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Write errors on burning CD's

My Superdrive -- not so Super as of late -- has been generating write errors when I try to burn CD's or DVD's:

Operation could not be completed: 0X800200E (CD)
Medium write error: (CD)
Error: 0X8002006D (DVD)
Unexpected Error: 0X8002006D (DVD)
Error during verification: 0X80020063 (CD)

"Unexpected error" is really an oxymoron -- is there any other kind?

I've trashed 10 CDs and DVDs experimenting with ways to get burn to work. I can sometimes get CD's to burn at 8X speed, but not always. The higher speed never works. I've used several brands of CD's on the possibility I got a bad batch, but that makes no difference. Burning DVD's doesn't work at any speed with the tests I have done so far.

All of which sounds like the Superdrive is dying. It has never worked very well: it has always taken way too long for inserted CD's/DVD's to mount, with lots of thrashing. But before buying a new (not-so-)Superdrive, I thought I would see if anyone has suggestions about how to salvage the current one. Perhaps part of the problem is with software. I became suspicious of this today when I discovered something really odd. Burning a CD of photos at the slower (8X) speed, the burn completed successfully and the CD icon mounted on the desktop. I could open the CD and then open the photos on the CD. So far so good. Ok, so now I eject the CD and reinsert it. And instead of mounting as a CD with the label I gave it, it mounts as a blank CD with the label "Untitled CD.fpbf" and opening it reveals an empty burn window, not the contents of the photo CD that should be there. If I take this same CD and insert it into a PC, the CD mounts fine and the photos can be seen.

So somehow, the Mac OS is unable to recognize a CD it burned successfully, whereas a Windows machine is able to mount the same CD with no problem. Crazy, huh? (Rebooting my iMac did not make it able to mount the inserted CD correctly; instead it still mounts as a blank CD.)

Any suggestions would be welcome. For the time being I can live with burning at 8X, but I sure want to be able to see the results in my own machine!

Drake

2.1 GHz PowerPC G5, 512 MB Ram, Mac OS X (10.4.11), Casio Exilim digital camera, HP 3420 printer, Iomega 250 GB HDD, Bose speakers

Posted on Jul 6, 2009 4:36 PM

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Posted on Jul 6, 2009 6:27 PM

Drake Bradley wrote:
... sounds like the Superdrive is dying...


I agree with your suspicion, based on what you are describing. Not being able to read a CD that another computer can read might be an indication of some hardware problem with the drive itself.

Drake Bradley wrote:
... before buying a new (not-so-)Superdrive, I thought I would see if anyone has suggestions about how to salvage the current one. Perhaps part of the problem is with software...


Maybe there is some corruption of the source data on the hard drive. To rule that out, boot from an OS DVD, run the Disc Utility to Repair the Volume and Repair Permissions on your boot drive. How much free space is on the hard drive? If totally full, then you might be running out of temp/scratch space that is needed for temporary files during the burn, maybe?
16 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Jul 6, 2009 6:27 PM in response to Drake Bradley

Drake Bradley wrote:
... sounds like the Superdrive is dying...


I agree with your suspicion, based on what you are describing. Not being able to read a CD that another computer can read might be an indication of some hardware problem with the drive itself.

Drake Bradley wrote:
... before buying a new (not-so-)Superdrive, I thought I would see if anyone has suggestions about how to salvage the current one. Perhaps part of the problem is with software...


Maybe there is some corruption of the source data on the hard drive. To rule that out, boot from an OS DVD, run the Disc Utility to Repair the Volume and Repair Permissions on your boot drive. How much free space is on the hard drive? If totally full, then you might be running out of temp/scratch space that is needed for temporary files during the burn, maybe?

Jul 6, 2009 7:17 PM in response to Glen Doggett

Glen Doggett wrote:


Maybe there is some corruption of the source data on the hard drive. To rule that out, boot from an OS DVD, run the Disc Utility to Repair the Volume and Repair Permissions on your boot drive. How much free space is on the hard drive? If totally full, then you might be running out of temp/scratch space that is needed for temporary files during the burn, maybe?


I routinely use DU to repair permissions before and after updates, and periodically just for maintenance. I also have DU check the HD for problems. The checks on the HD indicate nothing needs to be repaired ("The hard disk appears to be Ok" does not inspire total confidence, however), so I haven't bothered booting with the OS DVD and running a repair off it. I also routinely SUDO DAILY (WEEKLY, MONTHLY) with the terminal. I have all the current updates on OS X 10.4.11 and on iLife. So I have pretty much taken care of that end of things.

I agree that the problem is probably hardware. But it did seem odd that I could burn a disk successfully but not be able to reinsert it and have it mount proplerly. I did insert some other CD's I had lying around, and they mounted Ok (after the usual thrashing).

If I do buy a new Superdrive, is it hard to install oneself? Is it just a modular swap in and out, or does it have to be done by a qualified technician? And what do Superdrives cost?

TIA,

Drake

Jul 6, 2009 8:34 PM in response to BDAqua

BDAqua wrote:
Hi Drake, it pretty easy on a G5 Tower, and cheap...

http://eshop.macsales.com/staticpages/Framework.cfm?page=superdrive/sdl_powermacg5.html


BDAqua, how are you? Thanks for the link. I have the iMac not the tower. Will that be a problem?

The Superdrives are cheap -- as are the 1TB hard disks and the RAM. I may buy a bunch. I assume they will all work in my iMac...

Jul 6, 2009 9:53 PM in response to Glen Doggett

Glen Doggett wrote:
historically, the iMac models are very tightly packed and not very user-friendly when it comes to DIY upgrades. It depends on your level of experience and comfort with opening up a computer and carefully putting it back together. I agree, probably best left to a professional, but if it's out of warranty and you have some experience, you can find some DIY upgrade/replacement guides here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2278?viewlocale=en_US


Thanks for the link, Glen. I think I'l have someone else do it!

You are talking about the iMac G5 right?


Yes, a G5 Power PC.

Jul 6, 2009 10:54 PM in response to Drake Bradley

Drake Bradley wrote:
... I think I'l have someone else do it...


I don't have any firsthand experience with these folks myself, but they might be a good candidate for doing this kind of upgrade for you, (if you can't find any place on the island). Ask about the hard drive and RAM also. You might be able to supply your own parts a little cheaper, maybe? OtherWorldComputing (OWC, see BD's link earlier on the optical drives) is usually a good source to help you find Mac-compatible parts for specific Mac models if you want to compare prices.

http://www.themacstore.com/

They sell refurbished used Macs and seem to be knowledgeable about upgrading/repairing older Mac models as well as the current Macs.

You didn't mention how much free space you have on your hard drive, if it is close to full, (<15GB free, or >85-90% used, roughly) you might have noticed some other strange behavior or poor performance, besides the optical drive issue. Adding a new larger hard drive and extra RAM especially, like you were thinking, will give you a noticeable improvement in general responsiveness, if you decide to do those upgrades at the same time as the optical drive replacement.

Jul 6, 2009 11:11 PM in response to Glen Doggett

Glen Doggett wrote:
I don't have any firsthand experience with these folks myself, but they might be a good candidate for doing this kind of upgrade for you, (if you can't find any place on the island). Ask about the hard drive and RAM also. You might be able to supply your own parts a little cheaper, maybe? OtherWorldComputing (OWC, see BD's link earlier on the optical drives) is usually a good source to help you find Mac-compatible parts for specific Mac models if you want to compare prices.

http://www.themacstore.com/


Ok, thanks Glen. You and BDAqua have been a great help.

You didn't mention how much free space you have on your hard drive, if it is close to full, (<15GB free, or >85-90% used, roughly) you might have noticed some other strange behavior or poor performance, besides the optical drive issue.


I have, but rebooting usually fixes things when they slow down. I have 87 GB free out of my 233 GB. So that is not the problem. I do have secure virtual memory activated, and they may account for some of the lag, especially when closing apps, most especially Safari (although 4.0 is closing much faster).

Write errors on burning CD's

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