Unable to read my burned CDs and DVDs in various DVD-ROM drives...

Hello!

Is it me or do some old DVD-ROM drives have serious problems reading
burned discs (CD-R, CD-RWs, DVD-Rs, DVD+Rs, DVD+RWs, DVD-RWs [assuming
they can read them])? It can be unable to read the whole disc (e.g.,
Explorer says to insert disc) or partially discs (e.g., can't copy
specific files). I have seen this at work and home with many IDE/PATA
DVD drives, brands, PCs, etc.

I have used:
1. Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1912, Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1612 Rev. B (sometimes
locks up the whole PC!), etc. for DVD-ROM drives.
2. Latest firmwares and even firmwares to remove region protections for
both burners (e.g., Sony NEC Optiarc DVD-RW AD-7220S) and reader drives.
3. TDK, Memorex, Office Depot, Sony, HP, etc. New and old discs!
4. CDburnerXP v4.x, Nero Express Essentials SE v8.3.13.0, Roxio Easy CD
Creator (an old version and can't remember it since it is at work).

I did notice using commercial pressed discs seem to have NO problems. Am
I doing something wrong or just having a bad luck?

Thank you in advance.
--
"It's kind of an insane case ... 6,000 ants dressed up as rice and
robbed a Chinese restaurant." --Steven Wright
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Phil/Ant @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links (AQFL): http://aqfl.net
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Ant is currently not listening to any songs on his home computer.

On Sep 13, 9:49*am, Ant <a...@zimage.comANT> wrote:
> Hello!
>
> Is it me or do some old DVD-ROM drives have serious problems reading
> burned discs (CD-R, CD-RWs, DVD-Rs, DVD+Rs, DVD+RWs, DVD-RWs [assuming
> they can read them])? It can be unable to read the whole disc (e.g.,
> Explorer says to insert disc) or partially discs (e.g., can't copy
> specific files). I have seen this at work and home with many IDE/PATA
> DVD drives, brands, PCs, etc.
>
> I have used:
> 1. Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1912, Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1612 Rev. B (sometimes
> locks up the whole PC!), etc. for DVD-ROM drives.
> 2. Latest firmwares and even firmwares to remove region protections for
> both burners (e.g., Sony NEC Optiarc DVD-RW AD-7220S) and reader drives.
> 3. TDK, Memorex, Office Depot, Sony, HP, etc. New and old discs!
> 4. CDburnerXP v4.x, Nero Express Essentials SE v8.3.13.0, Roxio Easy CD
> Creator (an old version and can't remember it since it is at work).
>
> I did notice using commercial pressed discs seem to have NO problems. Am
> I doing something wrong or just having a bad luck?
>
> Thank you in advance.
> --
> "It's kind of an insane case ... 6,000 ants dressed up as rice and
> robbed a Chinese restaurant." --Steven Wright
> * * /\___/\
> * */ /\ /\ \ * * * * Phil/Ant @http://antfarm.ma.cx(Personal Web Site)
> * | |o * o| | * * * *Ant's Quality Foraged Links (AQFL):http://aqfl.net
> * * *\ _ / * * * * Nuke ANT from e-mail address: phi...@earthlink.netANT
> * * * ( ) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * or ANT...@zimage.com
> Ant is currently not listening to any songs on his home computer.

I think it is likely that the drive you used to create the DVD was
slightly out of alignment. Typically, the start of the disk will read
(inside track) but it will then fail further into the disk. Joliet
disks have their directory at the start, so files will be seen, but
may not be read.

I do not know a solution to the problem, other than what you have
done, and try and read the disks on different drives. Data recovery
software may assist as it may not be stopped by errors, but the
fundalmental problem will remain.

Michael

> > I did notice using commercial pressed discs seem to have NO problems. Am
> > I doing something wrong or just having a bad luck?

The quality of the media may be a factor. I've met disks that cannot be read
by the drive they were written on immediately after they are written.
Inspection showed only a faint impression in the written area.
There is cheap media, and the branded media that I would archive data on
with the expectation of being able to read it in a few years time.
A Google search will throw up which media is well regarded.
Also storage, write a readable disk and leave it in strong sunlight for an
hour or so, then try to read it.
Drives can get out of specification and the laser LED can deteriorate.
Things don't last forever.

On 9/13/2009 11:16 AM PT, Ato_Zee typed:

>>> I did notice using commercial pressed discs seem to have NO problems. Am
>>> I doing something wrong or just having a bad luck?
>
> The quality of the media may be a factor. I've met disks that cannot be read
> by the drive they were written on immediately after they are written.
> Inspection showed only a faint impression in the written area.
> There is cheap media, and the branded media that I would archive data on
> with the expectation of being able to read it in a few years time.
> A Google search will throw up which media is well regarded.
> Also storage, write a readable disk and leave it in strong sunlight for an
> hour or so, then try to read it.
> Drives can get out of specification and the laser LED can deteriorate.
> Things don't last forever.

Are the brands of medias and drives I used OK?
--
"When you have seen one ant, one bird, one tree, you have not seen them
all." --Edward O. Wilson, 1992
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Phil/Ant @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links (AQFL): http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Nuke ANT from e-mail address: philpi@earthlink.netANT
( ) or ANTant@zimage.com
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on his home computer.

Ant wrote:
> Hello!
>
> Is it me or do some old DVD-ROM drives have serious problems reading
> burned discs (CD-R, CD-RWs, DVD-Rs, DVD+Rs, DVD+RWs, DVD-RWs [assuming
> they can read them])? It can be unable to read the whole disc (e.g.,
> Explorer says to insert disc) or partially discs (e.g., can't copy
> specific files). I have seen this at work and home with many IDE/PATA
> DVD drives, brands, PCs, etc.

No, you're not the only one who's noticed that. I had so much trouble
with this problem in the past, I used to burn them on one writer and
verify them back on a different drive. I'd make sure I'd get two
separate brands of drives in all cases. However, then I found this site
and it explains quite a bit:

digitalFAQ.com | Blank DVD Media Quality Guide
http://www.digitalfaq.com/reviews/dvd-media.htm

Yousuf Khan

Ant wrote:
> Hello!
>
> Is it me or do some old DVD-ROM drives have serious problems reading
> burned discs (CD-R, CD-RWs, DVD-Rs, DVD+Rs, DVD+RWs, DVD-RWs [assuming
> they can read them])? It can be unable to read the whole disc (e.g.,
> Explorer says to insert disc) or partially discs (e.g., can't copy
> specific files). I have seen this at work and home with many IDE/PATA
> DVD drives, brands, PCs, etc.
>
> I have used:
> 1. Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1912, Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1612 Rev. B (sometimes
> locks up the whole PC!), etc. for DVD-ROM drives.
> 2. Latest firmwares and even firmwares to remove region protections for
> both burners (e.g., Sony NEC Optiarc DVD-RW AD-7220S) and reader drives.
> 3. TDK, Memorex, Office Depot, Sony, HP, etc. New and old discs!
> 4. CDburnerXP v4.x, Nero Express Essentials SE v8.3.13.0, Roxio Easy CD
> Creator (an old version and can't remember it since it is at work).
>
> I did notice using commercial pressed discs seem to have NO problems. Am
> I doing something wrong or just having a bad luck?
>
> Thank you in advance.

This sort of thing was certainly an issue with CD-ROMs - perhaps a
similar mechanism is at play here if your DVD-ROM drives are early ones.
Writeable, and especially read-writeable, disks have lower
reflectivity and are harder to read than pre-pressed disks. Older or
cheaper CD-ROM drives (such as in cheapo music systems) have trouble
with home-burned CDs because of this.

As someone else said, you may have head alignment problems on the
recording drive. If the laser is not accurately aligned during
recording, you'll get partial writes that will give less reflectivity
contrast and be harder to read.

On 9/13/2009 10:37 PM PT, Yousuf Khan typed:

>> Is it me or do some old DVD-ROM drives have serious problems reading
>> burned discs (CD-R, CD-RWs, DVD-Rs, DVD+Rs, DVD+RWs, DVD-RWs [assuming
>> they can read them])? It can be unable to read the whole disc (e.g.,
>> Explorer says to insert disc) or partially discs (e.g., can't copy
>> specific files). I have seen this at work and home with many IDE/PATA
>> DVD drives, brands, PCs, etc.
>
> No, you're not the only one who's noticed that. I had so much trouble
> with this problem in the past, I used to burn them on one writer and
> verify them back on a different drive. I'd make sure I'd get two
> separate brands of drives in all cases. However, then I found this site
> and it explains quite a bit:
>
> digitalFAQ.com | Blank DVD Media Quality Guide
> http://www.digitalfaq.com/reviews/dvd-media.htm

Thanks. What about CDs?
--
"The eyeless ant asked God, 'Give me eye-lashes.'" --Georgian Proverb
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Phil/Ant @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links (AQFL): http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Nuke ANT from e-mail address: philpi@earthlink.netANT
( ) or ANTant@zimage.com
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on his home computer.

On 9/14/2009 12:08 AM PT, David Brown typed:

>> Is it me or do some old DVD-ROM drives have serious problems reading
>> burned discs (CD-R, CD-RWs, DVD-Rs, DVD+Rs, DVD+RWs, DVD-RWs [assuming
>> they can read them])? It can be unable to read the whole disc (e.g.,
>> Explorer says to insert disc) or partially discs (e.g., can't copy
>> specific files). I have seen this at work and home with many IDE/PATA
>> DVD drives, brands, PCs, etc.
>>
>> I have used:
>> 1. Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1912, Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1612 Rev. B
>> (sometimes locks up the whole PC!), etc. for DVD-ROM drives.
>> 2. Latest firmwares and even firmwares to remove region protections
>> for both burners (e.g., Sony NEC Optiarc DVD-RW AD-7220S) and reader
>> drives.
>> 3. TDK, Memorex, Office Depot, Sony, HP, etc. New and old discs!
>> 4. CDburnerXP v4.x, Nero Express Essentials SE v8.3.13.0, Roxio Easy
>> CD Creator (an old version and can't remember it since it is at work).
>>
>> I did notice using commercial pressed discs seem to have NO problems.
>> Am I doing something wrong or just having a bad luck?
>
> This sort of thing was certainly an issue with CD-ROMs - perhaps a
> similar mechanism is at play here if your DVD-ROM drives are early ones.

Define early. I can give you dates on the ones I bought for home:
Toshiba SD-M1612 rev. B 16X/48X ATAPI/IDE (5/31/2003) and Toshiba
DVD-ROM Drive SD-M1912/TMAG 16X/48X (1/17/2005). I find it funny that
these drives don't get used that much!


> Writeable, and especially read-writeable, disks have lower reflectivity
> and are harder to read than pre-pressed disks. Older or cheaper CD-ROM
> drives (such as in cheapo music systems) have trouble with home-burned
> CDs because of this.

Hmm, so it doesn't matter what brands burnable CDs and DVDs and burners
to get?


> As someone else said, you may have head alignment problems on the
> recording drive. If the laser is not accurately aligned during
> recording, you'll get partial writes that will give less reflectivity
> contrast and be harder to read.

Is there a way to fix that? I don't think it is the laser since my older
CDs from other burners are having problems. I would think it is the old
drives can't do well in reading home-burned CDs and DVDs. My new Sony
NEC Optiarc DVD-RW AD-7220S burner drive (bought in 12/2008) has no
problems reading them, even the CDs and DVDs it burned. Maybe I should
replace these old drives even though I didn't use them much! Sheesh.
--
"Lay a stick of bubble gum on an anthill for instant Siamese Ant Twins."
--unknown
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Phil/Ant @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links (AQFL): http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Nuke ANT from e-mail address: philpi@earthlink.netANT
( ) or ANTant@zimage.com
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on his home computer.

Ant wrote
> Yousuf Khan typed

>>> Is it me or do some old DVD-ROM drives have serious problems reading
>>> burned discs (CD-R, CD-RWs, DVD-Rs, DVD+Rs, DVD+RWs, DVD-RWs
>>> [assuming they can read them])? It can be unable to read the whole
>>> disc (e.g., Explorer says to insert disc) or partially discs (e.g.,
>>> can't copy specific files). I have seen this at work and home with
>>> many IDE/PATA DVD drives, brands, PCs, etc.

>> No, you're not the only one who's noticed that. I had so much trouble
>> with this problem in the past, I used to burn them on one writer and
>> verify them back on a different drive. I'd make sure I'd get two
>> separate brands of drives in all cases. However, then I found this
>> site and it explains quite a bit:

>> digitalFAQ.com | Blank DVD Media Quality Guide
>> http://www.digitalfaq.com/reviews/dvd-media.htm

> Thanks. What about CDs?

The short story is that you dont need to bother anymore, even the worst of whats buyable works fine.

Thats not true of DVDs tho.

Do you have Nero? Nero DiscSpeed might help. You can also download it
from here:

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/...-DVD_Speed.htm

Try the quality test on various discs. It may only work with the
Optiarc. It is really telling you how well the reader(s) can read the
disks, but also gives some idea of the discs themselves.

If you're lucky the old machines can run the quality test.

But they all should be able to run the Scan Disk set on Read Test. That
will show unreadable parts.
--
Ed Light

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