Dvd Writing With Lg Drive

[Ijustwannateach]

I'm using an LG GSA-5169D DVDrom recorder, which theoretically can write to any type of DVD (+/-, one-time, rewriteable, etc.). It's an external box that connects via USB. It comes with drivers, OSM software including Nero Express 6, and some kind of software called "one touch" which is a software driven interface between analog video signal (NTSC/PAL) and the DVD drive.

I'm really, really, really trying to write DVDs with this thing. I've tried with the included Nero Express 6 and with a full install of Nero 7, on DVD "-" discs set to DVD 5 at minimum recording speed (4x). I tried to write about 3 gig of data both times (max is over 4 gig, but I've had that scam pulled on me before with CDs- you never get the max, so I figured 3/4 was ok).

Both times the following happened:

1. Data burning stage finishes fine, no errors.

2. Data verification stage starts, and the system hangs- the timer keeps going and the mouse works, but the progress bar doesn't budge- this goes on for 20 minutes before I give up. I have to manually reboot the system because it won't even let me restart.

3. Since I don't know if the disc has been written well or not, I check the files one-by-one (they're photo images from my days in Japan- so I use an image viewer to flip through them quickly). I get through about 30-40 images successfully, then the system crashes again (I assume serious error because I have to do the manual reboot again).

I've searched on Google and looked at the LG site- there's a patch for the "OnetouchDVD" software used for recording from analog video, but that should have nothing to do with what I'm doing. I also found one entry on a CD hardware forum, but it was also about the Onetouch thing- no obvious reports of software or firmware problems, and the drive gets a couple of rave reviews on retail hardware sites.

I have to admit that one of the reasons I bought this drive is that I was having a similar issue with an older internal DVD writer that came with the box, which writes CDS just fine but never has written a DVD correctly- supposedly there is a known problem and firmware upgrade for THAT drive but I got nervous about it since a mistake will destroy the drive, and I decided to get something more upscale, so I bought the LG.

Is DVD writing always so difficult or am I unlucky? Any advice or suggestions? I really need to get this stuff backed up or else I guess I'll just have to start buying extra hard drive space.

Thanks in advance for any help.

"Steven"

[endure]

Have you tried removing it from its case and fitting it as an internal drive in your PC?

[waldwolf]

......I have to admit that one of the reasons I bought this drive is that I was having a similar issue with an older internal DVD writer that came with the box....

It would be helpful to know how old your system is, Memory size, CPU speed, HDD size, speed and (if any) the HDD cache size.

Is DVD writing always so difficult or am I unlucky?

In your search for a solution to the problem described, you probably read that speed is much more important in DVD burning than it is with CD's. A CD records much more slowly on the inner part of the CD surface, where it's harder to get good recordings, then speeds up as the recording progresses toward the outer edge of the disk.

Most DVD's record at full speed right from the start, so if the media you use is "El Cheapo" brand, the odds are you may end up with problems. (Storage of blank media, especially in hot, humid locations can also dramatically effect its life.)

Data verification stage starts, and the system hangs......

To me, it appears data was interupted or lost during the original burning session.

- In Nero, are you burning the files as DATA or VIDEO/PICTURE ?

- Have you tried a burning "Simulation"? (If yes, results.)

waldwolf

/edit - grammer

Edited October 15, 2006 by waldwolf

[endure]

Which version of USB does your PC run?

[youngkiwi]

This issue could be caused by a conflict with another USB device, such as a webcam. I suggest trying to remove all other USB devices. Also, if your writer is a USB 2.0 device, it would be wise to make sure you have connected it to a USB 2.0 port (rather than a USB 1.1 port as used on some older computers).

[doctormann]

I'm using an LG GSA-5169D DVDrom recorder, which theoretically can write to any type of DVD (+/-, one-time, rewriteable, etc.). It's an external box that connects via USB. It comes with drivers, OSM software including Nero Express 6, and some kind of software called "one touch" which is a software driven interface between analog video signal (NTSC/PAL) and the DVD drive.

I'm really, really, really trying to write DVDs with this thing. I've tried with the included Nero Express 6 and with a full install of Nero 7, on DVD "-" discs set to DVD 5 at minimum recording speed (4x). I tried to write about 3 gig of data both times (max is over 4 gig, but I've had that scam pulled on me before with CDs- you never get the max, so I figured 3/4 was ok).

Both times the following happened:

1. Data burning stage finishes fine, no errors.

2. Data verification stage starts, and the system hangs- the timer keeps going and the mouse works, but the progress bar doesn't budge- this goes on for 20 minutes before I give up. I have to manually reboot the system because it won't even let me restart.

3. Since I don't know if the disc has been written well or not, I check the files one-by-one (they're photo images from my days in Japan- so I use an image viewer to flip through them quickly). I get through about 30-40 images successfully, then the system crashes again (I assume serious error because I have to do the manual reboot again).

I've searched on Google and looked at the LG site- there's a patch for the "OnetouchDVD" software used for recording from analog video, but that should have nothing to do with what I'm doing. I also found one entry on a CD hardware forum, but it was also about the Onetouch thing- no obvious reports of software or firmware problems, and the drive gets a couple of rave reviews on retail hardware sites.

I have to admit that one of the reasons I bought this drive is that I was having a similar issue with an older internal DVD writer that came with the box, which writes CDS just fine but never has written a DVD correctly- supposedly there is a known problem and firmware upgrade for THAT drive but I got nervous about it since a mistake will destroy the drive, and I decided to get something more upscale, so I bought the LG.

Is DVD writing always so difficult or am I unlucky? Any advice or suggestions? I really need to get this stuff backed up or else I guess I'll just have to start buying extra hard drive space.

Thanks in advance for any help.

"Steven"

Just a suggestion:

As your system reports that the disc has been burned OK and only fails on the verification why not, as an experiment, disable the verification? This might give you something useable, even if this is not exactly the ideal situation.

DM

[penguin]

I have an LG-4167, an internal model released about the same time as your external version. Works like a charm using Nero 6. I mainly use 10 baht dvd+R 4x 8x 16x and have never had a failure, even when burning 4.6gb backups with these cheap discs. The days of burning coasters are long gone using any modern burner. LG might not be the fastest but they do have a reputation for being able to burn almost anything with any media so unless you have been very unlucky and have a dud then the problem is your computer.

Have you tried hooking it up to another computer? What are the specs for your computer, do you know if you have USB1.1 or 2.0? Version 1.1 is 40 times slower than version 2.0 but if your computer is only a couple of years old you should have the faster version. How much spare space do you have on your hard drive?

Other possibilitiies could be outdated drivers or a conflict with another USB device. The most common reason why dvds can be very slow to burn is to do with Ultra DMA Mode IDE channel settings (Google it) but your problem doesn't sound like that from what you have said so far but take a look at the settings in the Nero Toolkit to check if DMA is enabled.

Good suggestion about disabling verification however you say your system crashes anyway when you manually try to view the images you have burned. Graphics driver needs updating or low on memory maybe.

[Ijustwannateach]

Thanks to everyone for your valuable advice. I'll be checking everything you said- but I have done one thing already. I was suspicious because I've had 2 DVD writers fail on my computer. So I took the external one to a friend's computer- incidentally, an older system (though which seems to have more free disk space). It worked just fine, and so did his internal drive. So I think the drive has been exonerated and I have to figure out what to do to get it to work on my system. I'll take a look at things you guys have said above- any other advice considering this new information?

Thanks much in advance,

"Steven"