issue since the same drive burns CDs of all types with same software just fine. I thought maybe it was a DVD brand/type compatibility issue, but I've been using these exact same DVDs for 8+ months now with no problem. I thought maybe I'd gotten a bad batch of DVDs, but I've opened 3 different spindles from 3 different stores with no change. I tried a different brand of DVD+R's thinking maybe that was the issue. No change. No matter what I do/try, I can now only get the drive, which was working up until 3 weeks ago, to burn CDs. I cannot get a working DVD from the drive no matter what I attempt. Any ideas? Thanks! Elara
Hi Elara, This topic is 'vast' and I am a lazy typist, but I would like to help if I can. These types of problems are usually because of incorrect burning technique. Burning a DVD and 'authoring a compliant DVD video' are not always the same thing. Let me look at your won't-work things, by number: 1. Won't work. This is normal. 2. This should work. I do this! You just put AVIs right into the root of the DVD, as many as will fit. If the standalone sees no disk, it was possibly not finalized properly - set your burn to finalize disk, no further sessions possible, write disk-at-once. 3. Same deal, this should work, burning ISOs is simple right? But maybe your technique needs something ie. response 2. Again, no multisession, burn disk-at-once. 4. Yeesh - your burner is not looking good at this point. Is it truly kaput? You say you have successfully used these very blanks previously? If it is not the blanks (a firmware issue) and Decrypter won't burn ISO images either, then I dunno... 5. Same deal, No Disk often means issues with burning technique, not finalized or whatever. There is also the issue of BookType, but only with DVD+R blanks, and it's not usually a problem unless you have old DVD players from the 90's... I would download the latest Nero 6.6.0.18 (Package1) from here: http://www.nero.com/nero6/enu/nero-up.php And using it I could quickly determine if your Burner is pooched or not - it is entirely possible I suppose that it has expired and 'given up the ghost' as it were... Not to worry - new 16x burners are dirt-cheap! I recommend Lite-On IT, NEC, Sony (Lite-On) and of course Plextor - the best. So be happy if your MicroAdvantage has broken! You can now replace it with something far superior, and you'll wish you'd done it sooner (you'll be happy :^) Let us know if anything happens, Regards
Hi The_OGS, and thanks so much for the reply. Sorry that I didn't put in my previous post, but I did go into the options for each burn attempt, with each of the 3 pieces of software that I tried, and made sure that the disk was single session/finalized. When I first started having the problem, I noticed that my first disk done with RecordNow v4.60 was not finalized. I thought AHA, I've got it! So, from then on, no matter what I was trying, I made sure I had a single session, finalized, or closed depending on what word the software chooses to use, disc. No effect. Like I said, for the past 8+ months, I've been using this same drive, same type/brand of DVD media, exact same pieces of software/software versions, and same decryption/burning method, depending on if I was just throwing avi's on to the root, or decrypting/compressing/burning a DVD. It worked without a hitch until 3 weeks ago. I've not changed anything. No firmware update on the drive. No new media types/brands, at least not until after the problem started and I was trying to determine what it might be, no software version changes, no changes in the method I'd been using which had been working, and the same DVD players which had been playing my previous outputs with no problem. Honestly, the only thing that changed over that 8+ month time period is that I ran the basic Windows Updates, and I've kept my AnyDVD version up to date. We had a few power outages. My machine was off when we had them, and is on a basic surge protector, but, I don't know, maybe. *SHRUG* I really can't figure out what else it might be other than a hardware problem, but then I wasn't sure how it could be a hardware problem if the computer sees/reads from the drive just fine. I can open a file from a DVD using that drive. Plus, it burns CDs just fine. I just absolutely cannot get it to burn a DVD no matter what I try. I would download Nero, but, due to the Windows color scheme and screen magnification software that I have to use, Nero's color scheme isn't compatible. I keep getting things like black text on a black background, and I've even called Nero's tech support for help with this, and was told that it really couldn't be helped because I wasn't using a standard color scheme. I have similar issues with Alcohol and Easy CD/DVD Creator 8. I can't even use the current version of RecordNow due to color incompatibilities and not being able to read many of the prompts/options. That's why I'm still back on RecordNow 4.60. I know it's old, but it was the best thing I've found to work with my color needs, and my need for LESS graphical interfaces. It had been working with no problem up until 3 weeks ago, and it still works fine for burning any type of CD. Each just DVDs that I can't make work, with any of the 3 programs I've tried. Thanks for any help/advice. I really can't figure this one out. Elara
hi Elara, what stands out here is something not obvious to the avg. dvd "backup-er"~ LOL when you say, "same type/brand of DVD media"...this could POSSIBLY be the reason for the troubles you are having now... let me explain... dvd media is basically MY specialty here on AfterDawn, regardless of whice "brand" or format of dvd blank media that you purchase, MANY companies change their actual MANUFACTURERs of their media...for example, Verbatim (the company name or "brand" that people are familiar with, SELLS/markets blank media to the public) used to have media made for them by a crap of a manufacturer called CMC Magnetics Corp...or CMC MAG for short (media ID coding) but, now, for the most part in their higher rated discs 8x/16x, they use Mitsubishi Chemicals Corp. (MCC for short) to manufacturer their media that is "branded" Verbatim in local stores and online. the quality difference between the two MANUFACTURERs is mind boggling...but, they BOTH made media sold under the "Verbatim" brand/label~ it's somewhat of a crap-shoot these days to just walk into a store and pick up a spindle of Verbatims (and MANY OTHER COMPANY BRANDS, ie. Fuji, Sony, HP, Philips, TDK , Memorex, the list continues) and know you got the "good ones" (made by MCC are terrifc, CMC MAG is crap) so, with that in mind, if i may ask, what "brand" and rated speed/format of dvd media are you currently using?...and to my understanding HAVE BEEN USING for these "few years" that have proven to be successful for you? once you tell me the "brand" and format, i can almost immediately tell you off the top of my head whether or not that company has ever "outsourced" their dvd media to the poor quality manufacturers in the past...or are doing it recently~ like i said, this MIGHT be a simple resolution IF IN FACT your drive is not "dead/kaput" at this time...the fact that you have stated nothing has changed in your burn process and the drive STILL reads and burn CDs properly definitely POINTS me towards a DVD MEDIA issue~ (assuming your dvd drive is not a "goner" just yet) you could have quite possibly been using dvd media that was MANUFACTURED by the same MANUFACTURER (meaning the company/brand did not change their MANUFACTURER during this time) for 8+ months...and your drive happens to "like" this particular manufacturer's media...when you went to go purchase and try 3 more different spindles, PERHAPS the manufacturer of said media has been changed to a different manufacturer that your drive DOES NOT LIKE... so anyways, if this is a [bold]dvd media issue[/bold], i will guide you through it by hand...you can ask anyone on AD that knows me by name, if your issue is DIRECTLY related to choice/usage of certain dvd media, i am the one that will have the best chance of getting you through it... lemme know docTY~ p.s. if your drive is indeed on it's "way out"; then the best media in the world will not help you, but if the possibility is THERE, that your drive still has a breath of life left in it, you COULD be up and burning dvds again with a proper choice of dvd media that is to your drive's liking...
Hi docTV, and thanks so much for the response. The DVDs that I was using for 8+ months were actually Office Depot 4x DVDs. I had purchased a spindle of those, and things were working fine with that particular 100 pack, then, one burn, they weren't. Now, my roommate can use the exact same spindle, the one I can't get to work, on his PC with no issue. So, because I thought maybe I had a bad batch of DVDs or something, I bought a 50 pack of TDK 8x DVDs. These will also not work on my drive, but that same 50 pack works fine on my roommate's PC/DVD-RW drive. Finally, I tried a 25 pack, it might have been a 20 pack, not sure, of Memorex 16x DVDs, because I thought maybe the faster speed DVDs might be higher quality or something than what I'd been trying, and thought maybe that might help me out. These also won't work on my drive, but that same spindle works with no glitches on my roommate's drive. Even if all 3 of these brands/speeds were manufactured by the same company, or all 3 happened to be manufactured by crap companies, would you think it might still be a media issue since all 3 work on my roommate's machine. BTW, my roommate is not using the same DVD burner that I am. He has a dual-layer burner, don't know the brand/speed of his drive, but, maybe his drive, being much newer than mine, can handle all of these even if they were all manufactured by a crap company, but my drive, since it's much older, can't? I dunno. Thanks to everybody for your help/advice. Elara
hi elara, if the case seems that no matter WHiCH dvds you use, but they ALL work on your roommates' computer, but simply will NOT on yours...then i believe that your burner is on it's way out i'm afraid~ no point in beating a dead horse right? i think based on what you have tried on both YOUR system and on his/hers, you've pretty much covered all the bases in terms of media... all 3 of those media that you have used, with the exception of the Office Depot branded 4x are CRAP...especially the TDK and Memorex~ the Office Depot brand uses Ritek as their manufacturer...on the 4x dvd+r, you would have gotten the RitekR02 and on the 8x speed, the RitekR03 (both are good budget media, not the best, but very decent) TDK's own media sux...that's just MY opinion of them...but nevertheless...and with the Memorex...you COULD have gotten the dreaded CMC MAGs or the "better" Ricohjpn manufactured ones...either way, this is just FYI for future media purchases, but not relevant to what you are dealing with here in terms of your dvd burner being on it's last leg... i think it's time for a new dvd burner at this point, you've exhausted all the possible reasons as to why it no longer works anymore...good dvd burners are very inexpensive nowadays for GOOD QUALITY burners...probably cheaper than than what you initially paid for your current drive "back in the day" i would recommend a Benq burner personally, but if you have the $$, you can't go far wrong w/ the Plextors...good luck. docTY~
