DVD writer not functioning

Hi,
I have this Plextor PX-716a and i have dvd+rw - discs, on internet i can read that normaly it should be able to write and rewrite, I installed al of the latest firmware but it's still not functioning
anny ideas?

 

What kind of a system are you running the Plextor on?

What error messages are you getting when you try to read or write a disk? Could you be a little more specific about what happens that shouldn't and what doesn't happen that should when you try to read or write a disk?

What speeds is the Plextor rated at? What are the speed ratings for the disks you're trying to write to? Have you confirmed that the RW disks you're using are compatible? You'll find compatibility info at <http://www.plextor.com/english/support/support_compatability.html>.

Without information like what I've asked for above, we're all guessing about what might be wrong. You're the one who gets messed up by a bad guess if you act on it.

 

Did the drive ever work? If it's brand new and never worked, return it for a new unit. If the drive was working until recently, you may have a software problem. A friend of mine had an external Plextor that worked great for about 10 months, then just stopped working w/ DVD's. It would play and burn CD's no problem, but it wouldn't recognize DVD's. Plextor has a built-in diagnostic (I think)... go to their web site for more info. They also have a diagnostic tool for download. If the drive is under a year old, you can replace it under warranty (which is what my friend did). Plextor can be a bit slow with warranty questions, but as long as you have the recp't and you file for a return before the warranty expires, they'll either replace it w/ a new unit, or they'll repair the one you send in...........

hopperdave2000

 

I'm told by Dell support that special software is required to burn DVD's, unless you have Windows Vista.

 

"Special" might be a bit strong, but whicky is quite right. Plextor's website says that Roxio comes with the product. You'll need that, or Nero, or another suite that does the same thing.

Meandi, what software are you using to burn with on your Plextor drive?

 

I like to use ImgBurn

 

ooh right,
I run it on a windows xp pro,
i can read DVD+rw not write and it could write (before complete reinstall) cd-r (<==now i dont know i only have empty and full (recording) DVD+rw's)
The error (riiight): NO Seek complete
and last thing: I am using a K8n Neo4 Platinum Motherboard (nVidia)
been searching around an almost found the solution (I can feel it )

 

It can read everything now but it cant write when i put i a empty DVD+rw he says he cant format it (Formatting disc failed ==> Write error ==> Could not perform start of Disc-at-once) and when i put in a non empty one the No seek complete error pops up again.

 

Does ur DVD burner bur +RW or just -RW? Or does it do both?

 

I ran into a problem with my lite-on some months ago, it would read some things...Sometimes..and that was about it. After trying everything, someone pointed out cables. I was using cdrom cables! I had no Idea! thats what the PC came with...How does one know? I used a hard drive cable instead and all was well.
Just a stab..
Jaza

 

Meandi, it's good to know what OS you're using -- but we also need to know what burning software have you installed on your system (Please note that I'm not referring to the firmware updates you've done. I hope I'm not insulting your intelligence in pointing out that firmware and software are not the same thing.)

So, what DVD burning software have you installed? Nero? Roxio? Something else? If so, what? Or did that software get lost when you did your "complete reinstall"?

I don't have any DVD+RW discs handy, but I do have a DVD+R handy. Windows XP can read that disk without support of third-party software, but I doubt very much that Windows XP and earlier can write to a DVD disc without that support.

And not a bad stab, Jaza. But I think what happened was that you replaced a flaky cable with a good one, or you accidentally cleaned up a dirty contact. Re-seating a cable connection will do that.

IDE cables are IDE cables. AFAIK, there is no such thing as a "CD-ROM cable" as distinct from a hard drive cable. Parallel-ATA cables have either 80 conductors (current ATA standard) or 40 conductors (old ATA standard). Both use a 40-pin plug to connect the cable. The newer P-ATA drives are backward-compatible; they will run on a 40-conductor cable but will be limited to the ATA-66 standard. New ATA drives with 80-conductor cables will perform to the ATA-133 standard if their internal controller supports that standard. This applies to IDE drives generally, not just hard drives.

Optical drives generally can't read or write as fast as a hard drive, so sometimes there is little point in putting a ATA133-compatible controller in them. Where that's the case, the manufacturer may supply a 40-conductor cable in the retail drive package because the 80-conductor cable (which is slightly more expensive) will not confer any added benefit.

 

I am sorry to say, but you are incorect, like my spelling, no offence, my cable was not flakey, and it is in my friends pc running his cd rom with no probs. 40 wire and 80 wire ...all i know is DVD and HDD love the more wire, I have SATA, this is how I was able to stick the hdd cable into my dvd, and correct the problem.
You Cannot use a cd rom cable and expect any kind of niceness with a DVD
Ask anyone here!
Here is where I got the excellent info, and the cure.! if your pc some how works with a DVD to cdRom Cable, then your the Shizen!, but dont say that my cables are bad! There is a big difference between 40 and 80 connections.....try hooking up a DVD to a 40 ......are your wires bad too?

 

i put a hard drive cable, instead of a cd rom cable
lol 40....80
Dirty conection my arse!

 

you did read the second half of the paragraph, didn't you... Angry Smurf ?

 

Well, you're entitled to your opinion. And I've been wrong before now. rolleyes
Have you tried putting that cable back where it was when you had the problem that made you swap it out? With what result?

OK, Jazagod -- you've made me curious. What's the difference between a CD-ROM cable and a hard drive cable?

 

not an angry smurf
The two cables look the same, but the HDD cable actually has more wires. Might have been Shadow puter dude that pointed this out to me way back, Was a while ago so I forget who exactly. but indeed for my past problem, it was the difference in wires. If you hold a cdrom cable and a hdd cable together you will see the difference.
jaza

 

...and each connector has sockets for 40 pins on both cables? (The socket for Pin 20 may or may not be plugged -- that pin is used only for keying.)

Yes, the difference is easily visible when you hold them side by side. I think what you're looking at are the older 40-line and the newer 80-line parallel ATA cables. The IDE standard allows for both, though the 40-line cable does not have the bandwidth of the 80-line cable. An IDE drive (CD-ROM, DVD, or ATA hard drive) would be limited to 33MBps if it is hooked up with a 40-line cable. The 80-line cable is designed to sustain a throughput of up to 133MBps. It is also more resistant to electrical noise and RFI within the case because the other 40 lines in the 80-line cable alternate with the data lines in the ribbon, and are connected to ground. The data lines in both cables are the same.

CD drives derive little benefit from the 80-line cable. They don't pass data fast enough for it to matter. That's why you still see them packed with CD-ROM retail boxes, and (now) occasionally referred to as CD-ROM cables. However, the IDE/ATA specification does not distinguish between the various types of IDE drives.

DVD drives pass data fast enough that the improved resistance to electrical noise becomes a factor, though few DVD drives can pass data at or above the 33MBps maximum rate for the ATA/33 standard to which the old cables are designed. A DVD drive will therefore benefit from an 80-line cable where a CD drive would not, even if it is built to the ATA/33 standard.

Today's hard drives are usually built to the ATA/133 standard, and will be throttled back to the ATA/33 standard if they are connected with a 40-line cable. But they will run. I've done it.

In the case you described, it's possible that there was a dirty connection that got cleaned by changing the cable. (It happens. I've fixed more than one wonky peripheral just by re-seating its connections.) It's also possible that the drive it was connected to needed the noise resistance that the 80-line cable could deliver but the 40-line cable could not. (There's a fair amount of electrical noise/RFI inside a computer case, which is why the I/O slots have covers, and provision is made for electrically bonding the cover to the chassis. If you remove those protections, you may annoy your neighbours with the electrical noise your box will leak. The FCC Class B certification your computer carries is void without those items and others.)

I could also ask whether the drive that misbehaved was connected to the middle or the end of the cable. (If you connect a drive to the middle of the cable and leave the end connector with nothing on it, it will reflect data pulses back to the drive connected to the middle connector. But those reflected pulses will be mis-timed, and may mess up the drive's performance.)

My source: Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 17th ed., Ch. 7, by Scott Mueller (Que Books, Indianapolis). And a little bit of experience gained over 15 years in building and repairing computers. What's yours, Jazagod?

 

It doent mention that they are not compatable but it's probably a less know brand so i'll try another one in a while. (I use tdk +RW 1-4)

(probably answering this 2 times i dont know) yes but not with +rw or -rw so far

It should do both but i didnt try -RW yet.

I have more sets of cables but i dont know which one i should use. (My thinking is if it fits it should work (way to simplistic))

The software i've used was about everything, but now i only have musicmatch, alcohol120%, and windows xp (that can write (not))

Thats about all anny more solutions or ideas are welcome because the problem isn't solved yet does annyone know for example how to change Ultra DMA Mode-4 to Pio Mode 4/DMA Mode-2 or sommething like that.

 

The drive manufacturers rarely report which media are incompatible. Generally, they name only the brands they have tested satisfactorily. The non-appearance of a name may mean only that it hasn't been tested.

Download the spec sheet for your drive from <http://www.plextor.com/english/products/pdfs/PX716Ads.pdf> if you don't have the manual. You'll see that TDK is not listed on Plextor's spec sheet for your drive for compatibility in the +RW mode. That doesn't mean TDK DVD+RW media won't work, it only means that Plextor is not promising that they will work. That spec sheet tells me that the Plextor PX 716a is capable of writing DVD+RW disks at up to 8x. You might want to pick a brand that is recommended by Plextor and can be written in the +RW mode at 8x or faster if you want to use that mode.

The TDK disks you're using are an OK brand, but cannot match the Plextor's write speed in the +RW mode. Some burning software will automatically test the media and throttle the drive back if the media isn't fast enough, but don't assume that will happen. Make sure that your burning software isn't trying to write any faster than the TDK disks can handle. I'm not familiar with either Musicmatch or Alcohol120%, so I can't tell you how to do that.

That's not too simplistic -- see my comments in a previous post. But your Plextor is fast enough to need an 80-line IDE cable. Use one if at all possible.

Normally, that's set by the firmware in the host controller and the drive. It's not usually user-settable. (Check your BIOS settings anyway.)

And why would you want to make that change? U-DMA Mode 4 implies a maximum transfer rate of 66.7MBps; DMA Mode 2 implies a maximum transfer rate of no more than 16.7MBps.

The spec sheet for the Plextor says that the drive has a rear-panel jumper to set Multiword DMA/PIO. The manual should tell you whether you need to mess with that jumper. (A general rule: use the manufacturer's defaults unless (a) you know what you're doing, and (b) have a reason not to accept the manufacturer's defaults.) Keep in mind that multiword-DMA has been superseded by the Ultra-DMA transfer modes. The Ultra-DMA modes are faster, if you can use them. (And I doubt that you can make the drive run in Ultra-DMA Mode 4 without an 80-line cable. It should throttle itself back to U-DMA Mode 2 or slower if you don't have the 80-line cable installed.)

 

Yeah i still have the problem of it half functioning cant read certain disk and cant write dvd rw's only when i just put the cable in another slot it works untill i reboot so that cind of sux. because replacing it is verry hard

 

and it's not even that too, it's just random luck
so anny sugestions are still welcome

 

At this point, I suspect an incompatibility with the media you're using. If you haven't already, try a brand that is specifically recommended by Plextor (link is in a previous post in this thread) and that is rated for the drive's maximum write speed for the format you're using (+RW or -RW).

As for the disks your Plextor won't read: is it always the same disks that won't read? If so, it's most likely an incompatibility with those disks -- for which there may be no solution other than burning that material to another disk that your Plextor will read.

If the inability to read a particular disk comes and goes, I'd suspect an intermittent hardware problem. It may be the drive, or it may be the drive's connections to your system. It could be your power supply unit. An intermittent hardware problem is the hardest problem to fix, because you can never be sure that you've fixed it until you find out that you haven't. It can involve a great deal of trial and error -- mostly error.

If it's an option, swap the Plextor drive for another and see if the problem goes away for long enough that you can assume it's gone. Also, make sure that the disk(s) in question can be read consistently on another drive.

 

FINALLY
I (think i) now know what the problem is:
I recently bought bf2142 and the game seems to be working like starforce protection system:
It installs a driver in the zero ring of windows xp, so that u could not be able to crack the game.
Ofcourse the stupid system is not failproof and now my drive doesnt function like it should.
I read that i could be able to fix this by removing a device form the non plug and play compatible devices (view show hided devices) but i dont know wich one. So any help would be welcome again.
PS: I already removed bf2142

 

It is finaly fixed, i crashed windows so i had to install-repair it and now the dvd-drive works again.