dbminter

The 212 definitely is an unreliable performer when it comes to writing 8x DVD+RW. It fluctuates between writing at 6x and 8x maximum. You do one write and it's 6x max. You use the same disc that just wrote at 6x max and write the same image in the same enclosure and conditions, and you get 8x!

Nothing new to report since the last beta was released back in November.

Well, now I don't know WHAT to think! After the failed burn from before, the NEW enclosure I installed, completely different manufacturer, was ALSO returning Logical Unit messages on all inserted discs. So, I swapped in another Vantec enclosure, which was the same type that appeared dead before. (This one Vantec randomly causes drives to appear with blank contents in File Explorer until power is cycled. Vantec makes about 50% junk.) Now, the same disc that was writing at 3.3x is back to 8x! It's POSSIBLE both enclosures went bad simultaneously as the OWC had been sitting on a shelf unused for years. If the universe is ruled by god, I wouldn't put it past him.

Yeah, the 212 is junk as well. I put in a brand new unformatted 8x DVD+RW, wrote it once, played fine. Write to it a 2nd time, and it never got beyond 3.3x. Whenever this happens, Verify will always fail.

Further testing has shown the Pioneer drives are still junk when it comes to writing 8x DVD+RW. I put in a brand new, unformatted disc, let ImgBurn format and write it, and Verify failed on it. So, Pioneer has taken SLIGHT steps forward, but are still junk. In fact, the 212 DESTROYED the brand new DVD+RW I just tested! I tried using it again in an LG WH16NS60 and it won't even get past Logical Unit is in process of becoming ready. Which is what ASUS used to do on rewritable discs. EDIT: Actually, I may have jumped to a conclusion too soon. It could be the enclosure. I took out the 212 and put in an NS60 and I still get Logical Unit messages on all DVD+RW discs. Since it's highly unlikely both drives went bad at the same time and since I've tried other DVD+RW discs, the conclusion is either the enclosure, the USB cable, or the USB port are to blame. More to come. Must have been the enclosure. I used a different enclosure with the 212 and the same disc that had at first appeared to have been destroyed and the Logical Unit message went away. I used the same USB cable, so it's not the cable or port. Could be a power supply issue as the other enclosure uses a different type of power supply.

That's why I miss those days.

So, you're using 2 WH14NS40 drives? Writing in a 1.03 firmware drive and verifying in a 1.05 firmware drive? If that's the case, I'd wait and see if it happens again, but this time use the 1.05 drive to write the BD XL disc.

Is this the first time you've tried BD XL media? I know one of the reasons the WH16NS40 is not usable, as far as I'm concerned, is it doesn't properly write to double layer BD media. 9 times out of 10, it writes it incorrectly.

See if this helps: Tools --> Settings --> Build --> Page 1 --> Advanced --> Check the box for Include Reparse Point Files. If it's already checked, don't change it as that won't help.

I did recommend M-Disc in my initial reply, but there is one mitigating factor that may turn someone off to using them: cost. M-Disc are a tad bit expensive, particularly when compared to the price for BD-R. However, there is the initial cost of having to pay out for a more expensive BD burner if you're going to use BD-R. And you will need a BD drive to read the discs back. With M-Disc, as long as your device supports DVD+R, it will read it. So, M-Disc is a bit more "universal."

I do prefer the old days when apps stored settings in INI files in the directory they were installed in. It made configuring applications on a new system much easier. Plus, INI is safe from when developers change the name of the Registry key they're writing to or change/add/delete branches from the key.

One oddity of the firmware in the Pioneer 212. It takes 35 seconds longer to write an 8x DVD+RW than it does on the WH16NS60. At one minute and 25 seconds into burning, the drive drops the write rate to 0.0x and it stays there for 35 seconds before resuming, climbing back up to 8.0x. It does this on "Ricoh" 8x DVD+RW from years ago and on the current 8x DVD+RW from Imation, made by "Ritek."

So, in Verify Mode, if a user unchecked Verify Against Image File, ImgBurn would just do a Read of the contents as if it were creating an image file?

In the Verify mode, there's an option the user can check to Verify Against Image File. When a Verify is automatically performed after writing an image if the user has the Verify option selected, is the disc verified against the image file that was written by default? Or is the Verify just a Read operation without comparison against the image file contents being burned? Thanks!

Yeah, as far as I know, there's nothing like a Like on this board's forum software.