**update**
Bigmacnc, you put me on the right path there! Thanks!
After cleaning the registry which really improved speed (too many re-installs) I used your recommeded program. Although it did not solve the problem, I noticed my read drive (sony oem ddu1615) wasnt reading. So I used my RW drive to record to a temp file first. BINGO! success! It's my read drive!
Why I didnt look at that first was because the drive worked for 29 with no issues and operates otherwise.
Maybe I need to upgrade the firmware. Any ideas where I can get upgrades? As the sony website wont acknowledge the drive because it is OEM.
Thanks again for your advice!