I searched through a bunch of posts but did not find a solution so here goes:

I use Vers 2.9.8.1 and after successful burns the movie will freeze at certain points and if I hit the fast forward button it sometimes moves ahead but sometimes I have to FF to next chapter. Other times it will freeze a bunch of times. The last 2 movies this happened was on Prime and 6 string samurai.

I use Verbatim DVD-R's @ upto 16x discs.
External Plextor PX740UF DVD-R/RW burner using Firewire I/O
Fujitsu Laptop 1.6GHz with 1 Gig memory and a 120HD.
The DVD Player is a Toshiba DVD-4000 that is about 2-3 years old.

I always write to HD to DVD Folder (not tried Disc image yet) and have experimented with Packet and SAO and at the slowest speeds and Auto ignore all read errors with no success. I also don't multitask when the software is running during read/write. So far I have always used the default VSO engine. I do have Nero but have not figured out how to access through DVDFab yet. I suppose I could fire it up separately but have not tried that.

Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated.

I'll add that I am using XP SP2 and the other point is that DVDFab was not installed in admin mode (does it matter?)

Before I start guessing...
Are you using Express or Gold?
Main movie or complete disc? ...complete disc may explain this.
Is your firmware up to date? I believe this link is Plextor's latest...btw, there is a warning to use your usb 2 port and not firewire for the firmware download, apparently for this burner only...
Do you know how fast your burning? You may see improvement with "recommended speed"...not sure what your burner is capable of with your media
If you could post the actual MID (media ID), it would help. Nero CD-DVD Speed will give you this info.
On settings, both express and gold, there are drop downs to select burning engines. You can use nero within either fab app, no need to close fab or open nero separately.

Disc image is for creating an ISO image.

Stick with sao, not packet.

If you run into trouble...I'll be gald to post some screenshots.

Hope this helps.

maineman, thanks for the quick reply. I am using Gold and always do "Complete disc." Is this a problem? I have to use 2 DVDs, typically. I left it at the default speed which is recommended but when I get problems I swapped to slowest speed.

I'll see if I have the latest firmware and get you the media ID, I'll also try SAO.

I guess I would have to ask...how often are these issues occurring and are most of your burns playable in your toshiba? One reason I ask is that certain movies, when done with fab and complete disc have disc structure problems that relate to copy protection. This is generally seen in express and with compression, but not always. One recent flick that comes to mind is Final Destination 3.

Do your movies play ok in your burner, ie., without the skips, freezes, etc.,?
If no, then do they play ok off your hdd with power dvd, nero showtime, etc.,?

Your plextor seems to be a rebadged Benq 1640. It's probably worthwhile to scan a "failed" disc thru nero (above). You can also download QSuite from Benq and use Qscan and maybe even do a test write on blank media. This won't injure your drive but I would stick with plextor's firmware for now to avoid voiding the warranty.
I can't find your Toshiba anywhere...marantz, daewoo, etc., pop up. Can you spot any manufacturer/#'s on the back?

Oh yeah, re: admin mode...you have multiple accounts on your laptop? I can't imagine this makes any difference, but to be honest, I don't have a clue. You must have admin privileges, you could always do a new install just to rule this out. Sometimes an uninstall/new install will fix various issues, but I don't think this is the problem.

I have had success using Gold to burn to Image file(ISO), then use Gold to burn to DL. I have not split any disc so cannot give you any advice there.


Since maineman, pointed out your burner is a re-badged BenQ, you can use Qusuite to determine if media will handle default speed.

May need to flash with BenQ FW. If you try a DL you will need to use slowest speed.

Mack

maineman/bigmacnc: thanks for all the great help. I have attached a couple of files from the nero CD/DVD test, I''ll attach the third file in another post, it looks like there's a size limit in the forum).

I tested one movie that had problems on the Toshiba on the Plextor burner. When it came to the problem part it would pause for a second or two and then skip ahead. So then I converted the DVD folder I had on disc into an ISO and played it using WinDVD and it played perfectly. So I then burned the ISO using Nero Burning ROM w/DAO and it played successfully on both the PC and the Toshiba (thanks for that suggestion!)

As to how many movies I had a problem with? I would say about 10+ at least, so far.

From the back of the Toshiba box I could not figure out who the OEM was, the info: Toshiva SD-4800-N Mfg: Nov 2002, Made in China, with the Toshiba Japan Corp address.

As to admin mode what I did was uninstalled DVDFab, went into the admin a/c and reinstalled it, just in case.

I'll stay with the suggestion of not messing with the BenQ stuff for now and experiment with a couple of other movies to see what happens and report back. I'll also get a few DL's and duplicate.

Thanks very much guys.

one more attachment for the previous post

Make sure you are using the VSO Burning Engine. I have noticed that at times MCDB Burning Engine pops up as the default.

Mack

Gary, when I posted the above, sorry I wasn't clear. It's ok to use QSuite...actually it's a good idea. You can test write media and speeds.You should also be able to utilize solid burn which will let your burner "learn" specific media, thus improving the quality of your burns.

What I meant re: the firmware was that flashing to Benq fw would void your warranty. This may not matter, it may already have expired. At this point, make sure your plextor fw is up-to-date, link above - previous post.

A tip when posting scans, .png is the preferred file ext. It will give the best bang for the size. Also, reduce the width of your attached images; some of us have old eyes and even older brains... , so they get a work-out.

I believe this is your dvd player. Check the user comments...not a very rosey picture for DL media.

Good luck.

Actually BenQ has a seperate list of FW for rebadged models.

Mack

Any thoughts on what Plextor would say re: warranty flashed with rebadged Benq fw or is it official plextor fw...? I just hate to recommend something and have it go bad.
Just curious, as OP's warranty is probably gone anyway.