Toast 9: The drive reported an error

[soundchaser]

Hi, I've found a similar post 3 years old but a few details are different so here it goes. I have the Pioneer 116D mentioned in my profile connected via firewire with a new Apple cable. Media used: Verbatim DVD-R, 16x, single layer (4.7GB)
Burning files in Toast 9, DVD-ROM UDF mode, aborts at the beginning and a message appears:

The drive reported an error:
Sense Key= HARDWARE ERROR
Sense Code= 0x44, 0x48
INTERNAL TARGET FAILURE

As has happened before with other errors, it is quite random. For example, I burn two identical DVDs, one to use, one as backup. The last two times I did this, the first DVD comes out OK and the second one, burned right after, without closing Toast or switching off the Pioneer, reports the error. And last, I always set the Toast speed to Best, but after the last error I set it to 16x (as the Verbatim label says) and got the error anyway.
Could the USB PCI cart I just installed be bothering ?
All suggestions welcome
Thanks,

[Frobozz]

Does it help to quit and relaunch Toast between burns? Are you telling Toast you want two copies so that it ejects the first one when done and then asks for another disc or are you clicking the burn button again after burning the first disc? Lastly, does it make a difference is you save as disc image and then burn using the Image File setting in the Copy window?

[soundchaser]

Thanks, Frobozz...For now I can tell you that I do click the burn button again after burning the first disc. This hasn't been a problem with dozens of discs in the past though...As for the other things, I'll try them and come back to you.
Regards,

[tomlee59]

And does it help simply to wait some time between attempts? If you have inadequate cooling, this kind of thing can happen.

[pixel zombie]

i have a an external 112D and for the longest time i kept getting hardware errors when trying to burn both dvd-r DL and dvd+r dl discs, when i switched to Toast 10 i no longer got any errors, and this was with the same media!!!!!!!

go figure...

[ffooky]

There are frankly so many variables with optical discs; burner, media, speed of burn, burning software, age of burner etc. that it's pretty much a crapshoot until you find a combo that works...until the burner goes tits-up or the brand of blanks you use changes manufacturers or whatever. Luckily, with the exception of DL media, proven quality blanks are relatively inexpensive but it's infuriating nonetheless.

[soundchaser]

Thanks folks, in my next burns I'll try all the suggestions, though as ffooky said it might be very hard to single out which link in the chain is failing. My previous recorder got stuck at lead-out, so I changed it, and now I get this error...so I might upgrade to Toast 10 (thanx pixel zombie) and try different media...I'll let you know...
Best to all,

[soundchaser]

And does it help simply to wait some time between attempts? If you have inadequate cooling, this kind of thing can happen.

Oh definitely not a cooling problem, since last time it happened just after starting up, both computer and burner...

[soundchaser]

Does it help to quit and relaunch Toast between burns? Are you telling Toast you want two copies so that it ejects the first one when done and then asks for another disc or are you clicking the burn button again after burning the first disc? Lastly, does it make a difference is you save as disc image and then burn using the Image File setting in the Copy window?

Well, now with the first attempt to burn only 1 disc, and previously saving to Image and then mounting it and making a Copy, the same error appears...I resist to think it's the burner since it's so new...

[Frobozz]

Odd Firewire and USB problems sometimes occur after an incremental system update. The fix is to download and apply the combined system update from Apple's downloads page. Just run the combined update on top of your existing system. It does no harm and it may fix what's happening here.

[soundchaser]

RESOLUTION...for now at least.
Surfing for clues, I found someone who solved a similar problem switching to DVD+R (I have been using Verbatim DVD-Rs for years, because someone had told me that they got on better with Mac OS than DVD+Rs.). So:
-I got a couple of Verbatim DVD+Rs, opened the Toast document (not image) that I had saved and been unable to burn. Clicked record, and got a message that there was not enough space on the disc. Removed a few files, clicked again and got a successful burn and verification.
-Quit Toast. Started Toast again and reopened the same Toast document and tried again with a DVD-R. Error.
-Quit Toast. Started Toast again and reopened the same Toast document and tried again with a DVD+R. Success.

So, under my present configuration, there is a conflict with DVD-Rs and DVD+Rs work ok.
Thanks all and Frobozz I'll keep that Apple update in mind.
Please comment anything you consider of interest regarding this media error or whatever.
Regards,

[soundchaser]

Glad I said "for now" in my last post...After having no problems with several DVD+Rs, I began getting an error again. The only 2 things I did were:
1- Install the latest Java update that came out a couple of days ago.
2- Take the DVD burner and burn a couple of discs in another G4 and bring it back. Does it have any sort of "memory" of what it last did, and the configuration of the other machine messed it up again ? Any ideas welcome. Thanks,

[terryj]

DId you put it into the other G4?
I thought your new drive was an external fw one....

If you put it inside the other G4, and used another version of
Toast ( say 8 or so) I could kind of see it, but mostly I think it
may be media related....

what is the specific error and code you are getting this time?

[soundchaser]

terryj ! Thanks for stopping by again ! Well unfortunately or rather fortunately I can't tell you the exact text of the error message since as I attempted another burn in order to tell you, it went perfectly well, as Murphy's law dictates. Maybe I explained wrong; the burner is external, I just took it to my dad's G4 and connected it via firewire as I do in mine. And yes, it is a different Toast (I'm running 10 and he, 9). If it happens again I'll post the error msg. So...the burner does remember somehow where it was connected to and what application ran it ?

[soundchaser]

Well, since my last post I had 3 burns with no problem and one with error. terryj, answering your question the new error reads:

The drive reported an error
Sense key= MEDIUM ERROR
Sense Code= 0x0C
WRITE ERROR

Tks+ regards,

[terryj]

What type of Blank Media did you use in the burn that gave the error?

Toast is reporting a medium error, which relates to a simple fact:
it doesn't (think) it likes the media you requested to burn on
because it's firmware doesn't have a media identifier code
that will enable it to burn at a selected speed.

You can try to make sure the version of Toast you burned this on
is up to date: If your Dad's, make sure he is running 9.04.
If yours, make sure you are running 10.0.2.

Aside from that, don't use that particular media again
( if it was a different brand than used on the previous
two successful burns.) If it was the same media,
and from the same spindle / retail pack
it could have been a badly manufactured disc,
and for that, it would be just a fluke.

[soundchaser]

Thanks terryj, really appreciate your help. The media is always the same, Verbatim DVD+R. The thing with this seems to be its randomness which makes it so hard to identify the weak link. Always using the same burner with 3 different machines, (my G4, my father's G4 and my ibook), always connected via firewire, I alternately obtain good burns and errors. The ibook and my father's G4 have Toast 9.04, my G4 has 10.0. The only sure thing is that from some moment onwards, this burner definitely won't take DVD-Rs, which it did a lot in the past. With DVD+Rs I get mixed results as I said. It seems all I can do for now is upgrade Toast 10 to 10.0.2 as you say. Will keep trying, and thanks again !

PS= A bad batch of discs is rather unlikely, since it must be the fourth pack, between DVD-Rs and DVD+Rs