Hi,

I am trying out CloneDVD2 and I'm having problems with it. Basically I can't burn a DVD as I keep getting "media write error" messages. See my full post at: http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=167615

Some kind soul suggested I upgrade the firmware of my DVD burner. However I can burn DVD's (on exactly the same discs that CloneDVD2 doesn't like), using Nero. Therefore surely if Nero is happy to use the discs in conjunction with the drive, it can't be a problem with the firmware ?

Am I missing something here ?

Thanks for any input.

Regards,

Simon

Hi. You can do a search of that write error (WriteDVD 10 11 W2) in these forums and see what others have done to resolve it. Mainly from what I gathered, it was due to an incompatibility with other software installed like itunes. For me it was MusicMatch. All I had to do was make sure nothing from music match was running in the background (mim.exe). Hope this helps.

To elaborate on what mp7 is saying, another software on your system, which also makes use of your DVD drive, may be selfishly highjacking a .dll or reg key that CloneDVD needs to use for it's burning function.

Try simply re-installing CloneDVD over itself to see if you can reestablish CloneDVD control over your devices.

If that doesn't work, a second suggestion, along the same line, is to completely uninstall CloneDVD. Use the uninstall routine provided by Elby under Start/Programs/Elaborate Bytes/CloneDVD/Uninstall, i.e., don't use Windows Add/Remove Programs. When the Elby uninstall routine asks you if you "want to uninstall all registry entries" (not sure of the exact text of this message), click "yes". Then Reboot. And then reinstall it again. Then Reboot again. Don't cheat on the reboots! Be sure your CloneDVD Key is saved to a diskette first!

If disabling the above mentioned softwares or reinstalling CloneDVD does not resolve your issues, you've got to bite the bullet and start to consider that it is a media choice issue. I've never seen the Datawrite Red V3 4XDVD-R you mentioned on the other thread. But if they are just a run-of-the-mill, outsourced manufacturing type media, it would not be unusual that they might work under some conditions and not work under others. Users always hate to hear that they should consider changing the media they are used to, like the price of, or have not had problems with before (that one is my favorite) but the Datawrites may just be your problem. They may have changed their supplier or changed their specs but the retail packaging looks just the same. I don't play the "check media ID" game; I don't want to wait till I get home to find out what I bought, so I don't know what "manufacturer Infosmart01" even means(!) other than Datawrite is not in control of their own manufacturing, they just outsource to Infosmart, I guess. I just standardize on a brand that works and uses reliable manufacturing of their own or use a reliable single manufacturer and don't switch around. I have found that "Made in Japan" is a big plus in quality. It all boils down to whether you want to get good backups or do you want to save .20 cents a disk, maybe encounter burnining issues and also maybe have your backups on media that whose write layer will rot and not play a year from now? 90% of issues in this area of the cdf forum are resolved by changing media.

Try the Sony -R, 1x-8x, Accucore who use Taiyo Yuden as their manufacturer (must state "made in japan" on the packaging and can be found on many store shelves), or TY branded originals or Verbatim which have proven very reliable for most. Order online if your local stores don't carry them.

Also, does anybody know about the quality of drzoom's Aopen DUW1608ARR drive? I think it is a newish name in drives and I don't know if they are reliable or not. Also, you said that there are alot of firmware updates for your drive on the drive maker's support site: always choose the newest. And since I infer that the drive came with your new computer (you didn't state the computer maker) check the computer maker's site for any Aopen drive firmware update downloads because computer makers may have proprietary bios features that require proprietary drive firmware versions when they OEM another manufacturer's drive into their boxes. You could also call the computer maker's tech support line and ask them if they have made any proprietary firmware changes to the Aopen.
Best regards,
Whisperer

@ drzoom

Suggest viewing the Forum Rules (http://club.cdfreaks.com/announcemen...ouncementid=37) and note the comments concerning Double posting. Double posting is against Forum Rules. Double posting is discourteous to the Forum Members you respond your request for assistance, doesn’t get your quested answered any quicker, and causes confusion. Now you have two open postings in the CloneDVD Forum concerning the same problem.

If you will note in your original posting concerning your problem I suggest more than just checking DVD Burner Firmware.

The first thing I suggested was getting rid of cheap off the wall DVD media you were using.

I also suggested updating your old out of date version of CloneDVD and getting the newest most recent version of CloneDVD.

I also suggest obtaining the newest most recent version of AnyDVD.

In both of your CloneDVD postings there is no indication that you have acted on any of the suggestions other than your fixation with DVD Burner Firm and have ignored the other suggestions.

If you had closely read the PC World article concerning DVD Burner firmware you would have noted the reason for up to date DVD Burner Firmware. Below is a link to the referenced PC World article.

http://www.pcworld.com/howto/article...,115672,00.asp

Best Regards,
bjkg

OK, firstly I apologise to any forum members who have been troubled by my "double posting". The question I was specifically asking this time was on the single issue of firmware, I felt that the header on my initial post may not interest people with particular knowledge of this issue as it was of a more general nature so I didn't see a problem in creating a new one. My apologies again.

I have tried the newest versions of CloneDVD2 and AnyDVD but it doesn't seem to make any difference. Thanks to everyone for their input (I do have iTunes on my PC so will delete that and see if it changes anything).

To be honest I'm just going to stick with Nero which doesn't seem to have a problem with either my burner, firmware, other programs on the PC or the media I am using. I suppose the saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it" comes to mind. I will continue to use the excellent CloneCD which is a wonderful wee program.

Thanks again.
Simon

And listen to bjkg ... da dude knows what he's talking about!

Hi bjkg, haven't run into you on any threads to have the occasion to say nice to see you back after your little sabbatical from cdf a while back. I disappeared for a short while too when I noticed a flurry of odd question-posts that made me suspect there were "strangers among us" gathering info on members who are unethical enough to answer obvious pirating questions. Got scared but decided it was better that us "legit", fair use, purchase & backup our collections type members fight the pirate posting trend in order to protect cdf's integrity in light of the new Finnish website regulation law.

Best regards,
Whisperer

BTW: what is with the all server problems that cdf is having lately!! I keep loosing posts I have put an effort into writing and then I click on the post button and the bloody server is down and i loose the text and i have to log on again when the server comes back up again!!! Very unthrilling

This is just plain silly when your problem is probably media choice or something else already suggested. And Nero IS broke when it comes to dealing with the latest block/sector protections on the newest movie releases. And Nero makes no effort to fix this "part" of their software! The are running scared of the "powers that be", I suspect. LightningUK should just quit Nero if they don't care about his ability to contribute!

Make more of an effort to fix what your problem really is.

Whisperer

Whisperer, don't bother...you can't make someone fix something that they don't think is broken.

some people are satisfied with having their equipment not run properly

PS, good to see you back

reasonsnotrules,
thanks, I just ran scared for a little bit. You always remember little things about members ... nice. You zoomed by me in post count!Ya, but I have to respect his opinion as valid for him. Some people have time constraints (a life?) or don't like the detective work we thrive on. drzoom will run into a protection that Nero won't handle, and when he's up against that wall, he'll deal with it then. CloneDVD really is really a couple of notches above Nero for backup success with new protections. Sorry drzoom for speaking about you in the third person.

Best regards,
Whisperer

Did I miss something? Since when did LightningUK start working for Nero?

LUK develops ImgBurn. I don't know who exactly developed Shrink, but that person now works for Nero (on Recode) and I think that's what was being referred to.

For what it is worth . . .

I also had continual problems burning with CloneDVD2 when I tried it out. It would just lock up part way through a burn. The only assistance I got from the forum was to update to the newest version - which I did - and had no effect on the problem.
Rather than create more dvd coasters, I also gave up on CloneDVD2 as a burning engine. I do all my burning with my Roxio EMC7 software package - with absolutely no problems ever. So, something about CloneDVD2 and my system simply does not get along.
BTW, before anyone starts trashing EMC7 and suggesting having it on my system is the problem - I actually tried running CloneDVD2 without any Roxio software on the system - with dvd burns still locking up part way through.

Also, some software packages are much more sensitive to firmware versions than others, especially when burning to dvd media. I absolutely agree with the folks who have suggested making sure you are using up to date firmware when diagnosing dvd burning problems.

Ok, I wasn't thinking or got mixed up, and got it wrong. Sorry. But Nero has all but halted any effort at dealing with new protection structures on the latest DVD releases and I think it's because their legal people have advised that they opt out of being a player in the area of backing up people's DVD collections. Maybe they were threatened? It's James who has been updating AnyDVD to deal with keeping Nero current with new protections. I'm sure he could find better things to do.

Whisperer

Just a final point on this. Whisperer1 has hit the nail on the head. At the moment I only require a straight DVD copying device, to make back up copies of concert DVD's I have been sent.

I completely accept that Nero may have limitations for the more advanced DVD operations, and I accept that at some point I may have to return to CloneDVD2 should I need access to any of them, but at the moment I simply require something that is easy to use and reliable. For my PC system, Nero is and CloneDVD2 isn't....it's as simple as that.

Nobody is more suprised by this than me. As I have stated before I initially used Nero for CD burning as well, but found it over fiddly and fussy. I've now used ClondCD for the last 3 years and simply wouldn't use anything else, it's fantatsic. I expected the same user-friendly simplicity from CloneDVD2 which is why I tried it, but unfortunatly it just doesn't work for me, and I don't have the time (or to be honest the inclination) to spend trying to sort it out.

For the record I uninstalled Itunes and tried CloneDVD2 again. As before it copied the DVD to my h/drive no problem, but when I tried to burn a copy I got a message above the progress metre saying "14 minutes remaining", however the metre didn't move at all and after about 5 minutes I got the usual bad media message. Once again on examining the surface of the DVD approx a third of it had been burned before the program aborted.

Regards to all,

Simon

If you want to copy DVDs 1:1, CloneCD will do the job just fine. Don't let the name fool you, it *does* work with DVDs.

CloneCD copies DVD's !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Brilliant, I'm off to give it try !

Yes it does and I for one was fooled by the name. The "On the Fly" option with Clone CD is the best feature with DVDs, as far as I am concerned, the program is easy and fantastic for a fast, good, backup of an already compressed DVD or one less than 4.3 gig.

just tried CloneCD and the same problems occured as with CloneDVD2 which I rather expected.

I've now used up most of the Datawrite DVDR's so will try a different brand and see if that makes any difference. Does anyone have any recommendations of decent brands I can buy easily in the UK which work well for them ?

Thanks

Simon

@ drzoom,

It appears that you are uninterested in identifying the cause of your problems with CloneDVD and take corrective actions to correct the problem.

I then suggest that you check to quality of the DVDs you are producing with your Nero software program.

Suggest using Nero and open the Nero Tool Kit and then look for Nero CD-DVD Speed. Nero CD-DVD Speed is diagnostic tool that will analyze the quality of your burned DVDs. This tool will tell you if the DVDs you are making contain errors that if ignored can quite possibly indicate that these DVD with fail to play properly in the future. Just because a burned DVD appears to play properly in various play devises now does not mean that it does not contain burning errors that can cause playback failure in the future.

Open Nero CD-DVD Speed and install a burned DVD in your computer DVD device. Click on the ScanDisc tab and click on start. The test results should not show any Bad (Red) sectors. Then click on the DiscQuality tab and click on start. The Quality Score should be 100%. A properly burned DVD will not have any Bad (Red) sectors and have Quality Score of 100%. If the above test reveal Bad (Red) sectors or a Quality Score below 100% indicates poor quality burns that require investigation to identify the cause of the problem.

Once again possible causes of poor test results could be the use cheap poor blank DVD media or old out of date DVD Burner Firmware or a combination of both.

Best Regards,
bjkg


PS – the Nero CD-DVD Speed tool can be used to test a DVD burned with Nero, CloneDVD, CloneCD or any other software-burning program.

Also suggest visiting the CD Freaks Blank Media Forum (http://club.cdfreaks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=33) for information on known reliable high quality DVD Media.

Hi bjkg

Thanks for the reply. I'd love to sort out DVD burning on CloneDVD2 and CloneCD but please understand my PC/DVD knowledge is limited and I am worried about upsetting my PC or Nero by fiddling about too much. Rather one working DVD copy system than none.

Having said that I am more than happy to follow your learned advice. I have just run the Nero CD-DVD Speed test on a DVD I burned last night using Nero and the Datasafe media. I am pleased (and rather suprised) to say the result is 100% Good !

On the subject of firmware, I have visited the Aopen webpage for my drive and cdrinfo.com. Both list 7 firmware files:http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Firm...px?DriveId=971

However the firmware which Nero tells me is installed in my drive is A080, none of the 7 files are A080 so how do I know which is the newer version ? Also do I have to upgrade in stages or do I just flash the newest version ? I seem to remember reading that if you get the firmware upgrade wrong you wreck your drive, but that may just be an old wives tale.

Any advice would, as always, be greatly appreciated.

Best Wishes
Simon

@ drzoom,

Aopen DVD Burners aren’t too popular. One reason I make that statement if they were popular CD Freaks would have an Aopen DVD Burner Forum. In my mind that CD Freaks doesn’t have Aopen DVD Burner Forum is an indication of performance (lack of) of these DVD Burners.

Suggest visiting the below web link and acquire a copy of “A110” firmware which is the most recent firmware version for your Aopen DUW1608ARR DVD Burner.

http://forum.rpc1.org/dl_firmware.php?download_id=1910

I strongly encourage you to discontinue using Datawrite Red V3 4XDVD-R (manufacturer Infosmart01) DVD media as soon as possible. Then visit whatever stores in your area that sells DVD media and look for FujiFilm, Verbatium, or Sony DVD media that is manufactured in Japan. Closely inspect the package and ensure that it states ‘Made In Japan’. Avoid (do not purchase) any of the above brands DVD media that is not manufacture in Japan.

After installing the new firmware and acquiring known high quality reliable DVD media try recording a copy of your DVD Movie title and see what happens. Then return to the Forum and let us know of the results.

Best Regards,
bjkg

Hi again,

A rather odd thing happened this evening. I got hold of some Datawrite Blue V5 8xdvd-r disc from a friend. He goes to the same shop I bought the red disks from but apparently the blue ones are a much higher quality.

With nothing to lose I tried to use CloneCD to copy a DVD, and guess what it worked perfectly !! Hooray I thought, cracked it.....however....I then loaded up CloneDVD2, tried the blue discs and had the same old problem as before. No worries I thought at least CloneCD now works fine...except that I cant get it to do it again, its back to doing what it was before.

Now this is really strange, I've tried CloneCD again 3 times, re-booting the PC before using it to see if it made any difference and it doesn't. I'm beginning to think I imagined the succesful burn !

In the meantime Nero happily copies away with either red or blue DVD-R's.

I'm not ignoring your point about buying Japanese media, but there isn't a shop near where I work that sells any, and I'm off for a weeks holiday in rural Ireland tomorrow so I think that may have to wait until I get back home.

Thanks for the link to the firmware for my drive, I have downloaded the file. Could you please humour an idiot and tell me what I do next. I presume I just click on it and let it do what it does ? Is there anything special I should know or look out for ? The warning on the download page "These pages are only for advanced users. Bad flashing could destroy your drive definitively" is slightly worrying !

Thanks as always.

Simon

I live in Ireland and I am sure that I saw TY made in japan in one of the stores in Cork!! And you can get MIJ Sony discs from the Sony Centre. Personally I order all my discs online!!

Back to your problem though. If you are getting good burns with Nero and not with CloneDVD2 or CloneCD, it would sugget to me that something on your system is conflicting with the Elby/Slysoft burning engine. As posted previously iTunes and Music Match and any packet writting software can cause some conflicts. Even uninstalling them might leave some offending driver behind!!

For discs in the UK, I would suggest using www.SVP.co.uk - they are cheap and fast!! I am currently using the Plextor (made by TY in Japan) +R x16 - and I get fantastic results, even burning at x 16!!

Hope the weather stays good for you on your holiday - and drink as much Murphys as you can!!

Hi,

I'm off to a wee place called Kiltimagh in County Mayo. Might make it to Westport or Catlebar which are the bigger local towns.

I have to say I agree totally with your "driver conflict" suggestion. Although I'm new to the world of DVD burning , I've had PC's since the days of the 386 (I still get misty-eyed over DOS !), and to me this whole problem reeks of driver conflict. I deleted Itunes, and don't have Music Match on the PC. What exactly is Packet Writing Software, it's not a term I'm familiar with ?

Thanks for the disc recomendations, I'll check them out when I get home...in the meantime....Guiness here I come !!!

Simon

I've been having the same problems, with Datawrite DVDs again, the annoying part is that the previous version of clonedvd2 worked fine for me, but after upgrading it kept complaining about a write error, but if I then put another DVDR of the same type in it wrote 100% successfully. Recently I've been using clonedvd2 to write to an iso and burning with nero 7 from there. My DVD writer is a NEC 3500AG if that's of any interest, running under WinXP SP2