CDRLabs.com

So, here's the deal. I got a Plextor 708A way back in January of 2004 and have been using it mostly to backup DVD Movies - works fine, no problems until recently..

I grabbed an XBOX game I own, Halo 2 , and wanted to back it up. I found that I couldn't get the disc to the Hard Drive with CloneCD, Alcohol 120 or Nero. I settled for direct DVD->DVD copying them in Nero-- I start with DVD-RWs so I can re-try if there's a mess up.

The burning process starts up normally .. and about 30% of the way through the writing the Plextor completely craps out. Frustrated, I toss in another DVD-RW I've got laying around and flip settings, read speeds, etc. I even tried Alcohol 120. Nothing changed, same results.

I go to erase these disc's with Nero's Erase Disk tool, but I can't! The drive refuses to spin down (even after 15 mins). It sounds like it's caught in a loop, and when I try to run the erase disk the error is "BAD TOC" .

Ok, so -- BAD TOC -- who cares, erase the *^&$% Disc! How can I erase these discs ?!

AFAIK, you won't be able to just slap an Xbox disc in a PC drive and back it up.

Do you happen to have a copy of RecordNow or some other program? Or InCD? Maybe that could format it. Sometimes Nero seems a bit picky. Also, try to shove the disc in and IMMEDIATELY hit "erase disk". Does the drive start erasing, or does it refuse to erase?

I don't have RecordNow or INCD ... when I tried punching it right away I still got the same error.


Also, you're right you can;t Burn XBOX games directly I've read the are written "backwards" now I don;t know if that means outside in or whatever.. maybe XOR'd , who knows.

Another bad thing is that my drive won't burn ANY DVDRs now (+ or - ) at any speed without some kind of error. I've upgraded the firmware and disconnected the drive ... but it's making an odd "Rattling" sound whenever I insert a DVD(R) -- cds and CD burning work fine.

So, that could be part of the problem. :-/.

If I bought this drive in Jan / February, but it's markings indicate that it was "born" in Oct 2003 -- am I still under warranty ?

If I bought this drive in Jan / February, but it's markings indicate that it was "born" in Oct 2003 -- am I still under warranty ?

Ask Plextor.

Slim

the warranty of the drive expires 1 year from the time you purchased it. it doesn't matter if the drive was manufactured in october 2003. i would suggest you run the self diagnostic test that is in the plextor manual. the reason for this is when you contact plextor tech support they will ask if you ran the test. RMA the drive because rattling sounds like the drive could be on its last leg.

thanks for hte help, will talk to them tomorrow. I can run the test tonight to see. *sigh* another DVDR down the tubes ...