Pioneer 105 is burning some disks but not all

[JamieLee2k]

When I burn a disk using vob files from the HDD they burn fine, but when I copy-to-copy via nero on the fly it seems to fail at the start, any idea's on this problem?

I think it may need the lens cleaning but I can't be sure!!!

Here is my last log http://www.jlrforum.net/jlr/error.txt

[garryheather]

Maybe the source disc is difficult to read or there is an IDE conflict.

The report looks like the recorder isn't responding in a timely fashion, but I don't think that is the problem. Are you trying to copy from a DVD-ROM to the recorder on the fly, or from the recorder to the recorder using the hard drive to cache in between ?

Don't worry too much about the laser optics needing cleaning. In all my years I have only ever had to clean one optical block, and that was on a desktop PC used in a small room by someone who smoked 60 a day and blew his smoke into the PC. Nicotine and tar had coated the lens.

Unless you smoke heavily or use the PC in a very dusty environment (or eat your dinner off your discs and don't clean them before putting them in the drive), it is very unlikely that the lens is dirty. Propietary cleaners can do more harm than good - I can assure you a workshop does not use one of those CD's with the brushes on or similar such devices to clean the optics on such devices. You need a high grade solvent, lint free cloths, air dusters, chamis leather swaps, not a £4.99 solution from Bodgitt PC Supplies !

[lordsmurf]

Unless you smoke heavily or use the PC in a very dusty environment (or eat your dinner off your discs and don't clean them before putting them in the drive), it is very unlikely that the lens is dirty. Propietary cleaners can do more harm than good - I can assure you a workshop does not use one of those CD's with the brushes on or similar such devices to clean the optics on such devices. You need a high grade solvent, lint free cloths, air dusters, chamis leather swaps, not a £4.99 solution from Bodgitt PC Supplies !

As a photographer, I have to clean my digital cameras at least once per week. I do not smoke, and my home has an air filteration system, but it still isn't perfectly dust-free. Optical electronics are a magnet for dust, including CMOS, CCD, and laser lenses found in burners and readers. Reading has a high tolerance for dust, but burners do not. I clean my DVD burners every few months.

something I saved from another post[/b]]A "Power Calibration Error" is usually associated with a failing laser and starts first to occur at 2x speed. Power supplies have also been known to give this problem.

However, it may be simply just be an accumulation of dust or haze on the laser lens and it may just require cleaning which is quite a simple process. Take out your DVD-R writer.

These instructions are for the Pioneer DVR-A03/103 DVD-R burners. However, it should work just fine on other writers.

1. Unscrew 4 screws on both sides of writer, not the funny looking middle ones !
2. Take of the front mask and the top cover
3. unscrew 4 screw on top of the inside cover.
4. take of the inside cover.
5. Apply a small amount of Isopropyl Alcohol to a cotton bud.
6. Clean the laser lens GENTLY with the wet cotton bud.
7. Dry the lens GENTLY with a dry cotton bud
8. Reassemble the drive in the reverse order
9. BURN some MEDIA at 2X

Isopropyl Alcohol is a surgical spirit and is used as a cleaning fluid in the tv and electronics industry it is commonly used in tape head and VHS tape cleaning kits. It is commonly referred to a "rubbing alcohol" and can be bought for mere pennies at your local pharmacy.

Tryt to use a Q-TIP brand cotton bud. Others tend to be more coarse and can scratch your laser eye. The Q-TIP ones also tend to not be furry or leave cotton strings.

And it could always just be cheap media.

[garryheather]

One of my CD recorders is 8 years old and still in regular 2x (!) use, and it's never needed cleaning. My DVD Writer is probably 2.5 - 3 yrs old (an A04 bought shortly after they first came out) and has also never been cleaned.

The optics in the hardware were I work continues to do so decades after it was built.

Either I'm very lucky or there's a dust monster living at your place !

[lordsmurf]

there's a dust monster living at your place !

I need an exorcism for it too. I buy compressed air as regularly as I buy milk and bread.

I'm in the southern USA, and in a dry climate. And I'm not even in the desert or in the Dust Bowl! I even have to dust off my computer keyboard and tv remotes every few days.

[garryheather]

It rains so much in England, I doubt the dust gets the chance to float about !

Seriously, I know how dusty my house gets because one of my TV's is the proverbial dust magnet. One reason why I reckon my drives stay so clean is a pressurised PC case (loads of filtered fans for cooling), not leaving the trays open when not in use (you would be surprised how many people I know who eject discs but delay returning the tray to the parked position) and blowing the discs off with a can of air duster before I record on them - especially with DVD's where a fabric fibre can write off a hell of a lot of data.

Thing is, if the disc is dusty when you put it in the drive, where do you think it's going to go when the disc spins, people ?!

I have seen more tracking errors due to dust clogging up the sled that the optics moves on (the grease holds it a treat) than problems associated with dirty optics. This is why I don't like those CD based cleaners - it's like sweeping the dust under the carpet, only in this case if the carpet doesn't move properly then you'll have nothing but trouble.

There are reasons why hard discs are sealed, however optical media by it's very nature is exposed to the elements when the media is removed / tray extended. I can feel a draught out of the front of one of my drives (the others have rubber seals on the tray to keep the dust out anyway), so just like the rain in England, I doubt the dust has chance to settle in my drives.

Although I do have to vacuum out the lower right corner of my case once a month, because there is obviously a vortex going on in there and the dust looks like a ruddy snow-drift...

[alex2]

JLR, I have a pioneer 106D and I've made a bunch of coasters with Nero. I would get an error about this an error about that... I even got an error saying to insert a blank DVD eventhough I just had. I switched to Clone DVD and no errors.

What media are you using? I'm using FujiFilm which appears to only work for data and does nothing but coasters for video (go figure). I've got some RW's (memorex) right now to test, but I don't think I'll be buying Fujifilm DVD+Rs anytime in the future (unless it's just for data) -- it looks like the drive has a very hard time reading them.