Discs Still Blank AFTER Burn

[amosher]

Until recently, i backup DVD's to my PC (laptop) with DVDDecrypter, shrink with DVDSHrink when necessary and burn back to DVD with Roxio Disc Copier (SOmeone bought me Roxio easy media creator 9). I usually use Sony DVD+R with very few media related problems. I started using VOBBlanker to get rid of excess material and some of my discs starting giving me problems playing in DVD players or even my PC. Typically i check before burn (I have K-Lite mega codec pack so i can view the VOB's with Media Player Classic). I found some errors were probably because i had messed up something with VOBBlanker. But recently, several burns with Disc Copier have left the disc blank after burn, whether I blanked any VOB's OR NOT. I backed up the Illusionist, burned a straight copy to a DVD5 and it went through the whole burn and the disc was still blank! (A few weeks ago i also started running ANYDVD to help with Arccoss protected discs). ANy ideas whats going on? Reply here or send email. I'm fairly new at all this but learning very quickly.

[TooLFooL]

it's blank, meaning you can burn it again?
or blank, meaning no files burned to it, yet it shows 0 bytes free?

[steveryan]

I had the same problem, it was caused by burning whilst ANYDVD was running.

[amosher]

no oddly enough blank meaning blank! but usually when i run a DVDInfo Pro on it it will show something like 4.07 GB free as opposed to 4.38 or whatever. but i've been burning with ANYDVD off. thanks for replies

[redwudz]

Try using the freeware ImgBurn. It can burn ISOs or VIDEO_TS folders. You can also use it automatically with DVD Shrink to burn. http://forum.digital-digest.com/showthread.php?t=63869

And good luck with K-lite. You might be one of the very few that it doesn't cause codec problems for.

And welcome to our forums.

[amosher]

yeah i havent had any problems with klite that i know of! any other suggestions for codec packs that are reliable?

[gadgetguy]

yeah i havent had any problems with klite that i know of! any other suggestions for codec packs that are reliable?

"codec packs" and "reliable" don't belong in the same sentence unless separated by "are not".

[amosher]

OKAY. well thanks for the tip, so any suggestions for codecs as instead of packs? sorry, i'm frustrated. i just installed imgburn as suggested, burned a video_ts folder in build mode, set on device. it ran the burn but failed to verify all sectors. the disc was STILL blank!!! does this sound like my drive is screwed??? please help

[redwudz]

That is sounding like a drive problem. You could try cleaning the laser lens and try some different DVD media, though problematic media would have still burned, just not played back well. The DVD laser may have failed.

I had to replace the DVD drive in my laptop. Very expensive. I could have bought half a dozen DVD burners for what it cost me. Also 2 hours to take the laptop apart and reassemble.

You might think about a external DVD burner. I assume your laptop has USB 2.0, but if it has FireWire, that is much better for external drives.

[cyflyer]

Thats the damnedest thing, I have exactly the same problem, so I know exactly what you mean amosher. Go through all the motions, burn completed, but when you check the disc, nothing, completly blank. Repeat the whole process, and maybe you get a successful burn. Never been able to figure it out. Its not Anydvd related (as someone said) cos Anydvd is on permanently, I don't think its laser related as such, because I get either a succesful burn, or nothing. Nothing in between, no half burn. Something either 'clicks' on, or it doesn't when doing the burn. I just check each time, and repeat if necessary. Maybe its the drive. I'm curious if anyone figures it out. As far as programs, I'm a Nero person also.

[redwudz]

What I see as strange is that Nero, or an other burning program, doesn't kick back an error when it starts a burn if there is a problem at that point.

The first thing a burner does is do a power calibration in the center area of a disc. Then, if that fails, you get the 'power calibration' error. Then, after the burn is finished, if it failed, there should be an error from the program's burning log.

The problem you are getting sounds similar to a 'simulation' burn that a few programs use. I don't know the 'mechanics' of a simulated burn, but when watching the burner 'busy' indicators, it looks like a burn. I'm guessing that you did not select 'simulation', though.

I don't think ImgBurn has a simulation mode, but at least with Nero and ImgBurn, there should have been a burning log. If so, I would study that and look for anything out of the ordinary.

***********

And concerning codec packs. One problem is that they sometimes used hacked codecs that may replace your valid codecs. If you have no installed codecs, you may not notice a problem. But if you have Divx and a few others that require purchase, you may find them replaced by a codec pack. They also, on occasion, install older codecs than you presently have on your system, causing conflicts or problems. Or you may end up with duplicate codecs, one good, one broken. Worst case is that your system locks up from a conflict and requires a re-install to clean up the mess. Rare, but it happens.

Codec packs are a 'shotgun' approach to codec installation. You roll the dice when you install them. I commonly use Gspot 2.60 on a unknown video file and it tells me which codecs I need. I install only that one. Then I don't install the wrong one, or an old one or a corrupted or a hacked one, like programs such as K-lite sometimes do. Remember you can install the individual codecs from within K-lite, so it's not all bad. Just, please, don't install them all.

If you have doubts, do a forum search for 'K-lite'.

VideoHelp has most codecs available in 'Tools'. If you notice the absence of the K-lite codec pack, that's for a reason. Don't blame us if you have problems after using the program. End rant.

[amosher]

thanka ao much again for the helpful replies. see i'm obviously a newbie but like i said i learn quick. my laptop is a dell which my parents bought and i'm pretty sure they put the 3 year full coverage warranty on it so i'm sure it covers the drive. its just frustrating being it takes 15-20 minutes per burn as it is and when i have to do it 2-3 times to get a successful one it takes forever! and yeah the media is fine, there are no error messages concerning drive or software. i was thinking of an external drive (which i wouldnt mind a few good suggestions) but i'm neither financially able right now and i would rather not just call this drive a waste (for goodness sake i only got it 5 months ago!!!) thanks again all you helpful people, any other advice or solutions appreciated! oh- so i should uninstall K-Lite and just grab single codecs as needed?

[redwudz]

Getting back to your primary problem. What I use for DVD backups is: RipIt4Me>DVDShrink>ImgBurn. I use a modified version of DVD Shrink that uses ImgBurn automatically to burn: http://forum.digital-digest.com/showthread.php?t=63869

You may not need RipIt4Me except for the newer DVDs, but the Shrink/ImgBurn mod is definitely worth it.

Sorry, I have just guesses on the exact problem. 90% or more of burning/playback problems are related to the media used. That's the first thing to change. And the cheapest to change. Some burners and some players are temperamental as to media. I use Taiyo Yuden now and it seems about the best.

I don't usually recommend it, but you might check for a burner upgrade. It sometimes solves problems. I would check with Dell first for the latest drivers or firmware.

Really, an external drive may be the best option. I would rather not stress my internal laptop drive any more than necessary. A external can be purchased reasonably cheap. I would look into an external enclosure to use with a DVD burner you purchase. This is generally better than an pre-packaged DVD external burner and the price is usually lower. A couple of places to look for external boxes is: http://www.xpcgear.com/enclosures.html or http://www.usb-ware.com/drives.htm

[amosher]

thanks again for the help guys. i wiped off the laser and the next burn worked. tempermental thing. but yeah i'm not trying to stress my internal drive either.