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#1 2005-10-13 11:30 pm
- MacIzCool
- Member
- From: Columbus, Ohio
- Registered: 2001-12-24
- Posts: 425
Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
Because this is seriously getting rediculous. I don't have a burner on my PowerBook, so I'll take my PowerBook or iPod (if it isn't getting repaired
) to a campus Mac lab or to my Aunt's iMac. It doesn't matter if i connect the PB/iPod via FireWire or USB 2.0, or have the files copied to the computer directly, or make a disk image and burn from the Disk Utility or burn from the Finder. I have done it all and it seems that half the time, the DVD fails to get burned. I don't know what's going on, but it is seriously getting rediculous. Recently, I burned a disk image from Disk Utility, and it failed verification... The DVD had dots towards the end of the DVD, but it seems that all the files are fine. However, I burned a DVD tonight (another disk image), and Toast said it verified fine, but there is a correupt file on there (a 700 MB file). So I am not sure what's going on. Toast also likes to just stop in the middle of disk burning... never to return. I always make sure Buffer Underrun protection is on; although, I don't really see a reason why it would need it.
Can anyone offer suggestions? I can't really afford to go through DVDs like they grow on trees
(P.S.- I am not burning movies, mostly music and large Photoshop files.)
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#2 2005-10-14 7:24 am
- MacBoy4139
- BHA

- From: Big Hair Anonymous
- Registered: 2000-10-31
- Posts: 10911
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
Try copying the files to the computer with the SuperDrive first. You never know - it may be a simple issue of not enough data available.
Dive in the Pool!
I'm still trying to figure out if you're a girl posing as Macboy4139, or a boy posing as a girl, and a bit confused sexually. <shrug> laughinol
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#3 2005-10-14 7:24 am
- MacBoy4139
- BHA

- From: Big Hair Anonymous
- Registered: 2000-10-31
- Posts: 10911
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
Oh, and Buffer Underrun is supposed to prevent this issue.
Dive in the Pool!
I'm still trying to figure out if you're a girl posing as Macboy4139, or a boy posing as a girl, and a bit confused sexually. <shrug> laughinol
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#4 2005-10-14 10:40 am
- MacIzCool
- Member
- From: Columbus, Ohio
- Registered: 2001-12-24
- Posts: 425
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
MacBoy4139 wrote:
Try copying the files to the computer with the SuperDrive first. You never know - it may be a simple issue of not enough data available.
Done it; doesn't always fix the issue.
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#5 2005-10-14 11:23 am
- pottymouth
- Uncreative
- Moderator

- From: JP, MA
- Registered: 2002-02-06
- Posts: 17411
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Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
What kind/brand of DVDs are you using?
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#6 2005-10-14 12:19 pm
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
I would also recomend you look at your brand/type of media. I have found, surprisingly, that generic shrink-wrapped bulk packs work better for me than the barnd-name stuff,.. cheaper too!
Macintosh:~ corelogik$
01111110 01000011 01101111 01110010 01100101
"There will always be skeptics. There will always be disbelievers. And there will always be Apple to prove them wrong,..."
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#7 2005-10-14 1:46 pm
- MacIzCool
- Member
- From: Columbus, Ohio
- Registered: 2001-12-24
- Posts: 425
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
I have been using both Sony DVD-R and some cheap brand from MacMall... I think it's from PC USA. Similar problems with both. I usually tend to go for Sony because they have a lifetime warranty on their media.
Maybe I am just cursed when it comes to DVD burning.... 
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#8 2005-10-14 3:53 pm
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
Try changing the burning speed, slow it down to it's lowest setting then ease it back up until the discs fail,... maybe your trying to burn faster than the media/drive can accomodate? If that fails, I really don't know what else to try.
Macintosh:~ corelogik$
01111110 01000011 01101111 01110010 01100101
"There will always be skeptics. There will always be disbelievers. And there will always be Apple to prove them wrong,..."
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#9 2005-10-14 7:32 pm
- MacIzCool
- Member
- From: Columbus, Ohio
- Registered: 2001-12-24
- Posts: 425
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
When I burn a disk image from Disk Utility, I don't recall a burning speed option...? In Toast, I usually just leave it on "Best," and let it decide what to do. I only remember seeing 4x as the fastest, which seems like a good speed for burning, no?
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#10 2005-10-14 10:33 pm
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
Make sure your media is rated for 4x or higher. I usually try to get a little higher rated disc's than what my drive is capable of,... works for me.
For creating an image there is no 'speed' option but if try to image to or from another drive it will slow some. Also depending on the options you chose, it will slow a little; size, encryption, compression, etc,... When I need to make a disc image I usually image a folder of stuff without compression or encryption.
You may also try;
updating the firmware on the drive being used to write
getting a new drive for your PB (there are places that upgrade them for reasonable fees. email or pm for links)
Macintosh:~ corelogik$
01111110 01000011 01101111 01110010 01100101
"There will always be skeptics. There will always be disbelievers. And there will always be Apple to prove them wrong,..."
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#11 2005-10-15 1:55 am
- TheConfuzed1
- Faking Sanity

- Registered: 2000-04-19
- Posts: 20194
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
I've used name brand media with spotty results. Surprisingly I too have had great luck with generics. Try http://meritline.com/
They have some of the best deals on media that I have ever seen. I have ordered from them several times, and their service is top-notch.
The storm starts when the drops start dropping. When the drops stop dropping, the storm starts stopping.
Last Fm
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#12 2005-10-15 8:47 am
- maryblue67
- Member

- From: Up in a cloud
- Registered: 2004-09-05
- Posts: 119
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
I had the same problem recently, I was throwing away so many discs I was getting really mad. They were TDK 4x, and I was burning at 4x speed. Then I tried burning at 2x, and the disc burned fine. I have only burned another disc since then, but again without problem. It's a bit early to claim that I found the solution, but so far so good.
"Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young..."
(Albus Dumbledore)
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#13 2005-10-15 1:15 pm
- MacIzCool
- Member
- From: Columbus, Ohio
- Registered: 2001-12-24
- Posts: 425
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
I do not have control over the firmware of the machines I am using. But they are all brand new iMacs and PowerMac G5s, so they should be up-to-date. As for the media, they are rated for 4x, but I will try slowing down to 2x next time, if the option is there. But I have thrown away more of the cheap brand than the Sonys, so I don't know if I am ready to make a judgement on the name brand vs generic debate.
I cannot afford a burner right now
When Apple replaced my old Titanium PB in July, I kindly asked if I could have the model with the SuperDrive. (actually, the excuse I gave them was that I was at the Apple Store and was very interested in the big 30 inch Cinema Display, and was told that only the higher end 15" supported it... I thought it would work
), but the guy told me that I could only do it if I paid the difference ($300.) and then the computer would be delayed for a couple weeks because he would have to submit a bunch of paper work and stuff. So I told him nevermind.) But as of now, I desperately need more RAM vs a DVD burner... Anyone want to donate to a poor college student? 
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#14 2005-10-15 3:14 pm
- MacBoy4139
- BHA

- From: Big Hair Anonymous
- Registered: 2000-10-31
- Posts: 10911
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
I'm not sure what to say other than I use the Sony Media @ 2x all the time on my PowerBook, and it always worked well. I buy it at Staples. At $1 per disc, it is just easier to me.
Dive in the Pool!
I'm still trying to figure out if you're a girl posing as Macboy4139, or a boy posing as a girl, and a bit confused sexually. <shrug> laughinol
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#15 2005-10-16 12:44 am
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
You can get a superdirve installed in your TiBook for around $200 Link.
Last edited by Corelogik (2005-10-16 12:46 am)
Macintosh:~ corelogik$
01111110 01000011 01101111 01110010 01100101
"There will always be skeptics. There will always be disbelievers. And there will always be Apple to prove them wrong,..."
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#16 2005-10-16 3:12 pm
- MacIzCool
- Member
- From: Columbus, Ohio
- Registered: 2001-12-24
- Posts: 425
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
That may or may not be an option for me in the future. If I ever get any kind of cash flow, I still may not be able to get one because AppleCare doesn't allow you to open up the computer, so installing that would void the warranty. And I plan on purchasing an extended AppleCare.
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#17 2005-10-16 4:02 pm
- macaddictguy
- Member
- Registered: 2004-05-04
- Posts: 177
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
I've learned the hard way that to have a successfull burn I don't use the computer at all during the burn.
I'm sure there will be many here that disagree.
I've got a PPC dual 1.25 GHz G4 ( 2 GB RAM ) with a brand new super drive burner.
The moment I use the computer during a burn I end up with a coaster.
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#18 2005-10-16 4:26 pm
- MacBoy4139
- BHA

- From: Big Hair Anonymous
- Registered: 2000-10-31
- Posts: 10911
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
I can believe it. I've seen a Dual 2.5 G5 end up with a coaster using iDVD when someone touched it.
Dive in the Pool!
I'm still trying to figure out if you're a girl posing as Macboy4139, or a boy posing as a girl, and a bit confused sexually. <shrug> laughinol
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#19 2005-10-16 5:27 pm
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
I use my 1.8 Ghz iMac and my 1.25 Ghz PB during burning,... depends on what you are doing. If you are trying to access the HD while trying to burn the likelyhood of a coaster is increased. If you are just surfing te net (usual case with me while burning) chances are good that your disc will come out fine.
After years of practice though I have come to the conclusion that burning anything CD or DVD is more art than science. Sometimes it just works, sometimes not.
Good Luck, I hope your issue gets solved soon, DVD's are a bit expensive still.
Macintosh:~ corelogik$
01111110 01000011 01101111 01110010 01100101
"There will always be skeptics. There will always be disbelievers. And there will always be Apple to prove them wrong,..."
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#20 2005-10-16 7:48 pm
- MacIzCool
- Member
- From: Columbus, Ohio
- Registered: 2001-12-24
- Posts: 425
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
Yes, they are a bit expensive. And when/if I decide to use some DL discs, there better not be any problems, or I will seriously flip out.
I understand the idea behind not using the computer at all. Which I did during my last burn. I connected my iPod, copied the disk image to the hard drive, started the burn in Toast and then I left the computer alone (Actually, I was doing it during class, and we started doing critiques... So the computer wasn't touched for an hour) and there was still that damaged file at the end, despite "passing" verification. There were other numerous times where a disk failed to burn when I didn't use the computer. This was a brand new PowerMac G5 2GB RAM.
I really appreciate the suggestions, and I don't want to sound like I am complaining. But it sucks 
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#21 2005-10-16 8:28 pm
- macaddictguy
- Member
- Registered: 2004-05-04
- Posts: 177
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
MacBoy4139 wrote:
I can believe it. I've seen a Dual 2.5 G5 end up with a coaster using iDVD when someone touched it.
Oppps. As I re-read my response I can see how you came to that conclusion.
What I meant was that the CD or DVD became coasters not my computer.
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#22 2005-10-16 9:19 pm
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
I just had a thought and this thread is getting long enough I don't recall if it was asked or answered yet,... make sure that the computer isn't powering down during burning,... nothing should be going into sleep mode at all especially your HD's.
I know I had a few coasters until I figured out to unceheck the "put HD's to sleep when possible" box under energy saver in system prefs. Turns out that the system would load a chunk of data into RAM and proceed to burn it, it would take long enough that the system read my HD as inactive and put it to sleep, (happened a lot on my powerbook with its battery saving setup and slower burner 1x i think.), and when the software tried to retrieve the next chunk of data, for some reason the HD wouldn't spin back up and the burn would fail.
I can't say if this is relevant to you or not, but we have pretty much tried everything else so I figured I'd toss it out there...
Last edited by Corelogik (2005-10-16 9:25 pm)
Macintosh:~ corelogik$
01111110 01000011 01101111 01110010 01100101
"There will always be skeptics. There will always be disbelievers. And there will always be Apple to prove them wrong,..."
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#23 2005-10-17 7:54 am
- MacBoy4139
- BHA

- From: Big Hair Anonymous
- Registered: 2000-10-31
- Posts: 10911
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
macaddictguy wrote:
MacBoy4139 wrote:
I can believe it. I've seen a Dual 2.5 G5 end up with a coaster using iDVD when someone touched it.
Oppps. As I re-read my response I can see how you came to that conclusion.
What I meant was that the CD or DVD became coasters not my computer.
This is funny. As I re-read my post I can see what you mean. My meaning was that the actual disc became a coaster. The computer itself was fine.
We were talking about the same thing. No worries.
Dive in the Pool!
I'm still trying to figure out if you're a girl posing as Macboy4139, or a boy posing as a girl, and a bit confused sexually. <shrug> laughinol
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#24 2005-10-17 10:47 am
- MacIzCool
- Member
- From: Columbus, Ohio
- Registered: 2001-12-24
- Posts: 425
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
Corelogik wrote:
I know I had a few coasters until I figured out to unceheck the "put HD's to sleep when possible" box under energy saver in system prefs.
Although I do not believe this is the case, it's an excellent suggestion. I'll check it out next time 
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#25 2005-10-18 8:28 pm
- MacIzCool
- Member
- From: Columbus, Ohio
- Registered: 2001-12-24
- Posts: 425
Re: Anyone else have DVD burning problems?
Yeeeeah... the computer is set to spin down whenever possible. But I cannot change it because it's locked for the administrator only. 
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