problem with CD Speed mis-reading length of CDs

[ReedD]

I've been using Nero 5.x and a LG GCE-8320B drive for several months now.

Today I had a problem finalizing a CDR, where up until now it has worked OK. (I re-tested with a different brand CDR, and had exactly the same problem.)

Nero ended OK, with the data comparing successfully, but checking the CDR in Nero's CD Speed seemed to regard the resat of the disc beyond the data as all "bad" -- errors even beyond the disc capacity (74 min).

Specifally, in CD Quality Test, the are with data is OK, but after it ends, the yellow and red bars go to the top of the graph area. In Scan Disc - Surface Scan, the data area goes OK, but then it shifts into red, and eventually aborts the program. Since the disc was supposedly closed, there shouldn't be anything to test beyond the data area, anyway.

I've been using Nero 5.5.9.17 for a while, but last week I updated my ASPI from 4.71 to 4.72, in case that has any bearing on the issue.

Some info from the log that Nero keeps:

Windows NT 4.0
WinAspi: File 'Wnaspi32.dll': Ver=4.71 (0002), size=45056 bytes, created 07/17/2002 5:31:28 PM
ahead WinASPI: File 'G:\Program Files\ahead\Nero\Wnaspi32.dll': Ver=2.0.1.50, size=131072 bytes, created 07/27/2002 1:18:10 PM
Nero Version: 5.5.9.17
Recorder: <HL-DT-ST CD-RW GCE-8320B>Version: 1.04 - HA 0 TA 0 - 5.5.9.17

[cfitz]

Did Nero report any problem finalizing the disc? Have you tried putting the disc back in the writer, running Nero, and seeing if it believes the disc to be finalized? If not, have you tried finalizing it? Can you post all of your settings?

I've been using Nero 5.5.9.17 for a while, but last week I updated my ASPI from 4.71 to 4.72, in case that has any bearing on the issue.

It shouldn't, since Nero doesn't use the sytem ASPI - it uses its own version.

cfitz

[ReedD]

Testing the CD-Rs with the CD Speed 1.01.3 (10-2-02) on my computer at home shows them to be OK.

I have the older CD Speed on my work machine, where I did the writing, as the newer CD Speed won't work.

Yet the older CD Speed shows previously finalized discs as OK, but has a problem with the finalized discs I did today.

So the problem actually lies in CD Speed vs. my work computer.

(I'll have to report the details on this when I get back to work tomorrow.)

[ReedD]

It is Nero's Infotool that I can only run the older version (1.02/8-12-02) of on my work machine, as opposed to the newer version (1.03.2/10-29-02).

So, the same, newer version of CD Speed (1.01.3/10-2-02) on the two machines yield different results for the same two CD-Rs I wrote. The discs test OK on my home machine, while they give strange results on my work machine, in both a CD-ROM and CD-RW drive. The Length shows "3728:16.16" which is why the test won't terminate at the end of the 40 MB file that is the only thing on the disc.

The file's checksum is OK, and CD-ROM drives seem to view the disc OK, so the only actual problem is that CD Speed acts funny on those discs, but not the ones I finalized a few weeks ago.

(I use multi-session more than finalizing, so don't have such a large base to tests to compare to.)

[ReedD]

I saw that there is a new version of CD Speed out, v. 1.03, dated 12-11-02, but it still regards the disc as having a length of 3728:16.16 rather than the actual 4 min. it gets on two other computers.

(Ironically, I am not into overburning -- I use exclusively 74 min CD-Rs, as my primary usage is data backup. So I don't have any unusual settings trying to squeeze very last byte onto a disc.)

[ReedD]

CD Speed 1.02 is even reporting Length 3728:16.16 on CD-ROM discs, on a few different computers and CD drives, so the problem must be in CD Speed, somehow.

[Inertia]

The latest Adaptec ASPI drivers have had reports of undesirable behavior, particulary when used with non-Adaptec products.

I would try to eliminate the ASPI drivers as a possible source of the error, particularly since the problem started at about the same time the drivers were updated.

I would try either of the following:

1. Uninstall the current ASPI drivers and install the Nero ASPI Driver WNASPI32.DLL

2. Install the older Adaptec drivers v4.60 (1021). These drivers are reliable and work well with WinNT. The ForceASPI program is a good way to install them.

Go to cyrus-troy Downloads and download the ASPI Check and Force ASPI programs.

Unzip (extract) ForceASPI, read the Index.htm file carefully, and run the program. ForceASPI will properly install the v4.60 (1021) ASPI layer and back up your current drivers if you wish.

Reboot, run ASPI Check, and if correct, try CD Speed again to see if the readings are corrected..

[ReedD]

CD Speed 1.02 is even reporting Length 3728:16.16 on CD-ROM discs, on a few different computers and CD drives, so the problem must be in CD Speed, somehow.

Testing that pressed CD on the machines at home got the proper
length in CD Speed of 04:49.59, which InfoTool shows as 42 MB.

The CD-R that also got mixed results was *also* around 40 MB, so
that seems to be the common factor. The problem may be in the
the math somehow. In other works, CDs with only a small amount of data
get computed as the CD equivalent of negative infinity, or something
like that.

(It may be that something like whether the date displays "02" or
"2002" affects this.)

[ReedD]

[quote="(It may be that something like whether the date displays "02" or "2002" affects this.)

Or the time format -- I have a date/time customizer on my machines, and maybe that is influencing how CD Speed determines the *time* which is how it displays the length, and where the problem is.

Recapping, the CD-R and pressed silver CD are closed properly, and need by Nero as such. Only CD Speed, on some of my machines, views them as infinite length. Both discs have 40 MB of content, so maybe a time related setting or my clock customizer throws CD Speed off.

I'll try disabling that customizer to see if CD Speed can then see those discs properly.

[cfitz]

Hey Reed, thanks for following up and letting us know your discoveries. I don't want you to feel like you are being ignored and unappreciated because you are holding a conversation with yourself. But, you seem to have things under control, so no input is needed from anyone else at this point...

cfitz

[ReedD]

2. Install the older Adaptec drivers v4.60 (1021). These drivers are reliable and work well with WinNT. The ForceASPI program is a good way to install them.

Go to cyrus-troy Downloads and download the ASPI Check and Force ASPI programs.

It seems that 4.60 is available from Adpaptec directly, at:

http://www.adaptec.com/worldwide/suppor ... aspi32.exe

Would these be OK?

The newer 4.72 drivers may well be causing some system instablities.

[Inertia]

Yes, the v4.60 (1021) files from Adaptec are exactly the same ASPI drivers contained in the Force ASPI package. It doesn't have an ASPI Check program included, and the ASPI Check programs from the v4.7x series drivers will give the wrong results with v4.60.

Note the following on Adaptec's web page:

Dependencies:
This upgrade requires that either an Adaptec host adapter or an Adaptec version of the ASPI layer be installed on your system.

Previously, unless you had an Adaptec product on your computer, their ASPI drivers wouldn't load. This has changed, and starting with the v4.7x series the drivers are free of these restrictions. The v4.60 version from the Adaptec site is not unrestricted, but it may load OK because you already have Adaptec drivers loaded. It may warn you that you are replacing newer drivers with older ones, but just ignore the warning.

Personally, I would choose to use the Force ASPI installation, because it can be downloaded with a matched ASPI Check program. It also allows you to backup and restore your current ASPI drivers if you wish. It also allows the files to be installed without any Adaptec products installed, which is why this ASPI "hack" was created in the first place.

[ReedD]

Since the problem is with CD Speed and not Nero, can the title of this thread be changed?

[cfitz]

You can do it yourself, since you started the thread. Just go to your first post and click the "edit" button in the upper right corner of the post. Then change as needed, and hit "submit" again.

cfitz