100's & 1000's of errors on DVD burn, Why?

[RWANDREWS]

I have just spent a lot of time making coasters of my DVD projects, & I am at a loss as to why. I am using Maxell, TDK or Princo DVD-R disks, burned at 1x & 2X speed. When I check them with DVDINFOpro the show one or more bad sectors with hundreds & even, THOUSANDS of errors. When played in my standalone DVD player, then usually lock up.

WHAT THE H*LL am I doing wrong ??!!! I de-fragged my HD a couple of times, & re-authored the ISO file. I am starting with a pristine source, LDs converted via CANOPUS ADVC100 & encoded with TMPGEnc, then authored with TMPGenc Author. I make a ISO file with IMGTool, then burn with DVDDecrypter. I burn with a Pioneer A04 I have made some many good DVDs before, but lately they are full of errors. I am NOT going over 4GB, and often 3.5GB or less, but I still get errors.

Question #1: Can I assume the errors are resulting in the burn process and/or media ?

Question #2: If not the burn, where is the weakest link? Please note, ONLY the burn is going on , the computer is NOT being used for anything else.

Question #3: Is there a way to check for problems, BEFORE the burn ?

I would be most appreciative if someone could give me some leads on what to look for next.

[Sugar]

Did a virus check on your PC lately?

[RWANDREWS]

As far as a virus check goes, I have not done that. I will try it and report back. It sounds like a plausible solution, thanks SUGAR !

[lordsmurf]

Clean the dirty burner laser lens.

[RWANDREWS]

Ok, I ran a virus check & found 6 viruses. Used Norton to quarantine them. Burned another coaster !

I am going to try t clean the laser lens, but I heard this was not necessary in almost all cases, and could make matters worse. Any recommendations on how to clean it ? Should I atack it with a cotton swab & alcohol, or use a commercial product ?

What do you say, LordSmurf, I've read most of the stuff on your site & many of your posts, & I found you to have real knowledge & excellent advice.

Any chance I have counterfeit Maxell DVD-Rs ? They say MXLR in DVDDecryper & DVDInfo, but there is NO exterior label. I bought them from Beststore4u.com through yahoo.

[lordsmurf]

Fake MXL

[RWANDREWS]

Well, I've solved my problem, but I don't know EXACTLY how. I ran a virus check, found 6 viruses, but still burned a coaster. I did a scan disk, cleaned my DVD write with a Phillips kit, and tried the burn tool that comes with TMPGEnc Author, and... voila ! Worked perfectly, even with fake media.

So what have I learned? Just that many factors could be involved in making a bad disk and one has to methodically go through all the variables to reach a solution. Thanks for all the suggestions, I would not have thought of them all !