Rapidly fluctuating buffer while burning DVD-R (Plextor)

[Jay M]

I have been using Plextor 708A for about a year and the results have been mostly terrific. But just this week when I am burning onto DVD-R I am noticing the buffer indicator (in Nero Express) is rapidly going from about 9%-92% every few seconds, like it's flashing. The discs now take at least twice as long to burn (like 45 min!) and some have had problems. I have not changed media or anything else.

I recently moved. Could this have affected the settings of the writer?

Please help

[vandakeg]

It sounds to me like the writer is back in PIO mode for some reason. Here are the steps to change it to DMA:

Click Start->My Computer(right click)->Properties->Hardware->Device Manager

Once you're in the Device Manager screen, expand (press the '+' button) on the 'IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers".

Right click on the IDE CHANNEL (primary or secondary depending on which your writer is on). Select Properties->Advanced Settings and change the Transfer Mode to 'DMA if Available'

HTH

[macleod]

another possibility is that you need to defrag your hard drives.

When I have something like that happen, I defrag and it magically goes away.

[Jay M]

Thanks so much for the rapid replies! You guys are terrific. I will certainly be following your advice about this problem

Regards
JM

[Jay M]

Well, I took you guys' advice. I went and checked to see that the DMA setting had not been changed--it had not.
I also de-fragged the hard drive, which took 30 minutes, and I'm glad I did it anyway.
But the DVD writer still displays a flickering buffer rate and takes twice the normal time to burn a disc. Two disc I have made have come out fine, so it's not an extremely serious problem, but something surely has gone wrong.

I remember that just before this problem started, I had been trying to copy a DVD that turned out not to have proper navigation information (?)--it would not play in the standalone player and I was trying to copy it (sometimes if you copy a faulty disc you can make a playable one), but Nero would copy it. Could this faulty disc have screwed up the Plextor?

Thanks
JM

[Capmaster]

No. A disc can't screw up the drive unless it causes mechanical damage by delaminating and flying apart. Nothing on the surface can hurt it

It could be that the drive is dying.

[Jay M]

Dying? After only one year? Is it possible? I had researched before buying the Plextor 708A and expected it to be more durable.

Well..thanks again for all the input

JM

[budz]

Dying? After only one year? Is it possible? I had researched before buying the Plextor 708A and expected it to be more durable.

Well..thanks again for all the input

JM

I just had the same problem. You may want to try changing the IDE cable that the 708A is connected to. Try putting the 708A in another pc and see if it has the fluctuating buffer. I put my 708A in my other pc and it was fine with no fluctuating buffer. You could do the self test to see if the drive is indeed broken. Found out the mobo 2nd ide controller was broken which I'm assuming gave me the fluctuating buffe with the 708A. I put my 708A on my mobo primary ide, hooked up all my hard drives to the pci controller card. I have no fluctuating buffers now.

I suggest you try changing the ide cable then check to see if DMA is enabled. I would also suggest you put the 708A drive in another pc.