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Bad Memorex DVD-RW's
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CHUBBS
Newbie
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5. September 2003 @ 15:25 |
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Brand: Memorex 1x DVD-RW
3-Pack from Futureshop $14.99 CAD
Tried all three from the pack with Pioneer DVR-106 (firmware 1.05 and 1.06) and they all turned out to be junk. Seems to be something bad at the end of the disk, like it cannot complete the write. Is Memorex usually good or not?
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Ziffelpig
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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6. September 2003 @ 11:10 |
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I have the same problem,Memorex DVD-RW from Future shop but am using an LG Burner. First thought it was my format software,nope, crapped another one using Nero to erase. I then did a search at dvdrhelp and found several negative comments about the Prodisc dvdrw media.I guess there is a good reason for the 14.99 price, crap,crap, crap. I did manage to salvage both of them, but can now only safely copy about 2 gigs as a data disk,(maybe because of Win 98) then the drive has problems reading the disc any further(it hangs) This media is crap for testing dvds.
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Traveler5
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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7. September 2003 @ 00:04 |
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The following is a copy ob an email I received. I have had bad experience with Memorex DVD-RW media and complained to Memorex. They expect to have improved replacement media around the middle of this month.
Michael Clancy <mclancy@memorex.com> wrote:
Due to this product not being available we will be unable to fill your request for replacements for at least 60 days. This product has shown a warranty problem and we feel it is not suitable for our customers use. We have pulled all product from the shelves and are on backorder for replacement products.
At this point we have 2 options. I can replace your media in about 60 to 70 days, or I can offer you a refund if you have a receipt for the purchase of your product.
Please let me know your choice.
Thank you for choosing Memorex.
Michael Clancy
Manager
Technical Support Group
Memorex Products, Inc.
10100 Pioneer Blvd. Ste. 110
Santa Fe Springs, Ca. 90670
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Traveler5
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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7. September 2003 @ 16:34 |
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Need to clarify the above, I am refering to DVD-Ram.
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stan786
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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3. October 2003 @ 04:21 |
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I've just bought 2 Memorex DVD-RW disks (from the UK) and tried burning a movie onto them.
The movie plays back fine on my PC, but is crap on my standalone DVD players (inc. PS2)
On the standalone players I get anything from "Error Reading Disk" to the film playing for a while then breaking up and then stopping all together. The degree of success varies from palyer to player.
Anyone else have a similiar experience ?
My burner is a Panasonic Burner II SW-9571
Cheers
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alntht
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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3. October 2003 @ 05:08 |
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I've got 3 Memorex DVD-RWs and they seem to work fine. I've had severely irritating disasters with CD-RWs, but not with the DVD-RWs as of yet. Still, I think I'll refrain from buying anymore after reading this board. Thank you for letting me know of the trouble.
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Tosca
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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3. October 2003 @ 12:25 |
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If the dvd plays on the computer but doesn't play on the standalone then I suggest the opposite. The dvd is fine but the standalone is crap. Time to upgrade.
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shrewed
Newbie
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14. November 2003 @ 08:48 |
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X
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 14. November 2003 @ 08:50
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Member
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14. November 2003 @ 09:14 |
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Not only the specific barnd DVDs are dying fast but all of them. I tried also a lot of them of both formats (e.g.TDK +/-R, SENTINEL +/-R, etc).
After 7 to 8 times all of them went to the binary paradise to meet their parents...
Since their price is almost 3X the normal price of a common write once it worth the price to burn directly to ROM/
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Ark74
Newbie
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17. November 2003 @ 06:28 |
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I have had nothing but problems with these DVD's. I had a LG4040b and thought maybe it was the burner so I went to a Plextor and same thing.After a couple of uses it keeps coming up with bad media, and either won't be recognized when it's loaded, won't erase or doesn't want to access all the info on it. I have tried different burning programs and no difference. I'm glad to see it is a recognized media problem and I will be returning this 3 pack to Future shop.They truly are Junk. So.... any suggestions as what seems to be a good media to use.
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JoeRyan
Senior Member
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2. December 2003 @ 13:05 |
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Testing the discs that did not work on one drive on another is not possible unless they are erased completely on a drive that is compatible with them. The errors left on the disc from the wrong write strategy will prevent the disc from being recognized properly. In many cases, the information is so corrupt that the disc may not be able to be used again until the factory reheats it. The conclusions about disc quality based on several drives that could not write to discs are invalid.
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Ark74
Newbie
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2. December 2003 @ 14:39 |
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As invalid as you may think this is, the bottom line is these discs would only work 2 or 3 times, regardless of which burner I used. I spoke with a rep from the Canadian office about these discs and she confirmed that they did have this trouble with earlier versions of this disc.I have since used a different brand and have had good luck with them, and my burning proceedures havn't changed.
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JoeRyan
Senior Member
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3. December 2003 @ 08:21 |
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If a disc is not properly written, the writing flaws will be identified as errors. If the errors include the disc information, successive writing or erasing will only compound the problems unless a compatible writer fully erases the disc. Your bottom line conclusion is not necessarily correct: multiple burners are likely to make the situation worse. One cannot draw a conclusion unless one is sure that the drive has the proper firmware. The GSA-4040b has firmware updates that actually limit 4X DVD-R discs that worked at 4X to 2X. The discs aren't bad. The drive isn't bad. The firmware added more 4X discs to the repertoire but reduced the capability of others. One can blame the discs, but like DVD-RW, it's not that simple.
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Ark74
Newbie
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3. December 2003 @ 16:20 |
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Joe Ryan, I do understand what your saying, and I do agree with you but I had discs go bad with only the Lg Burner and then I replaced it with the Plextor and opened new discs right out of the packaging.I used only Nero 6 to work with the discs and after a couple uses I could not do a full erase. Of course if I tried to keep using them the problem would compound till the discs were unusable, about 3 to 4 times and not once allowing me to do a full erase. I had updated my firmware and although these weren't one of Plextors recommended media they believed that they should have worked fine. I have a friend with a Sony who bought the same discs when I did and he also had the same problem, who after replacing them with a different brand seemed to solve his problem. When I did burn onto these discs they did burn with no errors, but obviously would not erase completly. Now a question,Do you think I should have to do a thorough erase instead of a quick erase every time I want to reuse the disc to get the life span from the media, I have used Memorex cd media in the past and have had no problems but CD and DVD media are a whole different scenario.
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JoeRyan
Senior Member
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4. December 2003 @ 08:17 |
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The Plextor, LG, and Sony drives do not have the Prodisc DVD-RW write strategies in their firmware. That's the cause of the problem. In some cases the write strategy the drives pick will work with the discs, but in most cases they don't. If those drive manufacturers update their firmware to include the Prodisc DVD-RW discs, then most of them should work except those whose ID's have been so error-written that the drives cannot understand them. The factory can turn them back into usable discs by laser-heating, but Memorex is more likely to replace them with DVD+RW discs that are far better for data because they are a true data/video format than a video format pressed into data service.
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Ark74
Newbie
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4. December 2003 @ 09:16 |
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What's the odd's of all 3 drives not having the Prodisc write strategy! Can you tell me if you should have to do a full erase everytime you reuse a disc or will a quick erase be sufficient. JoeRyan thanks for your patience on this, I was running out of it.
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JoeRyan
Senior Member
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4. December 2003 @ 12:34 |
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The odds are the same as the odds of all three being made by Japanese manufacturers? If the first drive corrupted a disc, then that disc will not work in any other drive. If each disc were fresh out of the pack, then the likelihood is either that the discs are defective or the drives do not have the correct write strategy. I know for a fact that the drives (the TDK 440 is another one) do not have the correct write strategy in their latest firmware upgrades. Contact Memorex and tell them about your problem. I'll bet they'll replace the discs with DVD+RW discs that will work in all three drives.
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hysma
Newbie
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9. December 2003 @ 22:23 |
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In the last 2-3 months I have purchased two 3pack Memorex DVD-RW discs from Future Shop. So far it seems that out of the 5 I have unwrapped, none are capable of being recoreded fully. Small burns under 1 Gig seem to work, but anything past that fails the verification later because of read errors.
Also my DVD player cannot seem to read anything past the first half of the disc either.
I have a Pioneer DVR-105 drive.
At first I thought maybe my IDE cable was broke, but after replacing the 80 conductor with an unused 40 conductor cable, nothing has changed.
Nero and Roxio will not allow me to erase these DVD's either; they fail.
I will be contacting Memorex about their limited warranty and will not be buying their products again.
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JoeRyan
Senior Member
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11. December 2003 @ 10:34 |
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Do you have both Nero and Roxio on the same computer? That's a source of conflicts right there. The Pioneer should be able to record these media, but if there is a problem that is dependent on file sizes, there are multiple probabilities unless other discs work. 1) Limitations in files sizes in the operating system; 2) heat build-up in the drive (early Pioneer models worked better when they were kept cool); 3) tilt in the discs that prevented recording on the outside edges where the laser could lose its focus. Only one of the three relates to disc quality. Contact Memorex. Their tech support is usually very helpful.
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hysma
Newbie
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11. December 2003 @ 11:12 |
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I did contact Memorex and they offered to replace my media, so we will see what happens when it arrives in the new year.
After making that post, I used a 4x DVD-R from Pioneer and it burnt in it's entirety without error, verified too.
I've also had no problems with Verbatim DVD-RWs.
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JoeRyan
Senior Member
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12. December 2003 @ 10:48 |
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There should always be fewer problems with dye-based, write-once discs. Rewritable alloy discs have a reputation for instability, but it's not the medium--it's the packet-writing issues and how well the software integrates with the operating system and the computer settings. Comparing a DVD-RW to a DVD-R is comparing apple strudel to oranges--there's a lot more involved in the strudel than just the fruit.
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hysma
Newbie
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12. December 2003 @ 11:16 |
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Thanks for the insight, but as I also commented I had used Verbatim DVD-RWs in the past. I purchased a 3 pack of them from Staples last night - out of the 2 I have written data to there were no errors.
Update April 23, 2004
I tried to post a reply to this discussion but because it's more than 60 days old I'm not allowed to...
Anyway, what I wanted to add on is that despite Memorex offering to replace my media I have not yet received anything. I sent an email to them in March asking for an ETA and had a confirmation that my letter was received but nothing further.
Update July 19, 2004
Memorex is now completely ignoring my enqueries. This is unacceptable considering the clearly stated 1 year warranty on the back of the DVD-RW case. I will not be purchasing any more Memorex products after this experience.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 19. July 2004 @ 22:17
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paperino
Newbie
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10. January 2004 @ 20:15 |
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I also bought a 3-pack of Memorex DVD-RW (P/N 3202 5520) from Future Shop, and none of them worked. I thought it was my drive (an LG GSA-4040B), which I had replaced with a Pioneer 106. Then, even the Pioneer failed. Finally I found this thread in the forum. I went to Future Shop to return the 3-pack, but they refused because all three jewel cases were unwrapped.
I'm going to contact memorex directly....
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