NEC 3500AG Burner will not burn 16xMemorex Media

[katman104]

katman104 (TechnicalUser) 11 Dec 05 21:40
Cd Burner will not Burn 16X DVD-R Discs.
I have a NEC 3500AG Dvd burner (The retail Version)and it will Burn 4X and 8X -R, +R and RW disc but, the Wife bought 100 16X DVD-R disc on sale and when I try to use these using Nero I am unable to burn to them. Where can I find the Firmware update for this drive. I found the OEM drive upgrade but do not want to make a boat anchor out of the drive. Not shure I can use the OEM firmware with the retail version of the 3500AG. Any help would be greatly appreciated.I get the error " Unable to start one step process"

 

[garebo]

I had a similar model, the ND-1000A. Nec and Verbatim seem to make the same unit, so you may try over at the Verbatim site:

http://www.verbatim.com/

I know it helped me at the time and i dont know if you know about the verbatim site, sorry if its not of any use to you. I know i had to root around the net a long time looking for info on my unit.




Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[garebo]

One other thing, look for a part number other than the one you have, it may be found on the drive, the manual, the box it came in, like that.


Good advice + great people = tek-tips

 

[Prydonian]

katman104;

Be careful updating firmware on a DVD burner as if you pick the wrong firmware, you could end up with a paperweight. As Garebo said, check VERY carefully for the part number on your unit. I for one would DEFINITELY NOT use the OEM update. Too risky for my blood.

An important thing to keep in mind is the varying quality of DVD media. Many brands do not make their own DVDs, but rebrand them from the actual manufacturers. There is a comprehensive website that keeps ratings of DVD quality pretty up to date.

http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm

I do a lot of video encoding and was getting about a 25% failure rate using Phillips and Verbatim. (I have a LiteON 16x DVD burner). I switched to Taiyo Yuden blanks and have not had a single bad disc in over 100 burns. (There I go jinxing myself!) But they're not cheap... On sale, they run about $1 each.

Also, not every DVD burner likes every disc. I have a Sony at work that barfs all over TDK +R discs but has absolutely no problem with HP +R discs.... Go figure!

Mike, The IT Guy

Life is too short to drink warm beer....

 

[paparazi]

katman104
Poor initial media compatibility of DVDRW drives is not uncommon.
Manufacturers release "Firmware" updates to make a particular model "more" compatible.
If you visit your manufacturers website it is likely that there has been several updates when compared to the one installed on your drive.
Flashing a drive is a simple task but as with all things like this it is not without a small degree of risk.
Connect the drive on it's own IDE channel as master (disconnect all other rom devices)
Download the updated flash and it's utility (usually one file)
Close down all applications and virus software.
Execute file
The old and new files are typically displayed so you can see if the file is indeed an older version and by how many releases.
But to pre-check firmware version go into devive manager, click on DVD/CD-rom drives, click on the correct drive and then click on details to reveal the firmware version.
Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[cdogg]

I've got the NEC 3540A and 3550A models, and both work well with Memorex 16X DVD-R, Memorex 16X DVD+R, and Memorex Dual-Layer 2.4X DVD+R media.

Perhaps a firmware update will do it, but try one of your other media brands to make sure it's not a software or OS problem you've come across.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[katman104]

Thanks to all who have responded. I got cold feet because I did not want to wind up with a paper weight and carried the 16X media back and purchased 8X media and have no problem with it.As far as I can determine I have version 2.16 loaded on the drive. That is what it came with and I am aprehensive about changing it as long as I am able to purchase 8X media. again thanks to all who responded.