I'm having problems making data dvds at 4x on my BTC 1008. I was wondering if it was because of my computer being too slow?

I used Memorex (Ricoh) 4x Dvd+Rs and when I burned at 4x using Nero 5.5.something, it would burn for a bit and show that the buffer was full. Then I would see the buffer falling down to 0, and after a while the progress meter would stop. After that my computer will become really really slow, it would take forever to move the mouse from one side of the screen to another. But when I tried burning at 2x, it would work fine.

Is this because my computer is too slow to transfer the data over?
I have:
1 Ghz AMD Athlon
256MB DDR 2100 Ram
120 GB 7200RPM HD
Windows XP

I am asking because I need to know if I should return the 8x writer and buy a 2.4x instead

If you have both hard drive and burner on the same IDE channel I could see this being a problem. If this is the case then put the DVD burner on a seperate channel as master and this should take care of it. Burning at 4x on a DVD is pretty fast for a 1g system but it should work.

I'd say that your PC should be fine at writing @4X. My kids Cel 1000 can burn at 4X with no probs. Maybe you could use a little more memory, but 256 isn't bad. It sounds like a Windows problem to me.

make sure you have the latest updates to your software.

also, try burning with other applications closed, and i would suggest you check your system to make sure you're clear of spyware / adware.

finally, make sure you have all your motherboard drivers updated, particularly the IDE controller ones.

That's what I'd try first.

Thanks for your suggestions!

My dvd writer is a slave to an older CD-RW writer an on a different IDE channel from my HD, so I don't think that would be a problem. I really hope its not a windows error because it'll make it harder to pinpoint the problem.

Now that I know that other people can write DVDs at 4x on a comparable computer, I can try other methods to figure out the problem. I guess first I'll buy a different writer, a 4x, that comes with different recording software and see if that can successfully make a dvd. And if it can, i'll return the BTC.

Hmm... I'm not sure what brand or model motherboard I have, but when I do updates for windows xp, I always download the latest drivers. Would that update the motherboard drivers too?

As for other applications, I did close other applications, but I didn't check for spyware/adware. So i'll try that.

You dont really need to figure out your motherboard, just the chipset...
if you go to device manager (Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager) and check the "System devices" you should have listed devices such as PCI bridge and/or controller, AGP controller, or others made by one of 3 companys.
for VIA branded, get the 4in1 Hyperion from the viaarena.com download page. it works with all Via chipsets (make sure to NOT get the "64pro" set unless you have KT800 under 64bit winXP...so not for you)
if you have SiS branded, this page should help you figure out WHICH chipset it is that you have
if you have nVidia, go here... and choose Platform / nForce driver > unified driver > Win whatever you are using.

good luck.

I took out the spywares with adware, and I updated drivers on my motherboard, it was from ALi. But it still did not work. So I went out and purchased a Pioneer 4x Writer and that worked without any problems, so I'm gonna return my BTC.

Thanks for taking the time to help me, I really appreciate it.

no prob mang.

I can not burn also at x4 with my 1008 BTC DVD Recorder. Only x2. Why companies (are they companies) sell something that can not even burn at half of the speed they are supposed to burn? Please, people from BTC, do your best in order to provide a better and stable firmware (if this is the case). In any other case simply your company will be closed in a year since now. Shame to you!

i have a 1008 (rebadged and sold as MicroAdvantage) and i've flashed it with 55b2 firmware and have had no trouble on crappy CMC.MAG.F01 media at 4x.

maybe its a your mileage may vary.

have you tried contacting BTC directly about possible warranty replacement?

I'm taking mine back, thanks to Maddogchen and reading throughout the forum for solutions. Why should I keep throwing money in the trash burning coasters, trying to make it work, when I can go get a burner that works right when you plug it in? I've worked on enough computers to know that it should NEVER be this difficult to get a device working. (Unless you're testing...). For the average user, spending hours troubleshooting is not what the computer was meant to be for.

Thanks all for your findings and reports. This forum is VERY helpful.

that is why my mom has a fully tested 1008IM in her Duron 850/ECS K7S5A w/512MB pc133 single stick of Crucial on a WD 40GB 7.2k drive running XPPro..the BTC is a good drive(burns CDs at 40x as well..no coasters out of 6 CDs burned) but the approved 8x media list is slim..burns DVD+R nicely at 4x(RicohJPN01) and Maxell 2x -R at 2.4x..12 discs..no coasters..myself am currently running a BenQ/Acer 800A ..it burns 4x RiData @8x..no problems(25+ and counting ) so far.

Picked up the Buslink 8x, (Lite-On LDW-851S), this weekend. Hooked it up. Bam! 4 Flawless burns. One right after the other. Using Memorex 4x +R (Ricoh) disks. I wasted 5 of them and 1 TDK on the BTC burner. Glad the BTC works for some, but I'm happier with my new Lite-On.

Before coming to this site, I just wanted to burn DVDs. Now, because I've been reading alot of posts here, and now that I'm sucked in, I'm going to be tweaking this burner as far as it can.

Thanks again all!