Problem with Pioner A03

[carrspaints]

Can anyone help? My Pioneer A03 can read bought DVD originals, CDs and can even burn CDs. But if I load a blank DVD into the drive, it just seems to make a kind of knocking sound and often seems to speed up, spinning wildly. The orange indicator light just flashes and the writer cannot detect the disc. I have tried 6 different typed of discs, all DVD-R, which is the correct format. Some are 2 x write, some are 4 x write. None work. I have also upgraded the Pioneer firmware version to version 2.00 and that didn't help either.

Why can this writer read almot everything, write to CDR but not reckognise blank DVD-Rs? If I deselect DMA for this drive, would that make a difference? Does DMA affect a writers ability to write? Remember, it can read discs and write to CDR. I haven't tried this yet because the option to deselect DMA under Device Manager does not appear. I can see this option on my personal laptop, but not on my PC. Perhaps the computer has detected an issue with this DMA setting and made it "not available" - don't know. Deseperate, can anyone help?

[Gees]

Have you read through other owner comments here? https://www.videohelp.com/dvdwriters.php?DVDnameid=5&Search=Search&list=0#comments

Maybe you'll find some clues in people's reports of what media has worked or not worked within the 74 comments.

Good luck. :c)

[carrspaints]

Thanks, but I looked through all of this before posting. There is nothing in here that is able to help identify the problem.

[Schmendrick]

I also have a Pioneer A03 and do not have any problems.
Do you have put a 4x DVD-R or a 2x DVD-RW into the drive before you updated the firmaware to 2.0?? Because if you did that, then most likely you have destroyed the ability of your drive to handle DVD-R/RWs. There was a severe warning from Pioneer in this respect. Otherwise try to exchange your drive with Pioneer if you still have manufacturing guarantee.

CU

Schemendrick

[lordsmurf]

That is probably because you put ultra-cheap media in the drive, or 4x media without the 4x update. Go to www.firmware-flash.com and get the 2.0 fw for 103 and upgrade immediately.

[FOO]

I have a A03 . I had to turn DMA off per Pioneer instructions
to make it work correctly .

[twinches]

What type of 2x and 4x media are you using. Pioneer has a list of compatible media for the A03 at 2x speeds found here http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/Pioneer/Files/DVDR2Xmedia_statement.pdf

The A03 will not do 4x. But you can I have found that the Ritek G04 4x media will burn at 2x in my A03 just fine.

However if you have tried to burn a 2x or 4x disk before upgrading your firmware, then you might have damaged your drive.