Dvd burner won't record

D

dustie81

New Member
I have an HP Notebook computer. I was using Memorex dvd-r to burn and they worked fine. We ran out of discs and my mom bought sony dvd-r, they would not burn, kept getting message stating " Init data write failed." We then bought more memorex dvd-r's and they now say the same message. As does Maxell dvd-r. I have found that it will record onto Imation dvd-rw. Is this because it's rw or just because it's Imation. If it's because it's RW does that mean that any RW should work the same. Any and All help will be much appreciated. :confused:
 
DVD Media must not be compatible with your DVD writer. Update your firmware and burning software program and try again.
 
The most obvious user difference between r and rw is the burning speed. Rw is 2.4x on most drives around. I wondered if you are trying to burn the -r at too high a speed. Having said that, if you are using decent burning software, it should reduce the burn speed if it can't do a good job at the speed you set.

Before burning proper starts, a test burn is made to set the laser power. If the disk cannot be burned at all, it will stop the process. If it cannot burn at the set speed it should burn at the speed it determines it can work at.

If I were you I would try a lower burning speed than you normally set and see if it makes a difference.

If your notebook is fairly new, it should have no trouble with -r disks. If a number of brands won't work, it could be that there is some problem with the drive. The fact that the drive no longer works with a brand that it used to work with is suspicious.

You could also check in Device Manager, IDE Controllers, check channel the drive is on, Properties, Advanced Settings. The drive current transfer mode should be at least UDMA 2.

What dvd drive and what software?

Starman*
 
It says NEC +/- RW ND-6500A and it says the burning speed is fastest. I don't understand about the drive transfer mode, didn't see anything like that.
 
I have also tried updating and it says that there is nothing better for my burner than what I already have. I have also used every diagnostic tool I have nd restored my computer to a time I knew the burner worked properly and my computer keeps telling me that nothing is wrong and everything is working proplerly.
 
Two years ago when I first got this PC, I started using Sony CD-RW's in the original NEC DVD/CD combo burner. Within a week, I started having trouble with any Sony optical disc to the point where none would work, but any other brand would. Eventually, however, the burner would not recognize CD-RW's at all, so it had to be replaced under warranty. I stay away from Sony at all costs now.
Tom
 
"I don't understand about the drive transfer mode, didn't see anything like that"
In Device Manager / IDE Controller properties there are three lines for each device:
Device Type: "Fastest possible" on your pc? My pc is "auto detection"
Transfer Mode: Should be "DMA if available"
Current Transfer Mode: Should be "UDMA Mode 2" or mode 4.

I don't know whether Device Manager has different configurations and yours is not the same as mine. I've never seen anything but the above. Anyone?

"I have also tried updating"
If you were referring to the drivers, quite likely there are no updates. If you are referring to the firmware, given the fact the drive used to work with Memorex and does not now, that was a long shot. Only likely to make a difference in this case if the drive was really borderline to start with. Firmware updates help mostly when there is a new media on the market eg burner was made for 8x write and now 16x blanks are available.

The problem you have is most likely with the dvd drive, not your pc (assuming the IDE data transfer mentioned above is OK). You could try downloading Nero DVD Speed. The Disc Info and Disc Quality tests may give some insight.

As I said earlier, I would try burning at a slower speed and see if that works. Ultimately you may have to replace the drive.

Starman*
 
I notice that people get the advice to reinstall their drivers quite a bit. How does one do that? I figure I it's a last ditch effort because nothing else is working.
 
When you're in Device Manager, disable the device that's causing you a problem. Reboot. When Windows restarts, it will find a "new" device and reinstall a driver. If there's a different driver that you happen to have for a device, you can click "uninstall" on the offending device and then re-install the driver you have. This procedure surprisingly works quite often to solve problems that seem to have no other solution, because the device driver itself gets corrupted.
Tom
 
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