Sudden DVD+RW compatibility issue

[loontune]

I have successfully been backing up movies with, DVD Decrypter, DVD Toolbox, then Nero 5.5 with an HP300i. Never a problem with DVD+r's.
I also use Memorex DVD+RW's with the same process. I needed more
DVD+RW's, so purchased a 5-pack of Ricoh DVD+RW's. This is where
trouble started.

The same method with a Ricoh works fine in my PC, Sony DVPNS715P, but suddenly not my Sony DVPS300. The S715P reads all four formats, the S300 wont read DVD-RW's only, the rest it will.

I click on media type in Nero, it says this disc is a DVD+RW, but book type DVD-ROM? I questioned the seller who asked for the serial numbers on the discs, he says they are DVD+RW's. I then reburned the same video files on one of the older Memorex DVD+RW's, and it now failed in
the S300 where they had been working all along. It now also says it's a
DVD+RW, but booktype DVD-ROM. Another Memorex DVD+RW I burned prior to getting the Ricohs say it's a DVD+RW, booktype DVD+RW! I have not checked off the booktype DVD-ROM option in Nero.

This could be a drive problem not media as just before that my HP300i died. Replaced it with the same but new HP300i, probably 6-8 months newer. I simply swapped drives leaving all software the same.

Tried to:
Reinstall Nero didn't help.
Erasing the media before burning didn't help.
Nero won’t allow me to change the book type to DVD+RW on any of the disks.
The new drive was swapped with the defective one, no software. I try reinstalling the HP software from the first drive it fails to see the new one. ("No HP Drive detected")
I have ordered new install disks from HP. It has formatting tools and a
util you can download to change modes on rw's and the drive itself.

Does Nero format them wrong? Are some HP utilities not working cuz the old software isn’t seeing the drive? Could a newer (same) drive burn differently? I'm guessing cuz not sure, but I think the first time I used the successful Memorex DVD+RW's I used other programs, either I let DVDDecrypter burn them, or Pinnacle Studio 8. Which ever it was, I distinctly remember a very long formatting period before a burn that I don't get with Nero.

Any suggestions? Sorry for length, I don't want to leave anything out.
I’m not failing here, but hate to buy another DVDPlayer for formatting reasons.

(PS I also had a problem when using one of the Ricohs to Ghost my system. The 2nd dvd+rw was readable, the first I created as a bootable dvd was not. fluke?)
This was successful with the first HP300i.

[tompika]

http://h20015.www2.hp.com/en/softwareDownloadIndex.jhtml?reg=&cc=us&softitem=dv-13024-...etype=software

[loontune]

OK, Problem fixed. It was not the media, it was the burner. For whatever reason, the old software was not working with the new HP 300i. When I tried to reinstall it, it couldnt find the drive. Ordering the newest software from HP worked. The new software found the drive, and now all burns on DVD+RW work in all my players once again. A cool utility that was not available to me with the first install cd's I had checks the mode of the media and allows you to switch it from mode 1 and 2. The DVD+RW's burned before the new software arrived were showing up as mode 2. Switching those made them work.

Also note: Seems Nero has a problem with Direct CD from Roxio. To stop Nero from hanging I have to do a quick format to new DVD+RW's, then eject them. Otherwise the formatting tries to finish after the Nero burn is trying to finish up, and Nero and Direct CD can't be running at the same time. It causes the whole system to hang.

The HP manual claims you can right click the HP drive letter and select format. When I uninstalled direct CD because Record Now says it cant install with Direct CD installed, I had no native Windows format option any longer. But with Nero and Roxio installed, what's Record Now give me.