DVD-writer dieing?
in [Hardware]
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From: Mark Black on 5 Jan 2006 11:34 Hello. I've got an 'Optorite DVD RW DD0201' with the latest firmware. Now a few months back I created a large number of data DVDs using a different writer but unknowingly using poor blank DVD's (I though big companies like Memorex/Phillips etc made their own). So I've been copying what I can from these disks and some are badly corrupted. In the event viewer there are many 'CD ROM bad block' errors. I'm sure this is due to the disks and not the drive since they happen when trying to be read in other drives. My problem is that eventually I sometimes get an atapi error saying 'The device, \Device\Ide\IdePort1, did not respond within the timeout period.' then 'The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort1'. When this happens the drive switches from DMA to PIO mode and then becomes really sluggish and unusable. I'd like to know if this happens because the drive is being asked to read rubbish disks which are going to generate lots of errors. Windows switches from DMA to PIO on IDE drives if there are lots of errors. Or whether the'controller error' is caused by a hardware fault either with the drive or the motherboard. I need to know whether the drive might be failing and whether to get a new one. Thanks.
From: Joel on 5 Jan 2006 17:53 If the cd's do it on other drives, then there is no certainty your drive is dying. Also, you didn't tell us how long you have had your drive and how much you have been using it. Avoid Memorex and Maxell cd's and dvd's at all costs. Order your cd/dvd online if your local area won't carry the good ones. I have had the same problems you just described every other Memorex cd/dvd I use. I almost took my HP laptop back to circuit city I was so mad because I thought the drive was dying. Instead, I bought some Imation cd/dvd and recorded the same files with no problems. Sometimes the program you use can be advantageous as well. I used to use Windows Explorer to drag and drop, but I am now a faithful advocate of Nero. Try some other cd's/dvd's before you give up on your drive. "Mark Black" <notfdfdf4ahgh6(a)notmail.com.org> wrote in message news:43bd4aa0$0$29571$da0feed9(a)news.zen.co.uk... > Hello. I've got an 'Optorite DVD RW DD0201' with the latest firmware. Now > a few months back I created a large number of data DVDs using a different > writer but unknowingly using poor blank DVD's (I though big companies like > Memorex/Phillips etc made their own). > So I've been copying what I can from these disks and some are badly > corrupted. In the event viewer there are many 'CD ROM bad block' errors. > I'm sure this is due to the disks and not the drive since they happen when > trying to be read in other drives. > > My problem is that eventually I sometimes get an atapi error saying 'The > device, \Device\Ide\IdePort1, did not respond within the timeout period.' > then 'The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort1'. > When this happens the drive switches from DMA to PIO mode and then becomes > really sluggish and unusable. > > I'd like to know if this happens because the drive is being asked to read > rubbish disks which are going to generate lots of errors. Windows switches > from DMA to PIO on IDE drives if there are lots of errors. > Or whether the'controller error' is caused by a hardware fault either with > the drive or the motherboard. > > I need to know whether the drive might be failing and whether to get a new > one. > Thanks. >
From: Paul on 5 Jan 2006 18:40 In article <43bd4aa0$0$29571$da0feed9(a)news.zen.co.uk>, "Mark Black" <notfdfdf4ahgh6(a)notmail.com.org> wrote: > Hello. I've got an 'Optorite DVD RW DD0201' with the latest firmware. Now a > few months back I created a large number of data DVDs using a different > writer but unknowingly using poor blank DVD's (I though big companies like > Memorex/Phillips etc made their own). > So I've been copying what I can from these disks and some are badly > corrupted. In the event viewer there are many 'CD ROM bad block' errors. I'm > sure this is due to the disks and not the drive since they happen when > trying to be read in other drives. > > My problem is that eventually I sometimes get an atapi error saying 'The > device, \Device\Ide\IdePort1, did not respond within the timeout period.' > then 'The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort1'. > When this happens the drive switches from DMA to PIO mode and then becomes > really sluggish and unusable. > > I'd like to know if this happens because the drive is being asked to read > rubbish disks which are going to generate lots of errors. Windows switches > from DMA to PIO on IDE drives if there are lots of errors. > Or whether the'controller error' is caused by a hardware fault either with > the drive or the motherboard. > > I need to know whether the drive might be failing and whether to get a new > one. > Thanks. When I bought a DVD writer as a gift for a relative, I bought samples of media at the store and spent a week testing the various brands, until I found something with a nice flat error characteristic. This article shows someone doing that kind of research. "Kprobe V2.4.2" http://www.cdfreaks.com/article/174/6 The results of your testing could very well depend on the firmware upgrades you do to the drive. When you upgrade, you invalidate your previous testing, and the testing process starts all over again. Media that was previously classed as "bad", might be usable after changing the firmware. That is because hardware development for drives is seldom finished when they are released. Once you are happy with a revision of firmware, and have proved the media and drive are OK (and that other computers can also read the media - I've had trouble like that also), you can put real data on some DVDs. As for Windows and the "downshifting" of transfer speed: (See the "Workaround" section for a recipe) http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;817472 Note that media is constantly changing, and what is a good brand today, could be a bad brand tomorrow. Not all media companies make their own disks, and the super-cheap brands just buy from various suppliers, a batch at a time. That means Kprobe will be in constant use :-) HTH, Paul
From: Joel on 5 Jan 2006 18:53 One more thing. I have used InCd to record to some cd's and while those cd's would read in the drive they were recorded on, they would not play on my bedroom computer.
From: Paul on 5 Jan 2006 21:03 In article <lhivf.44952$Lb1.3067(a)bignews3.bellsouth.net>, "Joel" <joel(a)invalide.aol.com> wrote: > One more thing. I have used InCd to record to some cd's and while those cd's > would read in the drive they were recorded on, they would not play on my > bedroom computer. If the CDROM in the bedroom computer is many years old, it could be a difference in the optics of the older technology CDROM and the newer ones. But I have recent technology disks in several of my computers, and just noticed that I cannot use the CDs I just burnt, in one of the other computers. So I've got more debugging to do - back to media testing... Paul
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