Help! Can only burn at 20x or 24x!

[asp3232]

Hey folks,

I've got a couple of 48x24x48 drives, and both of them are showing the maximum write speed wrong (using Nero Burning, CD Speed, and InfoTool). I have a NEC 9300A (FW 105B) that only reports 20x, and a Khypermedia (Benq? 4824P, FW D.LC) that only reports 24x.

Note that this is what the drives are reporting independent of media type.

Other info:
P4 2.53GHz, 512MB
XP Home
Both drives have DMA enabled.
Came with ECDC/DirectCD, removed and installed Nero

Any thoughts how I can get these up to 48x?

Thanks!

asp

[rdgrimes]

What media is in the drive when you check the max speed?

[asp3232]

I'm using some e3 works media that I got at Office Max, that claims to be 48x (though I don't have the box anymore -- this was a 200 pack of 2 spindles x100/spindle ).

I upgraded the FW on the Khypermedia to D.UC, and now things are a bit different -- with no media in the drive Nero InfoTool shows a max write speed of 32x, but with the media in the drive it drops to 24x.

Is there info on the media itself that identifies a max speed, or does the drive determine it?

Still very strange that it doesn't even allow a max speed of 48x even with no media, though, eh?

[rdgrimes]

Without media in the drive, you should ignore any speed indications given by any program. The drive sets it's speed based on the media in the drive.
Most of the programs will show the most recent speed that was actually burned. I suspect that the media you have is pretty poor quality.

[asp3232]

Thanks again for the reply!

Could be poor media, I suppose... I would sure hope not, though...

When I run a writing test using cdspeed, it ramps up pretty steeply, and then when it gets to 24x it just immediately flattens out. I've tried it with 3 different discs from the stack, and they all start off great, and then lock at 24x (actually just under at 23.92x, every time).

It seems as though there's something other than the quality of the media that's limiting it, unless the media somehow tells the drive a max rate. If it is due to the quality of the media, wouldn't it be more likely to have at least *some* variation in the performance of the drive?

Also, I used cdspeed to create a data disc (which burned at 24x using the same media), and then used the cdspeed quality test on this newly created data disk. Surprisingly, I didn't get a single error, which indicates (at least to me) that the media may not be as bad as I was beginning to think.

Sorry if I seem a bit clueless about this stuff -- it's because I am!

Thanks for your help!

asp

[David]

You can also try turnig off the auto pilot option for the 4824P. Once disabled it should allow you to select the speed which you want to burn at nomater what the drive decides is the max burn speed of the media.

[asp3232]

Thanks for the suggestion, David.

Now the stupid question -- how do I turn off the autopilot option? I looked in Nero Burning ROM and didn't find anything for that (though it's certainly possible I missed it), and don't remember seeing anything like that in the other many things I've been looking through...

Thanks again!

asp

[David]

Select recorder, then click choose recorder, click options, unselect auto pilot. You will get a message that it'll use the current speed the drive is set at for burning I have found that it is not to be the case.

[asp3232]

ok, there it is!

I tried it, and was able to burn a disk at 48x (2:15 for 345MB of data). I got the notice in the log that the quality of the disk might be affected by not using autopilot -- is there a good way to verify if the disk was copied correctly? I'm sure I used to know the answer to this, but my brain is about empty for the day...

Thanks again for your reply! (but any idea why autopilot is dropping it to 24x?)

thanks!

asp

[aviationwiz]

In Nero CD Speed, select Scandisc, and run the Surface Scan.

[asp3232]

Did the surface scan, got no errors found at all.... hmmm......

[wallman]

I have basically the same problem here. I bought the new NEC ND-2500A which can write a cd at 32X. I had some old cdr that I was able to burn at 32X. I just bought a 50 spindle pack of Memorex Music CDR that say 40X Multi Speed on them. When I put it in the max I can select is 16X even though they say 40X. I asked Memorex and they sent me an RMA. Did they just mess up on this whole spindle? Because they are all like this, 16X max. I could not find an autopilot setting in my Nero 6.3.0.2. Is there a registry setting I can change to let me choose what ever spedd I want, over-riding what nero seem to detect? Oh and I did read the ATIP Media Code and under speed it says n/a. So then where does Nero get the max speed from if it is not on the disc code? Please help. Thanks in advance.

Wallman