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  1. Member
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    I had a Sony DRU830a for quite a while, but eventually it started making a lot of coasters, so I replaced it with the same model (I can't afford to experiment). The first replacement burner I bought installed properly and seemed to function normally, except it wouldn't read burned discs. It would read data discs, game discs, CD's and store-bought or rented DVD's, but it would not read any of the discs I burned. It would burn discs, but since it couldn't read the disc it just burned, it couldn't run data verification (the burn process just freezes when it gets to that point), and of course it wouldn't play the disc it just burned either, even though that disc works fine in a DVD player. I spent many hours trying to figure out what was wrong, but I couldn't fix it, so I assumed there was something wrong with the replacement burner, and I bought another one, but the new burner does exactly the same thing! It will write, and it will read anything except a burned DVD. It seems to think all burned DVDs are blank discs. Since the burner itself doesn't seem to be the problem, buying a third one seems pointless. Does anyone have any idea why this is happening and how to fix it?
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  2. I'm a MEGA Super Moderator Baldrick's Avatar
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    Have you tried your burned discs on another computer?
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    These discs played for years on this computer with my old burner/player, no problems at all, and they still work perfectly on my DVD player. This problem started as soon as I installed the first replacement burner, and nothing has changed since I installed the second one.
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  4. Whenever a PC starts acting strangely your first action should be to scan it for malware and it wouldn't hurt to do a registry scan with Ccleaner. Next thing you should look at is drivers, you can try to go to device manager and remove the drive from the list then reboot or force it to update the driver on the driver tab.

    I've seen it happen where replacing a drive with the same one caused weird things that would get resolved with switching to a different brand/model. This seems to be caused by something in the Windows registry and should be fixed by deleting the drive (above). One easy way to test it is to boot a Linux live disc and check whether the drive works normally.

    Where did you find not one but two IDE drives? Are you certain they're new drives? If your M/B doesn't have SATA ports you can use a bridge board to convert an IDE port, then you can get a new SATA burner (they're dirt cheap). Or, you can convert just one position on the IDE cable for one drive. I've used both and they work fine. You can get them cheaper if you shop around; ebay has them for a couple bucks.
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    It looks like the problem you are having is not unusual with that drive. http://club.myce.com/f34/sony-dru-830a-wrtes-dvd-r-nero-but-cant-read-them-212936/

    Your Sony actually a Samsung drive. Apparently it works best with DVD+R discs, and may need a firmware update.
    http://club.myce.com/f105/problem-samsung-sh-s182d-221967/
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  6. Member turk690's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by mephisto@got.net View Post
    This problem started as soon as I installed the first replacement burner, and nothing has changed since I installed the second one.
    It's amazing how one can still buy DRU-830, considering that it belongs to the line of Sony DVD-writers starting from the DRU-800 circa 2005 whose main claim to fame is they were the first DVD-writers anywhere to support both +R and -R in the same unit.
    It's tempting to think the ones that can still be bought are either new "old" stock that has been lying in a hot warehouse for years, or are refurbished. Ypu just probably have to try new ones samsung, pioneer, etc.
    For the nth time, with the possible exception of certain Intel processors, I don't have/ever owned anything whose name starts with "i".
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    I ran anti-virus software and found nothing. I also deleted the driver and rebooted. I only use DVD+R blank discs. As far as I can tell, nothing has changed with regard to the computer. I have no idea what a "Linux live disc" is. (I even looked it up, and I still have no idea.) As far as giving up and trying another brand, I'd much prefer to get one or both of these burners working rather than just throw them away and spend more money on another burner that may or may not work properly. These Sony (Samsung?) burners can make discs and read anything except burned DVD's, so they're almost fully functional. Isn't there some explanation for why they won't read just this one kind of disc? How are burned DVD's different than burned CD's and store-bought DVD's? I believe the solution lies in defining the source of the problem, which is why I sought help here.
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  8. Member turk690's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by mephisto@got.net View Post
    I also deleted the driver and rebooted.
    What driver is that, specifically? As far as I remember I never installed drivers for IDE & SATA DVD-writers ever in windowsXP & 7. I just connected them, powered up, and they were there.

    Originally Posted by mephisto@got.net View Post
    I only use DVD+R blank discs.
    Can you tell what its ID is? You can know this in ImgBurn.

    Originally Posted by mephisto@got.net View Post
    I have no idea what a "Linux live disc" is.
    A "live" disc is an optical disc you boot from, and its contents directly loaded into system memory. That makes it like a hard drive, where the OS was previously installed (which is the conventional way of doing it). After it is loaded into memory, you see a GUI and, depending on how sophisticated it is and if correct drivers are present, it's much like any OS situation. The OS was "pre-installed" in the disc. Many Linux distros offer this as a means of trying out the OS without having to duly install it on a hard drive. MS also has its own called windows PE, and there are versions which mimic XP and 7. www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ is a site which offers its take on how to create windows PE "live" discs. "Live" discs can be very helpful in resurrecting a computer whose OS got damaged by viruses, etc.
    Btw, that you may be talking about a linux "live" disc sounds as if you recorded such a disc and are now trying to read the contents in a windoze computer; it may or may not be recognized there.

    Originally Posted by mephisto@got.net View Post
    How are burned DVD's different than burned CD's and store-bought DVD's?
    Burned DVDs and CDs have areas that are opaque or dark or non-shiny or less reflecting (which is where the laser was on), and shiny (off). Store-bought stuff are pressed, so they have "pits" instead of dark, etc, and "lands". These pits were gouged out by the recording laser, and because they are physical, are impervious to such treatments like leaving out in direct sunlight, which can change the dye in the recorded media. Recently, an attempt to replicate the hardiness of pressed media by "gouging" out actual pits was made by M-disc, who claim their recordable CDs and DVDs will last thousands of years after the fact.

    Originally Posted by mephisto@got.net View Post
    As far as giving up and trying another brand, I'd much prefer to get one or both of these burners working rather than just throw them away and spend more money on another burner that may or may not work properly.
    Fair, but note that the DRU830 is a fairly old model, and its age may be one of the things making it act flakily. I also once owned a DRU500A back in the day, feeling so hip about the fact that I can now get +R and -R without worrying if one or the other was available or not. It died within a year, and I was actually glad I had to get rid of something so heavy and hot. And coaster-producing.
    About cost, DVD-writers hover around $20, give or take. Hardly anything to loose there. But those are SATA. I don't know if you have SATA in your computer, though.
    For the nth time, with the possible exception of certain Intel processors, I don't have/ever owned anything whose name starts with "i".
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    Regarding the driver, I didn't actually install anything. I deleted the driver that was being used and rebooted, as Nic2k4 suggested. I checked for firmware updates and didn't find any. I don't have Imgburn. I use Nero. I also don't know what you mean by "its ID"? The burner's ID? The disc's ID? Either way, I don't understand how that information would be useful. I've never used a Linux live disc. I only mentioned it because Nic2k4 suggested it. I think the fact that store-bought discs are physically different than burned discs seems like a logical starting point for solving this mystery. Why would the burner be able to read one but not the other? It can obviously see the "pits" of a "gouged" DVD. Is something preventing it from seeing the opaque areas on a burned disc? And how are burned CD's different? I assume CD's are also burned by creating opaque areas rather than "gouging" out "pits," so why would the burner be able to read those opaque areas but not the ones on a burned DVD? There has to be a logical explanation. Once we know what it is, maybe this can be fixed. I hope so, because I've already gone way over-budget on this. $20 may not seem like a lot, but it is when you're unemployed. The sad truth is either I get one of these burners to work, or I'll have to wait until I can afford to risk buying another one, which will probably be a while. So I'm hoping to get some free advice from someone who has the expertise to figure this out.
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  10. Originally Posted by mephisto@got.net View Post
    I believe the solution lies in defining the source of the problem, which is why I sought help here.
    Quite right, but you have to find the source first and there are many possible answers to that. Check the label on the drives, you should see a manufacturing date. Unless it's recent can you say whether the drives were stored in a sealed bag with desiccant, do you know how many discs they've burned to date... Improperly stored drives can have dust and fungus accumulate on the optics making it harder to read discs, writable discs are "darker" than pressed ones so they are the first ones to become un-readable. As the laser wears out from usage it emits less light giving the same effect as dust. Then there's Windows and it's registry that can get mixed up and cause odd behavior like that. It could also be some software preventing DVD*±R from loading, hence the malware scan.

    You need to narrow down the problem, testing the drives in another PC would point to the drives being the issue or not. It's less work to boot to another OS, but it won't remove the PC itself as a problem though that would be unlikely since the original drive didn't have the problem. A simple AV scan might not be enough, few programs are able to detect the legal malware...

    I would suggest you get Damn Small Linux, it's a small download for an OS and is all you need to be able to test if your drive can read a disc. If your PC can boot to USB you can make a boot USB drive with YUMI. Use emelFM to browse the files on the DVD drive.
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  11. Originally Posted by mephisto@got.net View Post
    And how are burned CD's different? I assume CD's are also burned by creating opaque areas rather than "gouging" out "pits," so why would the burner be able to read those opaque areas but not the ones on a burned DVD?
    The drive uses a separate laser with a different wavelength for CD's.

    I forgot to mention that if the drives turn out to not be the problem you might want to try to repair Windows.
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  12. Member turk690's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by mephisto@got.net View Post
    I don't have Imgburn. I use Nero. I also don't know what you mean by "its ID"? The burner's ID? The disc's ID? Either way, I don't understand how that information would be useful...
    Nero was an awesome burning program so many years back, but it gradually became bloatware. Most videohelp.com folks like me have since upped the ante and used ImgBurn instead. ImgBurn is free, and it works in many areas other free and payware burning programs just do not or do so second best. Do download and install, latest is v2.5.8.0 (watch out during installation; choose "custom install" to be given the choice of opting out from installing crap and malware). Once it's successfully installed, reboot computer, open ImgBurn, click discovery on EZ pick tool. The right hand pane will show detailed info on the disc in your drive, which will include what disc type it is, whether or not it is recordable, its manufacturer ID, etc. This information is critical in knowing quite a few things. For example, lots of blank DVD media out there are to be avoided because they are likely to produce coasters or behave in other grotty ways (such as not being read after a successful burn). These media can masquerade under different brands and #s, and the ID can help to sort out which is which. The general consensus here is that about the only reliable optical media these days is genuine Verbatim, and not all Verbatim are good; I'm told their Life series is to be avoided.
    On to another thing about the ID is that, firmware updates for DVD and blu-ray writers include optimized recording data about specific blank media. That's why often, some media that didn't behave properly with a certain drive with a certain firmware now do so after a firmware update. But, as I've said, the DRU830 is an old drive, and even its latest firmware will be several years old, unlikely to have data for the recent blank media out there (including possibly the ones you just bought, that's why I'd like to know what they are). Also, some recent DVD+R media have locked speeds and can only be read and written to at some x speed (this info is explicit in ImgBurn). Failing to have optimized data in its firmware will probably cause drive to go to defaults, which will now not guarantee it can read it. As an example, I still have 2.4x DVD+RW media that I can't record to, because minimum recording speed is 4x with most burners for that media nowadays. I can force it to record (ImgBurn will also give explicit messages about these situations, so you know exactly what is going on, and what to expect; LightningUK (its author) also put helpful humorous comments about what may happen if you still deliberately try to push it) but the results are not guaranteed.
    This is how this information can be useful.
    For the nth time, with the possible exception of certain Intel processors, I don't have/ever owned anything whose name starts with "i".
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    Regarding the history of these burners, the first replacement was not new. It was just cheap ($10). That's why I suspected that the burner was the problem and bought another one. The second replacement was not in a sealed box, but it was described a "new, never used," and it looks it. Everything was included in the original box and sealed inside plastic pouches, so I believe I was the first user. Barring an unlikely coincidence, the fact that the second replacement is doing the exact same thing as the first suggests that the burners themselves are not the problem. On the other hand, the fact that the old burner didn't have problems reading burned discs suggests that the computer isn't the problem either. That's what I find so confusing. It seems as though something changed when I installed the first replacement. Could the act of removing the old burner and installing a new one have caused this? Is it possible that the cable/ribbon connection was affected somehow? Would it be a good idea to try replacing it? As far as testing the burner in another computer, I have an older computer that still works, so I can try that. Is there some way to detect the "legal malware" you mentioned? Maybe a list of files and locations to check? I didn't understand much of what you said regarding booting up another OS, and I'd prefer not to open that can of worms unless I have to. Basically, I install burners and use freeware to make discs. Beyond that, my experience with computers is very limited. For example, I don't know if my computer can "boot to USB," because I don't even know what that means. I've never heard of YUMI or emelFM, and I suspect I lack the prerequisite knowledge for using such programs. So I need to keep this simple and take things one step at a time. For now, I'll install the new burner in my old computer and see what happens, and if you think it's worth trying I'll replace the cable/ribbon connection. Meanwhile are there any other tests I can perform or data I can collect that would help?
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    Okay, I'll try downloading ImgBurn too.
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  15. What I mean by legal malware is DRM type of software some pirate phobic companies use. Two programs I know of that will detect legal malware are Malwarebyte anti malware and Spybot S&D (both have free trial period). You may need to use more than one, they don't all have the same malware definitions.

    emelFM is a file manager like Windows explorer, YUMI operation is explained in the link, but no matter, testing the drive in another PC is just as good. Ribbon cables are cheap, replacing it can't hurt, but if it was the problem the drive just wouldn't work.
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    Okay, I made some progress. I downloaded Malwarebytes and ran a scan... nothing detected. I also transferred the burner to the older computer, and it reads my burned discs, so obviously the burner itself is functioning properly. Steps one and two are now completed. There is no malware on my computer, and the second replacement burner works. So am I correct in assuming there's a problem with my registry? If so, how do I fix it?
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    Try removing upper and lower filters: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/driverssupport/ht/upperfilters-lowerfilters.htm

    May not help, but is a common fix for optical drive problems.
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  18. Originally Posted by mephisto@got.net View Post
    So am I correct in assuming there's a problem with my registry? If so, how do I fix it?
    You mentioned Nero. Let me guess: it's an old version and you installed the whole shebang, including InCD? InCD is packet-writing software and can cause a filter conflict, or in some cases can result in the drive not being recognized at all. Or it worked okay until you installed something else that conflicted with InCD.

    Now, *if* that's the problem (and i suspect it is), the solution is to delete the upper and lower filter values in the registry. You'll likely have to re-install Nero afterwards, or whatever caused the conflict. Here's a page showing how to do it manually, or do it automatically (Resolution 2) running the Fix It troubleshooter for Win7, Vista, and XP:

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314060

    Yes, this page is for when your drive is not recognized, but it's the same problem (filter conflict), same solution. Note that it states it can happen when you install/uninstall a CD or DVD writing program.

    This problem used to be discussed here every so often 6-10 years ago.

    [EDIT] Beat me again, Kerry!
    Pull! Bang! Darn!
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    I opened the registry and found the CLASS folder as instructed. There is no entry for UpperFilters, but there is one for LowerFilters. Should I delete that? (I also checked my old computer to see what was going there, and I found the opposite situation, one UpperFilters entry but no entry for LowerFilters.)
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    You can try it (removing the lower filter). As mentioned by my slow friend Fritzi, you might have to re-install something afterwards. He did bring up a good point about InCD. Never, never, never install InCD.
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  21. Originally Posted by Kerry56 View Post
    You can try it (removing the lower filter). As mentioned by my slow friend Fritzi, you might have to re-install something afterwards. He did bring up a good point about InCD. Never, never, never install InCD.


    Yeah, I'd say try it. No guarantee, but at this point nothing else has fixed it. The drive works on another computer. I should think that running a Live CD would allow you to read discs on the drive. That would in itself tend to confirm a filter conflict in your Windows install. You could do that first if you're reluctant to delete the filter and probably have to re-install something.
    Pull! Bang! Darn!
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    I deleted the LowerFilters entry, and nothing changed. I did notice something odd, however. In Device Manager, inside the "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers" folder, there are two listings for "Primary IDE Channel." For the first one, under Advanced Settings the current transfer mode is Ultra DMA Mode 5, but for the second one, the transfer mode is only Ultra DMA Mode 4. I don't know if that's relevant or not, but I thought I should mention it. Anyway, the registry modification didn't work, so what should I do next?
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    Ultra DMA 5 should refer to a hard drive. Opticals will be either Ultra DMA 2 or 4.

    As to the next step, I suppose it depends on how far you want to go to repair the system. Which operating system are you using? If you have a restore point that is functional and made before you started having problems, you could try that.

    Newer Windows operating systems, like Win 8 have several options, including a refresh that doesn't affect files. But I get the feeling you are using an older operating system, possibly XP. And for that, you'd need to save all data, then re-install.

    But someone else may have a better idea for saving the current configuration. Wait for more replies.
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    I am indeed using XP, but I seriously don't want to re-install the OS, because I have nowhere to store all that data, so it would mean losing a lot of stuff that can't be replaced, plus a great deal of work. I don't know if I have a restore point. I've never created one, but the people who built the computer might have. How can I find out? Another thought: what about cleaning or repairing the registry? Is that worth trying? I've never done anything like that, and I know nothing about it, but if the problem is some sort of corruption in the registry then maybe it can be fixed. It seems worth the effort, if the only other alternative is deleting the entire OS and starting over from scratch. What do you think?
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    Well, then you'd better find a place to store all those files, if they are that important to you. Get an external USB hard drive --- or if your second PC's HDD has sufficient free space, you can copy those files through the router. If you have never done a data backup before, it's time to learn it already

    Fixing the Registry is possible, if and when you know what to fix. Otherwise, a clean re-install of the operating system is the way to go.
    Hopefully you'll have understood why "friends don't let friends use Nero"
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  26. Member turk690's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by mephisto@got.net View Post
    I am indeed using XP...
    Your computer details say windoze 2000. I was loathe to say more because I honestly have little experience with DVD-writer quirks and win2k.
    For the nth time, with the possible exception of certain Intel processors, I don't have/ever owned anything whose name starts with "i".
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    What are you talking about? "Computer details?" "Windoze 2000"? Where did you get that idea?
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  28. Originally Posted by mephisto@got.net View Post
    What are you talking about? "Computer details?" "Windoze 2000"? Where did you get that idea?
    He probably clicked on your name and viewed your profile. Might be time to update it. :

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    My current inquiry involves finding a way to fix an apparent registry error without re-installing the OS. Does anyone know what part of the registry controls the DVD reader? If so, is there a way to detect errors in the data and correct them? If not, is it possible that a registry repair program could fix this?
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    And more importantly,

    Code:
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    Now I serious doubt he can be helped at all
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