DVD writer problem or Bad DVDs, or bad USB connections?

[cchen921]

I burn DVDs quite often, and I do have a problem with burning. Sometimes, it doesn't burn quite well, the writer doesn't read the whole data, so if I were to copy the data back to the hard drive, it cannot read it. I have a Dynex DVD recorder for 1 of my computers and a Lite-On for my 2nd. I found that the problem occured the most with my Compusa brand 2X DVD-R from 2003-2004. Ocassionally I have a problem with my generic no name brand 8x DVD+R with absolutely no cover whatsoever. Now I do have like 2 usb hubs connected to 1 usb port, both of them do not have power connected to it other than the main USB port. So right now, I am experimenting with a PCMCIA USB hub with external power connecting to my DVD writer and my hard drive to another port. Would this make it better? I have these Memorex DVD+R with very vibrant purple colors, much more vibrant than the no name brands or the Compusa brands. Thoughts on whether this is a DVD-Writer problem, USB connection or bad discs?

[Bjs]

When ever using external burner's , esspecially dvd unit's , they can consume upto 2 amp's of current ... as far as I know , no motherboard supplies this much current .

Xp will under this situation popup a warning on modern systems :

"warning - usb overload reset"

When this happen's , it will still work , but it will be anything other than perfect .

If this was to happen while a usb2 video capture device was in use ... you can forget about the perfect quality you were capturing before .

Replace motherboard to fix ... dont use addon pci usb2 card's ... pci is a bottle neck .

Such device's should alway's be connected to a powered usb hub that can supply ample current to meet the connected equipment's need's .

Some usb dvd burner's do come with their own power supply unit's , but I still suggest using the powered hub as an interface to the pc at all time's .

You never know when the unit's own power supply will go or how well it is performing till you run into a problem later .

[whitejremiah]

dvdr from 2003-2004....i think that may be part of the issue...also, how old is the burner itself? if it's as old as the media, it very well may be failing on you just because of age.....burners back then weren't nearly as stable as they are now.....

[jman98]

Have you considered that your media might be crap? I am always amazed at how many people sincerely believe that there is no difference at all between media brands and the no name brands are just as good as Verbatim and other manufacturers of high quality media. The website
http://www.nomorecoasters.com
has info on good media. I can tell you from personal experience that the crappiest DVD media I ever bought was Memorex DVD+R. Please note that vibrant colors has nothing to do with whether the media is good or not.

I am also amazed that it appears that your DVD burners don't need an external power source. I have an old USB based DVD burner from Sony and it came with its own power supply. I think the suggestion to use a powered USB hub is a good one. Try using the powered hub AND use better quality media. Verbatim is always a good brand these days. The web site I listed can tell you about other good brands.