Defective Matshita UJ-842 CD/DVD Burner?

[taichi]

]I've read in a number of places that the Matshita drive found in many Thinkpads is not all that great.

Recently, despite verifying the most current driver, I've had horrible luck burning CDs with either Window, or using a third party utility...Ashampoo Burning Studio. Everything appears to be going smoothly, the "burn" is verified, the session closes. But at the end of the day, when I check the contents of the newly burned CD, it shows up empty!

Is it time for a new drive, is it easy to self install, and what's my best option for a T60P?

Thanks

[rkawakami]

For any of my Ultrabay optical conversion projects, I almost exclusively use UJ-xxx drives. That is to say, I buy "bare" drives and slap the Ultrabay rails, connector and faceplate on (if needed). I'll do this if the cost of a "real" IBM/Lenovo branded drive is higher. While I have had very few drives go bad (2?) over the years, I've found the M a t s u s h i t a (aka, Matshita) drives fairly reliable. Whenever I end up burning a coaster, the first thing I try is another brand of blank disk. Current favorites are Fuji DVD-RW and Memorex CD-RW but I've used many others before. I also use either Nero Express (a very old program that still works for my uses) or CDBurnerXP, never Windows' own routine.

I test all my "new" drives (and ones that I think are acting up) by running DVDInfoPro's CRC test on the drive using completely full CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+R and DVD-RW disks that I've created. That test verifies that the drive can read all sectors from the disk. I then burn CD-RW and DVD-RW, DVD+RW and/or DVD-RAM disks and read-verify those. You can download a trial version here: http://www.dvdinfopro.com/

If you buy an IBM/Lenovo FRU-labelled drive, it's a snap to replace. Shut the system off, slide the Ultrabay release button, pull the eject lever and pull the drive out. Push the new drive in and you're done. I've never had to install any drivers for whatever optical drive I've put into the Ultrabay. Windows should notice that a different drive has been installed but nothing else should be needed. As far as your best option, that would depend upon the types of disks you want to burn. If you never plan on burning DVDs, then you could get a CD-RW/DVD drive (i.e., Combo II drive - FRU 39T2685). If you are burning DVDs, then you could try an HLDS (Hitachi-LG Data Storage) GSA-4083N (FRU 39T2679) if you're not comfortable with staying with the M a t s u s h i t a UJ-842 (FRU 39T2677) drive.

Also, if you've been able to burn disks many times before but only now you are having problems...

- Have you changed brands of blank disks? As suggested above, try another brand and see if that helps.
- Does the "blank" burned disk show up empty in all other computers?
- Double check the settings in the burning program. Play particular attention to "finalizing" your disk (should be enabled if you never intend on adding anything to the disk) and if the "test" or "simulation" mode is enabled.
- Did you recently install some software (drivers, utilities) and then had a problem writing disks? If so, you could try rolling back Windows using System Restore.
- Try installing another burning program and see if that one has issues.
- It's possible that your optical drive has some dirt on the lens of the laser. LIGHTLY brush a Q-tip across the surface of the lens. Do NOT put any significant download pressure on the lens.

[taichi]

Thanks, Ray, for your exhaustive reply.

Unfortunately I discovered my IMAPI exe is missing. I tried doing a sfc/scannow, as well as uninstalling and reinstalling the drive. I have the OS disc, and I believe there's a way of extracting IMAPI from the disc, but it's complicated. I don't have the wherewithal at this moment to do a reinstall of the OS.

Are there external drives that don't require IMAPI? I'm on Vista.

[rkawakami]

From what I understand imapi.exe/dll was added as a standard feature starting with Vista. While it provides the interface for the OS and third party utilities to write to optical drives, I believe it is up to the creators of the CD/DVD burning software to use that API or not. Thus, it doesn't matter what hardware you install, but the choice of the utility program does. And no, I don't know which program(s) bypass this API and use their own.

Since sfc did not work, your system might have a backup copy of the program that System Restore could recover for you. You should also check your Recycke Bin and see if it's stored there. Other than that, you may be able to extract the file from your OS disc using something along these lines:

http://blog.nirsoft.net/2009/09/17/how- ... ws-7vista/

[taichi]

Thanks for the lucid response.

I did look in recycle earlier, but didn't find it. Extracting it from a restore sounds interesting if I could restire a single file.

Looking for a non IMAPI utility also is a possibility.

I forgot to mention that a couple of discs I "burned" but later found empty can't be opened after I uninstalled and reinstalled the burner.

[taichi]

Amazingly, Microsoft has an IMAPI 2.0 download for XP....

"Image Mastering API v2.0 (IMAPIv2.0) for Windows XP "

...but none for Vista!

Then there is this for Vista Service Pack 1...

"Image Mastering API v2.0 (IMAPIv2.0) update package in Windows Feature Pack for Storage 1.0"

...but nothing for Service Pack 2!

!!!!!!!

[dr_st]

I do believe you are chasing a red herring here.

None of my Vista/Win7/Win8 machines have a file called IMAPI.EXE.

[taichi]

I'd be happier if it was a red herring:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMAPI

I've been having weird burns using Windows and Ashampoo burning tools, and when I research on the net I find many who attribute it to a missing IMAPI. There are even notes on how to repair it...running sfc/scannow, and uninstalling the burner, but nothing has yet worked.

[dr_st]

What made you think there is something wrong with the IMAPI on your machine?

[taichi]

Sometimes burning sessions that seem like they're ended, but they don't end or eject.

"Successful burns" which on reinsertion show a blank disc.

After uninstalling and reinstalling the Matshita, some of the successful but apparently empty discs now report unreadable to Windows.

And assorted poltergeist phenomena.

Except for the latter, when I searched for answers IMAPI (2.0 for Vista) shows up as a culprit, with a number of people complaining about missing IMAPI.

I'm doing a long search right now on my computer for imapi.exe, including hidden files, and there's a list on there, including a changelog which I'll examine when I get back in half an hour.

Thanks for your help, by the way.

[dr_st]

Once again - there should not be a file called IMAPI.EXE on your computer. You are chasing the wrong thing.

Search for IMAPI*.DLL files under Windows\System32 and/or Windows\SysWOW64.

[taichi]

I may have misspoken, as I have searched for all variants of imapi. It was in a post I read this morning that the term IMAPI.EXE came up. imapi.dll is also missing, and sfc/scannow did not replace it. I checked the recycle bin, but imapi.dll is not there.

[axur-delmeria]

That is to say, I buy "bare" drives and slap the Ultrabay rails, connector and faceplate on (if needed).

With Serial Ultrabay it's easy since it's just a standard SATA connector, but is it possible to convert a standard IDE optical drive to a T4x/T6x Ultrabay Slim? Isn't the proprietary connector soldered to the PCB?

[taichi]

According to Microsoft the IMAPI service is supposed to be running in Vista and 7. That service is missing from my available services, although I have found a bunch of imapi dlls in system32:

imapi2fs.dll
imapi2fs.dll.mui
imapi2.dll.mui
imapi.dll.mui
upgWOW_bulk
upgrade_bulk

There is supposedly a hotfix that might apply:
Fix282373
KB Article Number(s): 973774

I downloaded it but have yet to apply it due to accompanying cautionary Microsoft language referring to it as a beta, and that it might be better to wait for a new service pack, but that can't apply as there will never be a Vista SP3. Moreover, despite the similarity of my problem to the KB, I haven't received the 0xC0AA0007 error. It's simply that the Windows utility, Ashampoo, and Infrarecorder fail to burn. When I tried Ashampoo today, it seemed to burn, but wouldn't eject, instead getting hungup in a never ending verification.

I could also try a utility called FixWMP, which is supposed to fix Media Player, but more importantly it appears to reregister dlls associted with WMP.

Has anybody on this forum encountered these problems?

[dr_st]

Vista and higher has IMAPI 2.0, which is not a service. You should have IMAPI.DLL and IMAPI2.DLL in your system32/syswow64 directories though. Not sure why they would be missing...

[taichi]

Thanks for the response.

The following query on a Windows 7 Microsoft forum suggests that there is such a service:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... 9376bf5b06

Other sites have suggested the same.

By the way, when I copied and pasted the results of my imapi search I neglected to paste the following dlls, which I do have.

imapi.dll
imapi2.dll

Thanks again for your assistance.

[dr_st]

So you have these DLLs, that's good. I don't quite understand why you explicitly said earlier that they were missing, and now suddenly you found them. Maybe use better search utilities? I use Total Commander myself. A great utility for file management and everything, but it is not free...

In any case, the presence of these DLLs shows that your problem, despite whatever you think, and whatever you may read on the internet, is not related to IMAPI. The internet is full of wrong and useless information. One should take everything with a grain of salt.

The Wikipedia page that you yourself linked to earlier clearly says that IMAPI 2.0 is *not* implemented as a service. And I can verify it on all of my computers running Vista and above.

You are wasting your time here, and are more likely to cause some weird damage to your OS trying to fix a problem that does not exist, than solve your issue. Which I bet is just a bad burner. That wouldn't be the first.

[taichi]

dr_st:

Thanks for the reply.

The link I gave was from the Microsoft site, on a forum therein. I didn't see where it said that such a service was not implemented, but in response to your comment found another source which stated that IMAPI as a service was dropped after XP. Truly there is conflicting data on all of this.

As you can tell I have not rushed ahead to apply any fixes...I'm pretty cautious about such things.

I did entitle this thread Defective Matshita, etc., so I'm not excluding that as the problem at all. How long do these burners typically last? Evem though Lenovo typically uses good parts, Matshitas get a certain amount of criticism.

So, dr_st, what would you recommend as a new burner for my T60P 2623 DDU? And is it simple swap and plug and play, or more complicated?

Thanks again for the jelp!

[dr_st]

I'd say, any T6x burner that works. They are all straight swaps. You can use a T4x burner as well and it is also a straight swap but the bezel is curved, so it will not be flush with the chassis.

It's not uncommon for a burner to fail after a while, and it depends on how much it's been used. I've had 3 personal T4x/T6x machines, and on each one I replaced the burner once within the 3-year warranty period. But that was a long time ago, when I used to burn a lot of disks. Now I probably burn one tenth of what I used to, so they last longer.

Try to first borrow a burner from someone with a similar machine to be really sure that it's the drive and not something else.

[taichi]

I wish I knew someone with a Thinkpad. I have an old A21P lurking somewhere, but it had a reader, if I recall, not a burner.

There are a lot of different prices out there...

[FryPpy]

I have an old A21P lurking somewhere, but it had a reader

T6x & T4x have slim optical drives. T2x(A2x) + 3x series uses non-slim ultrabay devices. And they have different connectors.... There are adaptors to use slim devices in old non-slim ultrabay but not vice versa.

For 7 years i live with thinkpads i have burnt (killed) out 2 DVDRW. Both of them was Matshitas. And the interesting thing i noticed one drive completely lost ability to READ, but can write (i have tested on CD-RWs). Interesting thing - it writes disk, but when app (ImgBurn) tries to verify - it cant read and say "burning process error". But on other computers this disk worked well.

I think this is normal wear for optical drives.

[taichi]

Well, the machine is from 2006...I've owned it from 2009...so the drive's at least five years old...possibly eight years.

There's a bunch of drives out there, from ebay to Amazon, with different model numbers. Are they all Matshitas? Is there a better brand, or any preferred model number? And any recommendations on where to buy?

[dr_st]

There are also LGs (aka Hitachi-LG Data Storage / HLDS). Some say they may be more reliable than the Matshitas, although I haven't collected enough sampling points to verify or refute that claim.

These are probably the FRUs you are looking for:
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Ultrabay_ ... rner_Drive

[taichi]

Thanks, dr_st, for the many useful responses and the link!

[rkawakami]

With Serial Ultrabay it's easy since it's just a standard SATA connector, but is it possible to convert a standard IDE optical drive to a T4x/T6x Ultrabay Slim? Isn't the proprietary connector soldered to the PCB?

I believe that I've converted a non-Thinkpad slim optical drive for use inside the T4x/X6x Ultrabay before. It, of course, had the same type of connector on the rear of the drive that the Ultrabay Slim requires. I also believe that there are two types of connectors that are available on 9.5mm high optical drives: one that has a thin set of contacts in the center the connector housing and the other which has the contacts on the inside upper and lower surfaces of the housing, something like these crude drawings:

+----------------+  +----------------+
| ______________ |  |                |
|                |  |                |
+----------------+  +----------------+

Besides the use of the correct connector, you also have to add a small plastic piece on the side of the slim drive. I apologize in advance if I'm wrong about this; I'm at work at the moment and don't have access to my drives. In fact I think I documented this already a few years ago but I can't find the exact post.

[taichi]

I found this, new. 39T2529 IBM Thinkpad CDRW/DVD Combo II INT Ultrabay Slim Drive.

The seller, in response to my question as to whether it's a Matshita or an LG/Matshita said,
" Yes, it's an IBM Matshita LG/Matshita." What a useful response.

Anyway, I have no way of testing the drive (no Thinkpadders I know near me), so I may have to just order it.

[taichi]

I found one new for $65.00 with shipping. There are some parts stores online with it cheaper, but I can't call now as they're closed (East Coast).

The above parts number apparently came originally use with the T4X series. Is it the best and most recent model?

Also, there's another drive...39T2505...for approximately $20.00 cheaper.

Confusing,

Thanks

[rkawakami]

That FRU (39T2529) is for a CD-RW/DVD drive. It will only write CDs; not DVDs. If that's what you want, then $65 sounds a little high to me, as well as it being "new" (new-old-stock or NOS possibly...). If you ask for the model number, there should be no ambiguity. A UJDAxxx would be a Matshita drive, while a GCC-xxxx model is from HLDS. It should be on the big label on top, or a smaller one underneath the drive.

Since it's for a T4x series, the bezel will not match the contours of the case; a minor problem. In some cases it may be possible to swap bezels with your original unit. That depends entirely upon the mounting tabs that are used to hold it in place; each manufacturer will use their own design. As for it being the "best", here's the specs:

http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/product ... MIGR-54330

Here's a Wiki on the Ultrabay Slim devices: http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/product ... MIGR-61284

The Combo II is "better" than the original Combo in supported disk formats and speed and was the last Ultrabay Slim CD-RW/DVD drive offered. For the Matshita drives, UJDA745 is the Combo, while UJDA755 and above are Combo II. However, probably for the same cost, if not cheaper, you could get a DVD writer (i.e., "Multi-burner" or "Super Multi-burner").

http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/product ... MIGR-58420

(Note: PCC = Matshita)

edit: There's a "new" 39T2529 being offered on eBay for $15 (shipping included): http://www.ebay.com/itm/271394701678

[taichi]

Thanks, Ray! That's quite useful information.

$65.00 seemed high to me, and out of four questions sent through Amazon he only answered one, and ambiguously at that.

So I think I should look for the UJDA755, as it makes sense to get a good drive. I love my trusty T60P, as rugged as my first A21P Thinkpad. It's been a really reliable workhorse. Too bad they stopped making 17 inch Thinkpads.

Would I look for IBM Ultrabay with UJDA755 drive? You also mentioned "and above,:, which I assume is UJDA7++.

Thanks again, Ray.

UPDATE:

How does this look to you, Ray?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Lenovo-Thin ... 5d31ebaa26

[ajkula66]

How does this look to you, Ray?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Lenovo-Thin ... 5d31ebaa26

I'm not Ray, but:

a) That's not a multiburner, but a simple combo drive

b) The price is atrocious.