[gullducott]

my pc has 2 dual layer rewriter drives, a pioneer dv-108 and an Aopen. both work fantastically with normal dvd's. I took the plunge and bought some dual layer jobs, and I can tell you these were not cheap. However both drives only recognise them as CD's. When I try and burn them with nero, it simply chucks them out saying they are the wrong kind of media to record this much data. Even windows explorer seems to see them as normal CD's with 578 mb free space (or something like that)

I am using xp sp2 fully patched. Nero 6 ultra.

Help.

 

[Stu_computer]

Check nero settings (it retains the setting from last burn session)

Pioneer dv108 cd-r/cdrw - this to dvd-r /dvd-rw

 

[gullducott]

Yes I have done. When I change it to dvd it still shows the capcity as a single layer drive. when I click chek disk properties in nero it still shows up as a CD.

 

[keymaker]

also try updating nero and see if that helps out.

 

[gullducott]

well I am running a 6.3.3 so if not the most it is certainly very current. Besides I think this goes deeper that the application because Windows xp doesn't recognise this dual layer

 

[shocker-z]

try reinstalling the drivers

start > My Computer (right click) > Hardware > Device manager > DVD/CD-ROM drives (double click) > right click the DVD-RW > uninstall > restart > will auto detcet and install the drive > test again

 

[dai]

in nero use the nero info tool in the nero toolkit,and check what it reports the support is for dual layer,mine was not a dual layer drive i upgraded it to one using 3rd party firmware,but it only supports + d/l disks
check if yours supports both + & -,or just one and that you have the right disks

 

[gullducott]

Ok dai, a bit more info. the Aopen drive is a 1608 which supports DL +R which are the dual layer dvd's I have. When i used the tool as you said it reported this correctly and also noted that the disk inserted was some 7.8 (or something like that) capacity.

The Pioneer drive also has dual layer +R both write (supposedly) at x2.4 in dual layer mode (that would be nice if I could get them to work)

drivers etc are correctly installed and I have no problems writing or rewriting on normal -/+ dvds. The dual layer business is another matter, with different software reporting all sorts of confusing info. Christ! Is this what you get when you buy equipment before standards are well defined!

 

[dai]

found a number of reports of similar problems,but the only one that had a solution was to try differnt disks worked on one of his drives but not the other,seems to be something to do with the reflective quality of the disks from one post i read
i don't have anything else to suggest

 

[golith]

Hi,
So you are right about the layer at which the error occurs.
Step by step the process goes
1. DVD DL inserted
2. DVD unit recognises the disc by looking at a section of the disc that gives the correct codes to the dvd ROM and via a table lists the right media for that spec.
3. this is passed onto the o/s that either uses it in XP or passed onto 3rd party apps.

So there is only one or two real areas here that could be at fault.
1. Media issue. You say not cheap but still what is the brand and can you see the manufactures id on the inner track of the disc near where the dvd sits on a spindle basically, if not then this disc is not from a legit company. If so then you need to contact the manufacturer of the disc to at least report the error, or check there web site for any issues with known drives.
2. If the media is legit and nill issue have been noted so far then it would be the drives TOC in the ROM. Flash the rom as suggested above to either the latest firmware or a 3rd party firmware( Caustion on the later as this may alsokill your drive, Lite-on drives are rebadged for panasonic and others
but im not up to date with Aopen (ive got a AopenDVD+RW4410, but no firmware 3rd party stuff exists to make it DL)
A bit more info anyway

Regards
Golith

 

[dai]

i get my 3rd party firmware here
http://forum.rpc1.org/dl_all.php
i was reading one of this months computer mags at work tonight and i always use liteon drives but,the mag says the current batch of liteons d/l are that bad it renders them not much use because of the errors in burning
and when burning dual layer all drives had problems with errors and some recognising the disks because of the poor quality of the disks

 

[gullducott]

Ok thanks for the replies so far. Here is yet some more info.

The CD's are Datawrite, and yes I can see the manufacturers code imprinted on them. Still that seems to make little difference where drives are concerned.

It's always a pisser when you buy this stuff that hasn't really settled down with standards in manufacture etc, but I thought - well DL has been out for a while I suppose it must be safe. Dai, I have also looked into this and it looks like your right. The technology is simply too finicky, and DL drives just don't like a lot of the media that is available. I have decided to suck this one up wait another year for stability of production proceses and the inevitable fall in price.

Golith, thanks for the suggestion, but I don't fancy flashing drives that though perhaps not new, are certainly current and should work out of the box anyway, especially with third party firmware.

Amazing what you learn eh!

 

[gullducott]

Well, a quick update. My Pioneer drive gave up the other day, kept getting power calibration errors whenever I tried to burn any cd's or dvd's. So I simply changed it for another Aopen drive the same as the one already installed. During the process I decided to update the firmware. Was easy as cheese, everything is on the Aopen site and two or three clicks it was done. Still made no difference in being able to dual layer record so I figured hey must be the software if everything on the PC is fine. Got rid of Nero and installed a new dvd burning software - Bingo! Immediately sees DL dis and very first time does the DL recording.

And there was me thinking nero whas king of the burners... Pah! Or was it emperor?

 

[dai]

which burner did you install

 

[gullducott]

Some software called 'CopyToDVD'