Hello everyone. New to the forum. After having read many of the posts, I must say this is one of the nicest, most helpful virtual communities I've come across. Thank you in advance.
I have an HP Notebook running a Pentium III with 512RAM and WinXP Home. I am also running a 160G HDD USB2. I did a clean backup of Lord of the Rings onto a DVD+R using a NEC Burner(USB) with AnyDVD/CloneDVD. I have burned a bunch of other backups, both CDs and DVD-5s without any problems. This was my first attempt at a dual layer and it went OK, save the time...took ages. After that burn, however, I was unable to burn another DVD+R. Made 3 of the most expensive coasters that'll ever be placed on a coffee table in my house. When I shrunk the same movies using CloneDVD and burned them onto DVD-5 media, it was OK. Any ideas?
What is the brand, model number, and firmware version for your burner?
When you say you were unable to burn another DVD +R, do you mean another +R DL? If so, what brand of media are you using? This sounds like a firmware problem but it could be other things as well.
Do you have a burn log you can post? Be sure to remove any names or serial numbers.
Thanks for taking my question(s). Much appreciated.
I am using an IODATA/NEC Burner. The box says IODATA DVR-iUN16W, my computer identifies it as an NEC DVDRW ND-3500AG USB. I have no idea how to identify what version of firmware I am using. There is a (rev.2.27) written beside the drive name in CloneDVD, but I am not sure what that means. I have checked NECs website, but it only provides information about ATAPI drives - not USB. Could you tell me where I would search for that information?
Sorry I was a little vague in my first post. I attempted to burn 3 other DVD+R DL discs unsuccessfully.
As for the media, I was very meticulous about choosing it. The box in which the drive came specifies the different types of media and which media manufacturers it is capable of using. I chose exactly what was listed on the box. I also made sure the media matched the recommended speeds. I used a Maxell(Hitachi) DL which worked the first time and then failed the second time. I also tried to use Ricoh DLs, also listed on the box, which failed too.
Unfortunately I do not have a burn log that I can post.
First, I would recommend using DVD Decrypter along with AnyDVD for both ripping and burning DL media for backup copies. It is the only software that seems to work well all the time for burning DL media. Unfortunately, DVD Decrypter is being pulled from the servers shortly due to a legal agreement, so if you don't already have it, download it immediately.
To make a DL backup with DVD Decrypter:
1. Set the Mode to ISO Read and rip an iso file to the hard drive.
2. Set the Mode to ISO Write, select the MDS file associated with the ripped iso file, and burn. That's all there is to it.
ImgBurn can also be used just for the burning. It's written by the same programmer but is not also a ripper.
Second, I actually have a NEC 3500 burner and the only media mine burns well is Verbatim +R DL. I also have a NEC 3540 and it burns everything well. The 3500 also needs the newest firmware for burning the other DL medias. NEC firmware is located here:
Obligatory warning: flashing the drive may void any warranty you have even if using stock NEC firmware. That said: I and millions of others have flashed our firmwares without problem, so don't be too afraid to do so. New drives are only $40US now. It was a bit more frightful 2-3 years ago when they sold for over $200 each. :)
If you haven't previously updated your firmware, it is doubtful you have the latest version. You can get your current version using DVD Decrypter (it's the numbers, letters, or combination of both after the burner name), Nero Info Tool, DVD Identifier (see the download site in my signature below), NECWinFlash (which you'll probably need for flashing the firmware upgrade anyway), or many others.
NECWinFlash can be downloaded here:
http://www.micheldeboer.nl/firmware/ (click on the NEC Firmware Utilities in the left pane and then select necflash_wingui.zip in the rightmost pane.)
Run that and it will tell you the current firmware version after the drive name.
+R DL media should be booktyped as DVD-ROM so that standalone players will better recognize and play them. There are many ways to do this. You can use the booksetting utility from the above site or just use DVD Decrypter. Also NEC only allows +R DL bitsetting in the stock firmware. If you also want to enable booktyping for +R and +RW media then you'll need to download the modded firmware from the above site that corresponds to the 2.1A stock firmware. The modded firmware will also make you drive region-free and remove the riplock that NEC places on the drive. I'd recommend it. To get the modded firmware:
1. Revisit this site: http://www.micheldeboer.nl/firmware/ 2. Click on NEC 3500 in the left pane
3. Select the firmware file 3500-21abt.zip which as of this writing is the last one in the modded firmware list.
4. Extract the firmware from the archive and flash to the drive with the NECWinFlash utility.
You can enable the booktyping with either the utility or with DVD Decrypter (which I usually use). To use DVD Deccrypter to set the booktype:
1. Place Decrypter in ISO Write Mode.
2. Right click on the burner name in the Destination menu.
3. Select Change Book Type....
4. Click the NEC tab
5. In the Change For: menu, select Drive (for DVD +R DL Media)
6. In the New Setting: menu select DVD-ROM.
7. Click OK
8. Repeat for +R and +RW media if you flashed the modded firmware.
