DD0203 focus or tracking error

[naki]

Sorry about the double post, I replied the same message in one of the dd0203 threads, but figured I might get more replies If i mad ea new topic, desperately looing for ideas. I can't seem to burn at 4x at all, on Ritek G04 running 2.16. Most of the time it will finish burning, but it will be completely unreadable by any drive, including itself. But sometimes I will get focus or tracking error. On one completed 4x disc, it looks like it actually skipped tracks about 2/3 through the dvd. I've tried several media at 2x/4x, about half burned at 2x are ok, the others, are also unreadable by anything. It seems very random, I can burn 2 identical dvds on G04 at 2x, one will read, one won't. Using Nero 6.0.0.11. Any ideas? Or is this an obvious RMA?

[Telstar]

I guess I've been lucky with the DD0203, so far no coaster. I just burned a 4X DVD-R disc (RitekG04) and it played fine on my DVD player. I have only used two different brands of DVD-R discs, CompUSA discs made by Optodisc burned at 2X and Ritek discs at 4X with either DVD Decrypter or Nero 5.5.10.35, and still using 2.09 firmware. I've heard from other sources that Nero 6.0 may have some problems with the DD0203, but cannot confirm since I don't have the 6.0.

Based on your description of random burning problems under the same situation, I would assume it's due to either the DVD burner or your computer system. If your system is set up properly, (DMA enabled, HD defragmented, etc.), then you probably should RMA the drive and get a new one. If the new one still has problems, then you'll be more assured it's something else.

If you still want to try something before the RMA process, then try enabling the data verfication function after burning with Nero. This should give you a general idea of the quality of the burn. Try using -/+RW discs to save you some discs and testing the burned discs on the burner first. If your DVD burner cannot even read the burned discs, then you know something has to be done. Just my two cents.

[naki]

There shouldn't be any problems with the system, drive is running in DMA2 mode and the HD is running plenty fast, the buffer stays full the entire burn. I did try the drive on another pc with an older version of nero and it also coastered. Enabling data verification in nero was interesting, it would eject the cd and remount when it was done, then just sit there and say please insert cd, thinking there was nothing there. I went out and purchased an IOmagic drive, which is a rebadged DD0203, and flashed it to 2.16, installed it, and the weirdest thing happened. I burned onto a -r, and the disc was blank when it was done. Burned to it again, and again it was blank, using nero and dvddecrypter. So I get thinking it's an issue with my pc, but I know the other drive definitely had issues as well. So I tried this new drive in the other pc, and it burned a disc at 4x no problem. Formatted my pc and stuck in the original optorite, coaster again. Stuck in the new drive, burned at 4x ok, but it did skip in my dvd player quite a bit, as well as my dvdrom, but not in the burner. At least the disc is actually being written to now. I'm going to do some more testing when I get home, but i'm running out of discs, a 25 pack goes fast when more than half are coasters =(