BEWARE--Panasonic DMR-E30 fried by bad disk!!

[bskousen]

Well, I just inserted a disk I burned on my Pioneer 104, a disk that the DMR-E30 didn't like apparently, and displayed a U99 error code. Nothing I have done has been able to unfreeze the machine. I have held the power button until it went off, turned it back on and the "U99" error is still there. I have unplugged it for over ten minutes and still the message is there and doesn't allow me to do anything else except remove the disk. Now when it powers on, the error message is there before it even bothers looking for a disk. I have inserted commercial disks, RAM disks, DVD-r disks burned with the DMR-E30 all to no avail. I cannot understand how Panasonic could have made a machine so picky that it self destructs when it comes upon a disk that it doesn't like. This would be a field day for virus creators. Has anyone had this problem or found a way to correct it?
I even went to Panasonic's web page and typed in the model number for the nearest service center and it said "no such model number exists."

Bruce SKousen

[Savant]

A similar problem happened with Pioneer, maybe it is related:
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/hs/

Regards,

Savant

[leebo]

I dont believe that is his problem, as 4X discs aren't being sold yet.

Since you have already removed the disc, try this:

Unplug the unit.
Wait several minutes, then plug it back in and immediately push the eject button.

If you don't get the error message by this time, insert a pressed DVD (Hollywood movie) and see if it will read it.

[bskousen]

I unplugged the unit for 24 HOURS and the message was still there. It wouldn't recognize ANY disk. I would put in a commercial disk and it would spin the disk and make noises like it was trying to read it (all the while the U99 message is on the display), and would then either do nothing or it would eject the disk. I had to finally send the unit to a Panasonic Service Center on Saturday (which cost me $32 insured). I just hope this isn't a fatal flaw in their design. Who wants to have to send their unit to a service center just because it goes into an internal safety mode that cannot be reset?
It has given me a U14 and U99 error before when it didn't like a disk, but unlike the other times, there was nothing I could do to reset the machine. This is a very serious design flaw OR there has always been something wrong with it in the first place and it just happened to go belly-up when I inserted a DVD-r it didn't like. Maybe they won't be able to fix it and they'll just give me a new one! Heck, I'd even pay a couple of hundred more for the new model with hard drive!!

Bruce Skousen

[Eug]

Most people just turn off the machine and the turn it on again while holding down the eject key and the disc will pop out. But maybe your machine is defective.

[bskousen]

No, you don't understand. I had no problem ejecting disks. The problem was the error code U99 would NEVER go away no matter what I did. Thus, the machine was unusable. I've already sent it back to Panasonic. It's been there for over a week now. Hopefully they'll get it back to me soon.

Bruce Skousen

[Cyrax9]

bskousen--

I hate to say it but I think your E30S was just a lemon. I don't kow if you bought the unit with an "Extended 3-year Warenty form a place like Circuit City or Best Buy, but if you didn't, I'd make a habbit of buying that "Extended warrenty" for situations like this. If the E30S is "Locked" into that error loop, chances are it's either a firmware problem (anoying buggers they are), or the Machine was just defective.

If you tried other (vburned) Discs and were getting the same error message, I'd think it's the Unit and not your Disc that has the problem, I went through 2 Pioneer DVD-116 DVD-ROM Drives and am currently on a DVD-117 Drive from Pioneer in my PC because the DVD-116 drives had a prblem "Switching" from CD mode ot DVD mode so, as you can imagine what could, and did happen, was that the DVD's (Hollywood Discs) were "Jumpy" and I had to replace the drive.

I personally think your E30S was either defective, or if it wasn't, Panasonic might have to issue a "Recall" if that U99 errr keeps popping up for other people, thanks for the heads up because I was very close to buying the E30S writer this week, and now I have a ton of questions about weather or not to buy it.

[leebo]

bskousen--

I'd make a habbit of buying that "Extended warrenty" for situations like this.

I very much DO NOT agree.
Those extended warranties are usually a rip-off. There have been studies done that show that.
Any why do you think the salesmen are always so eger to sell them?
They're almost 100% profit for the stores because they're rarely ever used.

His unit was new and covered anyway.

[aaronm32]

..I went through 2 Pioneer DVD-116 DVD-ROM Drives and am currently on a DVD-117 Drive from Pioneer in my PC...
..I was very close to buying the E30S writer this week, and now I have a ton of questions about weather or not to buy it.

If Pioneer has been giving you so many problems why do you continue to buy from such a crappy company??? No reason to buy the extended warranties. Just buy from a different, more dependable brand.

[bskousen]

I have mixed feelings about extended warranties. Obviously they're great when something goes wrong. However, in my case, I bought it through mail order (6th Ave). This is the one disadvantage of buying mail order. However, I saved more than $200, so I still win in the long run.

Bruce Skousen

[Thorn]

What's wrong with you kids these days? (ok, so I'm not that old but that's fun to say). The extended warranties are a scam and a half. The way most electronics work these days is this: they break in the first month or they work for the expected lifetime. Why do you think the salesmen get almost their entire bonus off of the extended warranty? A friend told me that the computers sold at a store he worked at had more than two thirds of the profit margin (for the store) coming from the waranty. Think about that...

Moreover, most of the things I buy are obsolete well within three years, so I'll get something much better when it breaks. Printers. DVD players (they hang on to a degree). Computer parts. etc. By saving the cost of the waranty you can buy another cheap (whatever) sooner that is 4x as good.

I've never had problems with my pioneer devices. And most products will have a lemon every once in a while, that's what the 90-day warranty is for.

One last thing: take all of the electronics you've bought, and then calculate the failure rate AFTER the first 90 days, then calculate the value lost (if a $200 player breaks after 2 years, you didn't loose $200). Now compare that to how much you'd spend on getting the extended waranty for every electronics piece you buy. Hmm...

[Greg12]

I have a Inspirion 8100 Laptop with a 3 year warrently.

I have gotten my money's worth 2x.

I use my laptop alot and it got so hot it melted the connections to the CPU.

They had to send me 2 new laptops because the one they sent from the factory was defective (made it 30 minutes) and then it fried.

I've also had a new keyboard put in and need a new plasma screen (stupid thing jumps around)

I luv my warrenty

[Thorn]

Oh yea... Laptops are a different story, partly because you can't work on them much yourself. I suppose there are certain items that it really does make sense to get a warantee for -- just don't ever trust the guy at a computer store to decide for you because then everything needs the super-duper extended waranty

[Cyrax9]

I buy extened warrenties for the reason that they're offered. I had been Given a "Sony CD-Walkman" and my brother recived one also, about a year and a ghalf later (after the "Regular" warrenty expired) my little brother's (ok he ain't that little but it works) CD_Walkman just stopped working alltogether. New Batteries, and a cleaning still didn't help. We pulled out the "Extneded Warrenty" took it back to "Best Buy" and I wound up finind out that they'd "Upgrade" the model for free on the "EXTENDED" Warrenty if there was a problem, he got a new CD-Walkman about two weeks later. I took my Printer/Scanner/Copier to Best buy for a "Yearly Cleaning" under the "EXTNENDED Warrenty" only, I was having a problem with ink "Running" when I took it in, I got it back and after they ran it through the "Cleanng heads" 6 times, the unit was perfect again (I print alolt of stuff in color and B&W), so the "Extended Warrenty" does help, butit depends what you're buying, you obviously aren't going to buy an "Extended Warrenty" on a VCR, it's not practical.

Now as for the Junk I've Gotten from Pioneer, it's nioot ioneer that's the problem, it's ALienware's OEM Equipment, and I'm glad I had their "Exteneded 3-0year Warrenty" or this computer would be sitting in my basement for "Salvage parts" because short of having the HDD, HSF, MoBo, Soundcard, and GeForce3 Graphic's card (Capture card as well), everything on this machine has broken, including the keyboard!

Now I normally would just put in a new part, but the stuff on this machine is high-quality unless you let an idiot install it (Like I did) and that's where the problem is.

As for new "units" that are DOA, that's inexcusable, howevr if you're like me and have amachine that get's used evryday (I have a 5 year old SOny VCR, and an Awia Stero), then after about three years of constant weear and tear, the "Extened Warrntey" has helped, half the trime I don't need it, half tghe time I do, so I just buy it, it's usually not alot more money, but it's owrht it for the most part.

[Eug]

I have a Inspirion 8100 Laptop with a 3 year warrently.

I have gotten my money's worth 2x.

I use my laptop alot and it got so hot it melted the connections to the CPU.

They had to send me 2 new laptops because the one they sent from the factory was defective (made it 30 minutes) and then it fried.

I've also had a new keyboard put in and need a new plasma screen (stupid thing jumps around)

I luv my warrenty

Hate to say it but it seems to me that the 8100 seems a bit flimsy, despite its hefty weight. It's no surprise it's so "inexpensive" despite the number of features it has. (Several of my colleagues have it.)

[Erwin]

"The extended warranties are a scam and a half. The way most electronics work these days is this: they break in the first month or they work for the expected lifetime. Why do you think the salesmen get almost their entire bonus off of the extended warranty? A friend told me that the computers sold at a store he worked at had more than two thirds of the profit margin (for the store) coming from the waranty. Think about that...
And most products will have a lemon every once in a while, that's what the 90-day warranty is for."

Some Warranties, maybe. But the Protection Plans offered at Circuit City and SEARS are worth it. I paid $50 for a three year Protection Plan at CC for a $500 product. If it fails, they replace it, repair it, or give me store credit. Some products will present their problem within 90 days, but there is no guarantee and I have been the victim of a Television that died on me after owning it for a little less than 2 years. Hmmm...what sounds better? Paying $15 for a fixed TV (would have been $75 for repairs b/c I saw the receipt) which is still going today or $199 for a brand new one that is close to it's equivalent? So, in this scenario, I either saved $60 or $198 (I have to consider the tax for TV also). I had a ProScan DVD player go bad on me and they gave me $279 in credit back. I paid $60 for that warranty and it was nice to be able to use the credit on a bunch of DVDs as well as a Nintendo Gamecube.

[rehoboth]

I seem to have a similar problem if not worse. In my case I put in
a DVD-R that is neither a Panasonic nor an Optodisc, and tried to dub.
(My machine is DMR-E80H with the hard drive and DVD-R player/
burner in it). Instead I got the dreaded U99 diagnostic.
I have tried unplugging the unit for anything from 30 seconds to 3 days
without getting the U99 to go away.

Additionally I tried,as others have suggested here, holding the open/close button as I powered up but it does not open the DVD-R tray.
It just goes from power off to U99 with nothing opening.

This was the first time I'd tried a disc other than a Panasonic or
the Optodisc which I've had no problems with [they are advertised
as Panasonic compatible]. I agree with the original posting that this
seems a pretty major design flaw if a non-approved disc renders
the machine inoperable.

[dcsos]

someone must know a way to reset the internal memory or some such!
Is there a PIN operated switch in a tiny hole on the back of the unit?..My router has a "HARDWARE RESET" like this

also..they've offered me EXTENDED WARANTEES on stuff like
HARD DRIVE mounting kit and Hot swap IDE cases...which never fail
(they're inert metal pieces, either good or bad out of the box...this leads me to believe MEGASTORES know nothing!)

also please looky here they're discussing the same thing
http://www.thewholewideweb.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=306

[Leon8]

Extented Warranty is a bit like insurance. If you don't need it is money down the tube but it sure come in handy when you need it.

If you buy with some Crecit Card, they will extend you warranty by a year.

Leon