Creator Classic 6 - How To Select Lower Write Speed?

[agentalbert]

Hello. Longtime EZ-CD Creator 6.0 user. Recently had to re-install the software. I would always select the slowest write speed possible, to get a better finished CD-R. But now for some reason when I go to write a CD, the only speed available is 48X. I used to be able to select much lower speeds, like 8x or 12x or 14x. Can't remember exactly what they all were, but it would then write at about 14x.

 

I have already un-installed and tried a fresh install, but same issue. I haven't changed drives or operating systems. Using Win XP with SP2. The drive I have is recognized by Creator Classic 6. The drive is:

 

HL-DT-ST CR-RW GCE-84838

 

Creator Classic reports the version as 6.0.0.171

 

Any ideas?

[Brendon]

When you're ready to burn, click the burn button at the bottom right of the project. The burn dialog box will appear.

 

 

 

There, that's what you're after.

[agentalbert]

When you're ready to burn, click the burn button at the bottom right of the project. The burn dialog box will appear.

 

 

 

There, that's what you're after.

 

Thank you, but I already know this. It's when I get to that screen that I used to always select the lowest available write speed. Now the pull down menu has ONLY 48X. I can't select any other speed.

[Brendon]

You haven't changed the drive or the Operating System, but have you changed the batch or brand of the CD blanks you're using?

 

That selector box in Creator is populated by information that your drive sends back to the system after reading the disc you have inserted. I think it's likely that either [1] your drive's firmware doesn't recognize the type of disc you're using now, or [2] the disc itself doesn't support the write speeds you want.

 

There are a number of programs around which will tell you what write speeds your drive is prepared to use on a particular disc, but you have to buy most of those programs now. One FREE program which will give you that information is IMGBURN, which is small and safe and can be downloaded from HERE.

 

Install Imgburn, and then prepare as if you were going to burn an image to a disc. You don't need to find/make an image to burn, just insert a disc in your recorder and wait for it to spin up. A blank one is usual, but there's no reason why you can't insert a used one for this exercise.

 

Once the disc spins up you'll see Disc Information in the right-hand box which includes drive model and firmware revision number at the top and Supported Write Speeds half way down.

 

Here is a disc in my LG drive, and alongside it the same disc in my BENQ drive.

 

 

Please notice that different drives report different available speeds for the same disc. The firmware revision number is also underlined, and it's 1.02 for the LG and BSRB for the BENQ.

 

I think you actually have an HL-DT-ST CD-RW GCE-8483B and not a HL-DT-ST CR-RW GCE-84838 as you reported.

 

Would you please tell us

-your burner model number and firmware number,

-the brand and speed and any other info about your CD blanks,

-and the available speeds that Imgburn shows you?

[agentalbert]

Thank you again. I haven't changed media. I'm using the same Taiyo Uden silver CD-R I've been using for years. I get them from Media Supply Inc, here.

 

You're correct about my CR/RW drive, it's HL-DT-ST CD-RW GCE-8483B with the B at the end, not an 8 as I originally typed.

 

I installed ImgBurn. I have two burners. The one I mentioned and a Phillips DVD+RW DVD8701 5D24 (ATA).

 

When I put a blank in and try to use my HL-DT-ST cd-rw drive, I don't get the Supported Write Speeds line as you show in your screen print. If I switch to the Phillips, I do get supported write speeds of 12,16,24,32,40 and 48X. But If I go back to Roxio Creator Classic 6.0 and try to write a CD-R using the Phillips drive, I still have ONLY 48X to choose from.

 

I just (still in ImgBurn) moved my blank from the DVD+RW drive to the CR-RW drive I usually use to write CD's with. It correctly reads the media as Taiyo Yuden. But it does not have the Supported Write Speeds listing in the Disc Information section.

[gi7omy]

That sounds more like a drive problem than a software one

 

One drive will let you do it, but on the other one, two separate programs won't let you

[agentalbert]

That sounds more like a drive problem than a software one

 

One drive will let you do it, but on the other one, two separate programs won't let you

 

Actually ImgBurn has the option to select write speeds (for both drives). It just doesn't list supported write speeds on one drive, as it does for the other. Roxio always let me choose multipe write speeds on either drive in the past, so I can't figure out what has changed. Really annoying!

[gi7omy]

That's my point - NEITHER app is listing speeds for one drive, but will for the other.

 

Two apps doing the same thing, two drives acting differently under the two apps: Occam's Razor says - look at the drive (the only common factor)

[agentalbert]

I take your point and you may be right - it may be the drive going bad. But I think you might have slightly misunderstood me. ImgBurn DOES let me select different write speeds. It has the pull down menu where I can select multiple write speeds. Roxio used to do this, but no longer does. But it still may be the drive.

[Brendon]

Thank you AgentAlbert,

 

You haven't provided the firmware revision numbers for your drives or very much information about the discs, but since you haven't changed your media or [by inference] your drives I think we can effectively rule out old firmware not recognizing new media.

 

Conditions which may have changed include the Roxio software and its drivers, the Operating System and its components, and perhaps at the end of it all a drive. There are a number of things we have to rule out before we can blame a drive. Please answer these questions for me:

 

[1] Why did you have to reinstall the software? Did something break which affected the Roxio software?

 

[2] What else was reinstalled? Did you have to reinstall your Operating System or parts of it. In particular, did you update Internet Explorer past version 6, or Windows Media Player pasy version 9?

 

[3] Did you do all the updates to bring Easy CD and DVD Creator 6 back to the level where it was before all this happened? Version 6.0.0.171 doesn't natively recognize your GCE-8483B, but version 6.2.0.111 has that drive listed in its look-up table by the updates. The software installs filters etc which do affect all optical drive I/O.

 

Regards,

Brendon

[agentalbert]

Thank you AgentAlbert,

 

You haven't provided the firmware revision numbers for your drives or very much information about the discs, but since you haven't changed your media or [by inference] your drives I think we can effectively rule out old firmware not recognizing new media.

 

Conditions which may have changed include the Roxio software and its drivers, the Operating System and its components, and perhaps at the end of it all a drive. There are a number of things we have to rule out before we can blame a drive. Please answer these questions for me:

 

[1] Why did you have to reinstall the software? Did something break which affected the Roxio software?

 

[2] What else was reinstalled? Did you have to reinstall your Operating System or parts of it. In particular, did you update Internet Explorer past version 6, or Windows Media Player pasy version 9?

 

[3] Did you do all the updates to bring Easy CD and DVD Creator 6 back to the level where it was before all this happened? Version 6.0.0.171 doesn't natively recognize your GCE-8483B, but version 6.2.0.111 has that drive listed in its look-up table by the updates. The software installs filters etc which do affect all optical drive I/O.

 

Regards,

Brendon

 

Thanks for your continued help, Brendon.

 

I'm not sure how to determine the firmware revision for the drives. If I go to properties for the two drives, each shows a driver version of 5.1.2535, but I don't think that is what you are looking for.

 

I had a local shop put in a wireless card, 2nd hard drive and a new graphics card a few months ago. They also did a fresh install of Win XP. I didn't do any cd burning for a few months and never re-installed Roxio until a few weeks ago.

 

I don't use IE much (use Firefox), but I just checked IE and it's version 8.0.6001.18702. Windows Media Player is 11.0.5721.5268.

 

I haven't done any updates to Roxio 6.0, just installed off of the CD. I did try to run the update feature, but whatever updates it may have downloaded in the past it didn't connect to now. Is there an update file for 6.0 still available somewhere? How can I get the file to update to 6.2?

 

UPDATE: just found the engine update file (6.2.0.134) and Creator Classic update file (6.2.0.111). Should I only install one of these, or are they two different things?

 

UPDATE 2: Updated Creator Classic to 6.2.0.111 and now it doesn't recognize either drive. They're listed in the System Tests section, but not in the "Default Recorder" menu. Is this an ASPI thing? Gotta go to bed, I'll work on this again tomorrow.

 

UPDATE 3: SUCCESS!!!! I found the pxengine file mentioned in threads about no default recorder, installed it, and now my drives are recognized AND I appear to be able to select multiple write speeds. Don't have time to deal with burning now, but I'll give it a shot tomorrow and hope its all back the way I want it.

 

At least I can sleep good now!

[Brendon]

Sorry to be away so long - been fixing some damaged buildings.

 

I'm not sure how to determine the firmware revision for the drives. If I go to properties for the two drives, each shows a driver version of 5.1.2535, but I don't think that is what you are looking for.

ImgBurn showed the firmware revision numbers [the piece with a short red underline in my screenshot] but not to worry about them now, they're not needed

 

Thanks for the info about why the reinstall was needed.

 

I don't use IE much (use Firefox), but I just checked IE and it's version 8.0.6001.18702. Windows Media Player is 11.0.5721.5268.

I use FF too, but Easy CD and DVD Creator uses I.E. and WMP. Let's "shhhhhhh" about them if things are working okay at present, but those later versions can kill earlier Roxio versions.

 

UPDATE: just found the engine update file (6.2.0.134) and Creator Classic update file (6.2.0.111). Should I only install one of these, or are they two different things?

 

UPDATE 2: Updated Creator Classic to 6.2.0.111 and now it doesn't recognize either drive. They're listed in the System Tests section, but not in the "Default Recorder" menu. Is this an ASPI thing? Gotta go to bed, I'll work on this again tomorrow.

 

UPDATE 3: SUCCESS!!!! I found the pxengine file mentioned in threads about no default recorder, installed it, and now my drives are recognized AND I appear to be able to select multiple write speeds. Don't have time to deal with burning now, but I'll give it a shot tomorrow and hope its all back the way I want it.

 

That's Beaut! You've actually gone several steps ahead in my absence and nailed the problem. You should be fixed now, but I'll just summarise quickly for the benefit of other readers.

 

-If you're starting from 6.0.0.171 you just apply the 6.2.0.111 updates. You don't need to apply intermediate ones first. You do apply the Engine update before the other updaters.

 

-The PX Engine has the filter I mentioned in an earlier message. You download the PX engine update, unzip it to a spare folder on the HD and then run the .EXE file. You can reinstall the Engine if needed instead of just updating it, by running the .EXE file with the switch /PXHELPONVISTA. Yours worked without needing that.

 

Thanks for sticking with this and reporting your success. I'm glad it wasn't down to a dead drive.

 

Regards,

Brendon