Sony DVD/CD Revwritable External Drive

[Roxann (sis)]

I mistakenly downloaded Nec 3540A 1.04 firmware and now my Nec 3540A internal DVD recorder will not record or erase cds, it will record onto a dvd..strange!

Since I'm in the DVD burn business (Legacy of Life DVD) which is scanned photos, narration, video; life stuff, I needed a good burner, so after reseaching, purchased an external Sony DRX-830U. I'm also checking out the best internal recordable drive, which I will install.

 

My question: is the Sony DRX-830U compatible with Roxio 8 Creator or even Creator 9? Will I be able to burn a dvd from MyDVD after creating it in video wave? If not direct, is there a way around it?

 

Hardware Info:

AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3500+ 2200MHz

Bus speed:200MHz

Motherboard: MICRO-STAR MS-7184

System: Gateway T6524

BIOS: Phoenix 6.00 PG

Memory 1024 MB (129ns)

Sound: Realtek AC97 Audio

Video: NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440-SE

Windows XP Media Center 2005

[gi7omy]

Nowadays it's the drive firmware that tells the program what it is and what media is inserted. The days of software drive engines are long gone

 

Any re-writer will work - you don't need ASPI layers or anything

 

EMC9 will (mostly) work if you have Vista (there's a problem with Drag to Disc which is being worked on), EMC8 and earlier won't

 

Also, it's important on 8 and earlier NOT to install IE7 and/or WMP11 (they will wreck the suites)

 

Main things to watch in 9 are to make certain you have good graphics with the latest drivers and also the latest DirectX 9 from Microsoft

[Roxann (sis)]

So, are you saying that I should upgrade to Roxio 9, so that I can use the Sony?

And I'm sorry I don't know what your statement of: NOT to install IE7 and/or WMP11 (they will wreck the suites) implicates. Are there options to install those two components?

[Larry]

I think what he was trying to say was that if you were considering moving to Vista as an OS, then v 8 will not work for you, only v 9 is Vista compatible.

 

V 8 should work fine with your Sony drive.

 

IE 7 (Internet Explorer) and WMP 11 (Windows Media Player) are Microsoft updates that have caused a lot of programs, including pre-version 9 Sonic/Roxio products to no longer work correctly if you install those updates. He was just cautioning you to not install them so you can avoid problems.

[cdanteek]

sismiller1342,

 

I doubt your CDR problem has anything to do with the firmware update.

Were you doing anything on the pc durning the update, and was the drive tray empty during the flash? Did it say sucessfull and tell you to reboot?

Do you have a version of EMC Roxio installed? If so open DVDInfo Pro and place a CDR disc in the Nec and tell us what pro indetifies the CDR as.

 

The info should look like below.

 

Media Information

 

Format Capacity Blank Disc

Free Blocks 736964608

Free Capacity 702.82MB(736.96MB)

Media Type CD-R

ATIP Start Time of Lead In (Media Code) 97m34s23f

ATIP Last Possible Start Time of Lead Out 79m59s73f

Manufacturer Name Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation

HD-BURN Certified YES

Available Write Descriptor CAV 48.0x 7200KBps

Available Write Descriptor CAV 32.0x 4800KBps

Available Write Descriptor CAV 16.0x 2400KBps

Available Write Descriptor CAV 8.0x 1200KBps

Available Write Descriptor CAV 4.0x 600KBps

 

Complete Media Code

 

 

cd

[Roxann (sis)]

sismiller1342,

 

I doubt your CDR problem has anything to do with the firmware update.

Were you doing anything on the pc durning the update, and was the drive tray empty during the flash? Did it say sucessfull and tell you to reboot?

Do you have a version of EMC Roxio installed? If so open DVDInfo Pro and place a CDR disc in the Nec and tell us what pro indetifies the CDR as.

 

The info should look like below.

 

Media Information

 

Format Capacity Blank Disc

Free Blocks 736964608

Free Capacity 702.82MB(736.96MB)

Media Type CD-R

ATIP Start Time of Lead In (Media Code) 97m34s23f

ATIP Last Possible Start Time of Lead Out 79m59s73f

Manufacturer Name Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation

HD-BURN Certified YES

Available Write Descriptor CAV 48.0x 7200KBps

Available Write Descriptor CAV 32.0x 4800KBps

Available Write Descriptor CAV 16.0x 2400KBps

Available Write Descriptor CAV 8.0x 1200KBps

Available Write Descriptor CAV 4.0x 600KBps

 

Complete Media Code

cd

 

 

Media Information

 

Format Capacity Blank Disc

Free Blocks 736966656

Free Capacity 702.83MB(736.97MB)

Media Type CD-RW

ATIP Start Time of Lead In (Media Code) 97m25s30f

ATIP Last Possible Start Time of Lead Out 79m59s74f

Manufacturer Name INFODISC Technology Co., Ltd.

HD-BURN Certified NO

Available Write Descriptor CLV 4.0x 600KBps

 

Complete Media Code

 

 

EMC8

[cdanteek]

INFODISC Media Type CD-RW, junk media! Use a cdr or use Creator Classic, or DVDInfo Pro to do a full erase on the RW and try again! Buy better media.

 

By the way this (Available Write Descriptor CLV 4.0x 600KBps) dates the RW back to 1999 version!

 

 

cd

[Roxann (sis)]

INFODISC Media Type CD-RW, junk media! Use a cdr or use Creator Classic, or DVDInfo Pro to do a full erase on the RW and try again! Buy better media.

 

By the way this (Available Write Descriptor CLV 4.0x 600KBps) dates the RW back to 1999 version!

cd

 

 

Thank you for your expertise....so even though the cd-rw is a Memorex, it's junk? I bought some Sony DVD+R, how are they? What do you recommend as better media for music and video?

[lynn98109]

Thank you for your expertise....so even though the cd-rw is a Memorex, it's junk? I bought some Sony DVD+R, how are they? What do you recommend as better media for music and video?

Umm ... if it is a Memorex, it IS DEFINATELY junk. There are more problems reported with memorex than all other brands put together.

 

There are 3 kinds of discs, either CD or DVD:

• Commercially pressed discs, which have the pits and lands physically pressed into them (pits and lands are the physical equivalent of magnetic 0's and 1's)
• R discs, which have the pits and lands set by a laser "cooking" a dye - there are not quite as stable as commercially pressed discs, but close
• RW discs, which have the pits and lands set by the laser melting and re-crystalizing an aluminum alloy - which promptly starts to de-crystalize, taking all the data with it. At some point in time, the alloy was changed to make the discs less costly, and less reliable. You can't say in advance how long a given disc will last - usually months but it can be days or weeks or years, it varies from disc to disc - but it won't give you an engraved notice two weeks before it goes, it just goes when it goes.

RW media is useful for testing, or for transferring things between computers when there are no other options, and the original files are safely on the originating computer. Then it can be erased and re-used. (If you "delete" a file on either R or RW media, you do NOT gt the space back - you merely delete it from the TOC [Table of Contents]. The difference is you can erase the ENTIRE RW disc and start over.

 

If you want to use RW media, do so at your own risk. Oh - besides fading to blank, they do wear out after a certain number of uses - the actual number being determined by when it quits working - one less than that. It varies by disc.

 

Lynn

[golinux]

Umm ... if it is a Memorex, it IS DEFINATELY junk. There are more problems reported with memorex than all other brands put together.

 

There are 3 kinds of discs, either CD or DVD:

• Commercially pressed discs, which have the pits and lands physically pressed into them (pits and lands are the physical equivalent of magnetic 0's and 1's)
• R discs, which have the pits and lands set by a laser "cooking" a dye - there are not quite as stable as commercially pressed discs, but close
• RW discs, which have the pits and lands set by the laser melting and re-crystalizing an aluminum alloy - which promptly starts to de-crystalize, taking all the data with it. At some point in time, the alloy was changed to make the discs less costly, and less reliable. You can't say in advance how long a given disc will last - usually months but it can be days or weeks or years, it varies from disc to disc - but it won't give you an engraved notice two weeks before it goes, it just goes when it goes.

RW media is useful for testing, or for transferring things between computers when there are no other options, and the original files are safely on the originating computer. Then it can be erased and re-used. (If you "delete" a file on either R or RW media, you do NOT gt the space back - you merely delete it from the TOC [Table of Contents]. The difference is you can erase the ENTIRE RW disc and start over.

 

If you want to use RW media, do so at your own risk. Oh - besides fading to blank, they do wear out after a certain number of uses - the actual number being determined by when it quits working - one less than that. It varies by disc.

 

Lynn

Lynn, do you have any idea how many times you have quoted chapter and verse on this topic?

[lynn98109]

Lynn, do you have any idea how many times you have quoted chapter and verse on this topic?

Copy & Paste makes it easy

 

However, I learned the hard way that a formatted CD-RW is NOT a "great-big floppy" disc, and lost the 80% of the info that wasn't also still on the Hard Drive. My software guru had said formatting and CD-RW "isn't stable", but that didn't mean anything to me.

 

So I was paying attention when Brendon explained the way it REALLY is, because it was so different from what I had assumed. And I've continued to pass the info along.

 

Lynn

[Roxann (sis)]

Here's where I am now....this is why I think the upgrade to Nec3540A 1.04 from original 1.01 is the cause of my grief, because everything worked great until the upgrade & no I didn't have anything in the drive when it flashed & everything shut down & came back up. But one thing I read 'after' the fact is not to upgrade Nec firmware with Dell or Gateway & I do have Gateway.

 

Following your directions:

When I try to do an entire format of cd-rw in Creator Classic, I get:

Power Calibration Area Error - Medium Error

When I did the format in DVDInfo Pro, it didn't give errors, but wouldn't burn music on it either.

 

NEXT:

Tried to download Yahoo purchased music, which I've done on a regular basis to different cd-rw, which is Sonic Solutions burner, received error: "CD Read Error" (error 0x8040411e) occurred while burning.

 

I contacted Nec and they do not have a download for 3540A STOCK 1.01 firmware. Is there anywhere I can download it from?

[Guest ml]

Let's go back to your original question......

 

You've got a new Sony external DVD burner and you want to know if you can use your burner with EMC.

 

 

 

The answer is.... YES, you should be able to use it with any version 7 or above. The program doesn't need 'drive updates' as most versions did.

 

It's possible that the 'update' you did for the NEC burner has ruined the drive. You could try uninstalling it and reinstalling it with the original drivers.

[cdanteek]

I contacted Nec and they do not have a download for 3540A STOCK 1.01 firmware. Is there anywhere I can download it from?

 

If the pc is a Gateway with a OEM NEC 3540A burner? You should of went to Gateway and downloaded a update from them! Fact being there probably isn't one! Go tp Gateway and find or ask for the original OEM firmware that came on the drive and try a reflash.

 

cd

[Guest ml]

If the pc is a Gateway with a OEM NEC 3540A burner? You should of went to Gateway and downloaded a update from them! Fact being there probably isn't one! Go tp Gateway and find or ask for the original OEM firmware that came on the drive and try a reflash.

 

cd

 

If it's a Gateway, the original drivers ( if there are any) should be on their website.

 

The Gateway that I have doesn't have a DVD driver listed. However, the computer came with Nero for DVD burning. You might need to reload that software to get it working.

 

Of course, you cannot have Roxio's Drag to Disk installed if you've got the Nero installed.

[Roxann (sis)]

I chatted with a tech on Gateway...no original OEM firmware and Nec doesn't have it either...so, I guess I'll purchase a Sony DRU-830A internal DVD recorder....Gateway tech said it would fit the slot & gave me the site for install directions...

What do you all think about the Sony for a lot of burning of dvds & cds?

[Guest ml]

What do you all think about the Sony for a lot of burning of dvds & cds?

 

You've done the research so your information is much more up to date than mine would be. Many of the gurus use Plexor, but I've used different brands and they all seem to work well.

 

The brand of DVD you're using is also critical. Many of us use Verbatim, but you might consider offering your customers one of the 'archieval gold' DVDs that will keep the memories for 100 years or more.

 

Also, if you're doing a lot of duplication of DVDs, you might want to consider a standalone DVD duplicator. They're pricey, but it would free up your computer for actual video work.

 

I have not used them, but here are some examples. http://www.buy.com/retail/searchresults.as...ol&dclksa=1

[REDWAGON]

I am using three different DVD drives in my computers---two of them are Sony (DRU720A & DRU 820A). Both of them are working great and I have used both for all facits of the EMC programs and have not had any problems. Having the "DL" ability is also great. Just make sure after you purchase the drive you want to visit Sony's website and make sure the firmware for the drive is the latest.

 

Frank...

[cdanteek]

so, I guess I'll purchase a Sony DRU-830A internal DVD recorder....Gateway tech said it would fit the slot & gave me the site for install directions...

What do you all think about the Sony for a lot of burning of dvds & cds?

 

The Sony 830A I think is a Toshbia Samsung drive. Franks 820A is a Lite-On. The 810A is a BenQ 1640 and A 810A-R is a BenQ 1650-55, no lightscribe will go with either firmware. The 800A was a Lite-On. Sony hasen't made drives in years, there firmware support is behind the drive maker that makes the drive. Buy a drive from someone who makes drives. Pioneer, Lite-On, Plextor, Nec, Toshiba Samsung. Now I could tell you they make it and tomorrow they don't, the above should

hold true for six months I hope.

 

If you want to try one last thing on the Nec Drive before you junk it?

Go here and try the Original Nec firmware 1.01f . No guaranties, you flash your drive with this firmware at your own risk.

http://liggydee.cdfreaks.com/page/en/NEC-ND-3540A/

 

cd

[Roxann (sis)]

Thanks for all the 'great' info. It has really helped me to make some 'educational' decisions.

 

I became so involved with my dvd/cd drive error, I forgot about another thing...when I burned several, not all of them, maybe 3 out of 6, Sony DVD+R DL videos with MYDVD and then played them in a dvd player, half way through, they began to skip. The picture would smear and then eventually stop completely. I tried playing them on the pc & the same thing...laptop, same thing. I certainly can't sell those to a customer & take the chance of them not playing.

I read that it could be the high speed they were burned at, so I cut the speed to no more than 4x, but never had a chance to try it, since I also downloaded the 1.04 firmware at the same time and everything quit.

I say ALL that to ask, should I go in & slow down the burn speed or could it be the dvds I'm using.....what? Thanks.

 

I had a question as to my name...yes, my birth name is Roxann...I was surprised when I purchased Roxio that they had a Roxann without the 'e' also. Most people have always wanted to attach an 'e' to my name.

 

Thanks again for your responses.

[lynn98109]

Skips are the classic sign a burner is going too fast for conditions.

 

When I put the 12x8x32 CD burner in my Beloved (replacing the 8x4x24), I tried going at the blazing speed of 8x, and while there weren't any complaints, there were skips. I settled back to 4x. (These days I use the Beast for burning - there's a noticiable difference between 400MHz and 2.4GHz.)

 

I'd suggest a defrag before burning, reboot, and turn off anything unnecessary (screen-saver, FW, AV, internet connection, etc). I don't know about burning a duplicate second disc, since I don't have reason to, but for a different disc, on the Beloved I went a MAXIMUM of two CD burns between reboots. (Not a problem with the Beast on CDs)

 

Lynn

[cdanteek]

The last Sony Dual Layer disc's I checked were

RITEK one below. Use the info below before you burn a disc "Write speeds: 2.4 X"

Put a disc that skips in DVDInfo Pro Disc Quality and Pi Po error test and see how they do.

Use Verbatim +R Dual Layer disc's. Google book type bit setting, buy a drive that has that option and set it to change +R to DVD-Rom.

 

 

CD-DVD Speed: Disc Info

Basic Information

Disc type: : DVD+R DL

Book Type : DVD+R DL

Manufacturer: : Ritek

MID : RITEK D01 (001)

Write speeds: : 2.4 X

Blank Capacity : 7.96 GB

: 8152 MB

: 8547993600 bytes

Extended Information

Layers : 2

Layer break : 3.98 GB

Write strategies : n/a

Disc Status : Empty

Raw Data

Physical Format Information (00h)

0000 - E1 0F 32 10 00 03 00 00 00 FC FF FF 00 22 D7 FF - ..2.........."..

0010 - 00 00 00 52 49 54 45 4B 00 00 00 44 30 31 01 40 - ...RITEK...D01.@

0020 - 25 25 37 0C 00 28 64 00 28 64 20 1F 0C 0C 14 14 - %%7..(d.(d......

0030 - 02 01 01 20 00 20 1F 0C 0C 14 14 02 01 01 20 00 - ................

 

cd

[Guest ml]

Most manufacturers will tell you to slow down the burn speed if you're having errors.

 

However, the problem may be the dual layer DVDs. Not all DVD players will play them.

 

Also, some DVD players play 4.7 GB +R better than -R and vice versa. So you're going to have to find out what your customer's DVD players will play. Although some DVD players will play both kinds.

 

I burn DVDs for a hobby group I'm involved in and I've found that burning to an 'image file' (.iso) and then using Disk Copier to burn the DVD from the .iso file tends to result in DVDs that are recognized by more DVD players.