UJ-842 DVD-RW problem

[IYS]

I'm having problems with the DVD burner that I bought for my T42 thinkpad. The model of the dvd burner is UJ-842 (manufactured JUNE 2007. REV 201).

The problem is burning seems to always fail at the same point (between 30%-40%). The DVD blanks that I am using are Ritek G05 8x.

The advertised speed for the drive was 8x for DVD-R media, however it doesnt seem to be doing this as the maximum speed I can select is 2x.

I have restored factory settings on the T42 (reinstalled windows) and it did not fix the problem.

Anyone know what the problem could be?

[rbena]

I'm guessing it is the media rather than the drive. Try Verbatim disks and see if you have the same problem.

My UJ842 drops to 2x speed when burning off-brand media. I mainly use Verbatim as always get 8x speed and rarely have a failed disk.

[syedj]

I would also suggest trying some different media. Don't buy a whole new spindle try to borrow one or two discs of some different brand from someone else and try them.

[IYS]

yeah you guys were right... I bought a spindle of Verbatim DVD-R's (16X speed) and now the UJ-842 writes at 8x speed perfectly with no problems at all.

Is there a way to fix this i.e any firmware update available?

I did like the ritek DVD-R's as I had been using them for years with no problems and they are around $10 cheaper than Verbatim per spindle (Ritek $14 AUD Vs Verbatim $24 AUD).

How is the quality of Verbatim vs Ritek? does the extra $10 for the verbatim equal to better quality?

Well thanks both rbena and syedj for your suggestions.

[rbena]

The Ritek's may be cheaper, but I've never had a problem retrieving data that I've backed up to Verbatim DVD's. That to me is worth the extra cost.

For non-critical use, you may find cheaper DVD's that will burn at 8x. The ones I've found were not much cheaper than the Verbatim's I purchase in bulk.

[The Spirit of X21]

I'm a Taiyo Yuden fan, but if you can't get your hands on TY, Verbatim is very good as well (or so I've read.)

[rbena]

I have quite a quantity of TY's as well. They're rated a cut above the Verbatims, but is best to compare using K-probe or similar test after burning different disks on your specific burner.

I usually find that the Taiyo Yuden or Verbatim 8x DVD-R or DVD+R disks will produce the lowest errors on a specific burner. However, I don't think I've had any of these particular disks fail, as they've been pretty reliable.