48x Burner won't burn past 24x...Please see inside

[stormy_pinkness]

If anyone could please help me with my dilemma--

Up until about 2 weeks ago, I was able to burn in all of my software suites at 48x using my NEC-9100A CDRW drive (supplied in my Dell PC). Now, no matter what I do, I can not get my CD-Rs to burn past 24x.

The problem, however, perplexes me. I have had AWESOME luck with 52x Memorex 80 min/700 MB cds. I bought 100 from COMPUSA last week, and when I found that they weren't burning at full speed (48x, remember), I took them back . I exchanged them for some 48x TDK 80 Min/700 Mb. Same problem. However, one FujiFilm 40x CD I had shows up as 40x. I have also tried to adjust things manually (ie. settings in the suites such as Nero, DiscJuggler, Alcohol 120%). Heck, I even reinstalled Nero. No difference. I also checked the DMA settings (already on). I am running a P4, 2.6 GHZ, 512 MB, 110 GIG HD, with Windows XP.

I know some suggestions would be to get more FujiFilm CDs, but that's not an option right now. I am miffed because the Memorex worked so well before.

My question is three fold:

1) What happened to my drive that made it stop recognizing more than 24x?

2) Why does some media show up at proper speeds, and others don't?

3) Is there anything I can do (short of calling Dell)?

Mind you, I haven't had any problems with burn speeds [b]AT ALL[/b], until now. It has been almost a year since I got the PC.

I have come to this forum because everyone here seem to rule the world as far as CD-R info goes!

Thank you for your consideration!

[Justin42]

Run a media checker (Nero comes with InfoTool, which would be fine) and see who the old media and new media were manufactured by. You can't trust "brand name" at all (as I'm sure you realise), and it's quite possible Memorex changed suppliers since your first pack that worked fine. (didn't they use to be Taiyo Yudens until fairly recently?) Most drives only show you the speed to burn that the discs actually are able to do, so you may have some lower-quality media the burner doesn't think it can handle at 48x.

(I.e., the last few TDK CDR batches I bought were made by CMC [I've since quit buying TDK], which is a horrible manufacturer. Fuji was Taiyo Yuden for a long time, one of the best brands available, so it's not surprising it shows a higher burn speed. Memorex uses whoever, so it could be CMC or Taiyo Yuden or whoever..)

That said, if the media are made by the same company, have you checked Dell's site to see if new firmware is available for the drive?

[Rudy]

Did you upgrade the firmware in the drive?
Are you burning audio?

[pranav81]

I guess the problem is media related.You may try flashing the firmware to a newer one so that there is more media compatibility.Also you may try turning off some speed limiting technologies which guarantee a safe burn with some crappy media.For example Sony uses PowerBurn or SafeBurn which detects the CD-R media and adjusts burning speed accordingly.You can try disabling it in the "Choose recorder" menu in Nero.


::Pranav::

[stormy_pinkness]

Thank you all for your words of advice!

I believe the firmware is the most current available. Upon using Smartburn, I find that the TDK CDs are indeed CMC. And yes, my drive does implement Safe-Burn. While I am really only losing 1 minute of burn time, it's not a huge deal. I just plan on spreading the word about TDK (CMC) media! What a waste of money, and in 100 CDs, I will buy some DECENT CD-Rs!

Thanks again!

[pranav81]

Glad that you have finally sorted out your problem.


::Pranav::