Problem with Sony DRU-500A DataDisks

[Vertrider]

Hi...

I bought the Sony DRU-500A DVD writer two days ago.

Only one big problem: Not a single Data-DVD I have burned with Record Now and the DRU-500A can be read in other DVD-Drives I have tested. They can only be read in the DRU-500A itself.

I tried HP DVD-R media as well as the bundled Sony DVD-RW.

The system is a Athlon XP 1700+, 512 MB RAM, Win2000 (SP1), Record Now (didn't have time yet, to update Nero). The DRU-500A is master on a IDE PCI Card.

Question is also: If I have bought the drive 2 days ago, do I need to upgrade firmware? And how can I check, which firmware it has?

Thanks for any help.

Christoph

[sonyman]

I would definately get the firmware upgrade. It resolves many conflicts with certain media. Just because you got your drive 2 days ago doesn't mean that the flash EEPROM was flashed 2 days ago. The firmware updater will tell you what firmware your drive is using. It can be downloaded here: http://sony.storagesupport.com/dvdrw/downloads/dru500a/FirmwareUpdateDRU500A.zip

The bundled Sony disc is DVD+RW which is in my experience the least compatible of all DVD media.

-Scott

[Vertrider]

Thanks for your help.

I've got the FW update and will now get Nero in the latest Version.

[boblx2]

I would agree with Sonyman. I have the Sony drive with the upgrade. I have burned several DVD's with it and other drives, including my stand alone Panasonic RV30 (which is terribly fussy) drive, could read all of them.

Good luck with it......

[Vertrider]

Hi!

Problem resolved. I was very stupid. I have burned DVD+RW's and DVD+R's and was in fact wondering, why my DVD-R CD-ROM drive wouldn't read it.

Well it can't. It is only supposed to read DVD-R's and won't read other formats...

In the meantime I have burned several Sony DVD-Rs (DMR47) with upgraded Nero and my DVD-Drive can read it without any problems.

Thanks for the help,
Christoph

[boblx2]

I don't know what kind of a drive you are using but my A06 reads DVD's of either format. So do my Panasonic DV-30 and my Apex AD-5131. Once it is a DVD it should not make any difference if it was made with a -R format or a +R format........

Maybe you are talking about "CD's" in that case I don't deal with those very often so that may be a different issue. I don't know what a DVD -R CD-Rom is. I thought most DVD drives would also read CD's. Mine does. Anyway I am glad you got it resolved so easily.

.........

[Vertrider]

Hi...

No, I was talking about DVD+RW, DVD-RW, DVD-R and DVD+R which I burned as Data-CDs.

I use both a DVD-ROM that came OEM with my Fujitsu Siemens Scaleo PC and a LG Electronics DVD-ROM Drive (DRD-8160B).

On the Box of the LG it says:
Compatible Formats:
- DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-Dual, and a lot of different CD Formats.

So, when I put in a DVD+R into that drive, or a DVD+RW and it can't read it, this now sounds logical to me.

I don't know about the OEM Fujitsu Drive, but it can and cannot read the same stuff, the LG does.

So my problem described in the upper threads was, that I tried to feed the Fujitsu and the LG Electronics with my self burned DVD+R and DVD+RW (Data)-discs, which they obviously are not able to read.

This also happened, because the salesman that sold me the Sony Writer gave me DVD+R and DVD+RW media. I was not informed that DVD-R were cheaper at that time.

Only once a time the day before yesterday the Fujitsu OEM DVD-ROM displayed the contents of a Sony DVD+RW, but it never did that again, as often as I tried to repeat that event the last days with the same disc.

However, I am fine now. I can make backups of my huge Video and Data-Files (I work as a Sports-Photographer and do independent Snowboard- and Mountainbike-Sports Videos), get space back on my Big Firewire and Ultra-ATA Discs, and that's exactly what I wanted.

Production of my own promotional DVD-Video CDs is a different story, I'll try in a next life ;o)

Cheers