dbminter

I had said it could possibly be a false positive for "data." I tried reading a data label side in my setup, but all I got was an expected unable to read anything return message.

How do you explain ImgBurn returning 33.3 GB capacity on a "label" side? That's why I didn't recognize it as a label side.

The only successful overburn to a CD-R I ever got was over 20 years, back before 80 minute CD-R was possible. I managed to burn 79 minutes onto whatever the standard CD-R run time was then.

I will concede to your 2nd point. TY is an in name only product that CMC makes now under it's CMC Pro line. However, my first point is entirely valid, born out by 3 different cake stack tests. Tested over the course of months. Plus, Verbatim has a past of changing the manufacturing processes of its "high" quality media. Years ago, they altered the production of DataLife Plus DVD-R so they no longer worked with the the LG WH16NS60 until LG updated the firmware. My "wrong" information comes from 25 years of burning optical media. So, you're right, I know about what I'm saying.

Yeah, you must do a Full format the first time on unformatted rewriteable media before you can Quick format it or write to it. (Technically, a Full format is a full write to all sectors.) Glad it worked out for you! I didn't think it would help, as I said before. So, I'm glad it did work.

I notice a Format was "started" (I never quite understood that designation.) but not completed. I've noticed many years ago, about 20, that Nero applications would write to rewriteable DVD's in such a way. While those discs were readable/playable, they always did perform rather oddly. So, once I copied those, I fully formatted them in ImgBurn. Try that, but first copy the contents off of the DVD+RW, unless you don't mind losing them to the full format. If you're going to copy the contents, I don't recommend making an image of the disc first, given what happened before with that other multi-session disc. Just copy the contents off of it in File Explorer. In Write mode in ImgBurn, there's a little disc icon with an erase to the left of the Test mode check box. Press that and choose Full.

I can't say for certain on this issue, but given the general issues you've reported thus far using this drive, I'd be down to blaming the drive for all of these things. But, to tackle the posted issue, did you format this DVD+RW yourself in the drive? i.e. was it unformatted when it was given to you? Either way, you could try a Full format in ImgBurn in your own drive and see if that helps. I doubt it will, though. But, a full format would indicate a few other things, particularly if it takes a long time to format. An 8x DVD+RW takes under 10 minutes to fully format, so a 4x should, in theory, take a little under 20 minutes. If it takes a really long time to format, the problem is either with that disc or your drive doesn't play well with that particular make of DVD+RW. If it's either of those, not much you can do. If it's the former, throw it away. If it's the latter, only a firmware update could possibly fix it, meaning you'd have to try a different burner.

I can't quite tell from the what appears to be German in that screenshot, but it seems the returned results indicate the file has bundled PUP's, Potentially Unwanted Applications. While not technically viruses/malware, they can be installed without the user knowing and be a general pain. I believe this is the 2nd post regarding Mirror 1's hosting. Also, going by its file name listed in the screenshot, it does appear Mirror 1 is offering a wrapper, bundled with who knows what. @LIGHTNING UK! You may want to remove Mirror 1 from the list if this is the 2nd such post about it. In the meantime, if you haven't gotten a clean ImgBurn installer, select Mirror 7.

Where is the Table Of Contents (TOC) written onto a disc by ImgBurn? At the beginning of the burn and therefore, physically, at the inner edge of the disc or at the end of the burn and therefore, physically, at the outer edge of the disc? Thanks!

I've never disassembled an optical drive, so I've never seen inside one. I've handled many internal half height drives, just never seen their innards.

No. Depending on where you get it or how old the version is, it can be flagged as a virus or a potentially unwanted application. Unless you get the download from the ImgBurn repository itself, those other places offering it often put it in a wrapper with other software. That software can be benign, just installing other applications you don't want or can be potentially harmful. Most of that latter is unintentionally put there but can be present. Get the download from the official ImgBurn.com link for the "best" results: https://download.imgburn.com/SetupImgBurn_2.5.8.0.exe

I was not aware of this screw hack.

It's always possible.

Well, you said one side was a CD according to ImgBurn and that the other side was 33.3 GB in size as returned by ImgBurn. Only BD-R 33.3 GB layers or BD-R DL/TL/XL could return a size of 33.3 GB IF ImgBurn is returning correct values. Since you're able to get some kind of format data from both sides, it's a flipper.

I can't attest to their CD-R quality as I've never used it to my memory, but I have personal experience with their DVD-R, which is junk. Unreadable after less than a year.

Yes, but my point was you don't have a label side. So, I'm wondering if it's not a PRR-C74 because that supposedly has only 1 data side and a branded label on the other side. Plus, I find it difficult to fathom anyone, especially Princo, a bottom of the barrel manufacturer, would make a CD flipper with a CD-R layer on one side and a 33.3 GB BD-R layer on the other. I've never heard of anyone, let alone Princo, making a CD-R with a BD-R layer on the other side.

Nothing I could find, which was very little, indicates the PRR-C74 is a flipper. The PRR-C74 has this label surface on it: http://www.ksky.ne.jp/~conflict/imagecdrn/princo_l.jpg But, you say you have two data "readable" layers? That indicates it's a flipper.

Rewritable media have a different reflectivity on the data surface than WORM media. So, it's not unheard of for a CD-R to be readable but not a CD-RW. For instance, my 1997 Playstation would play Audio CD's burned to CD-R's from TDK and Verbatim, but would not read any CD-RW's I threw at it around 2005.

Well, I hate to come across as pedantic but it's not a data track the CD player looks for. Data tracks only apply to CD's on PC's. Audio CD is its very own unique beast that a standalone CD player reads. Now, that does actually beg a question. Is this CD-RW you're attempting to play on the standalone CD player an Audio CD disc or a Mixed Mode disc with audio tracks and a data track or tracks on it? If it's Mixed Mode, the CD player may not read it because it can't differentiate between the tracks. If it is Mixed Mode, try writing an Audio CD to the CD-RW and see if your standalone CD player will play the CD-RW as an Audio CD. Also, do you happen to know how old your standalone CD player is?

Could be a few things. Though I generally don't trust anything AI says or does, ChatGPT's initial overview could be correct. The CD-RW may be newer enough over your older CD player that the player's laser can't read through the reflective laser. It's also possible the CD player doesn't support playback of CD-RW at all. CD-RW is not something generally universally supported even on modern players. It's also possible that CD player may support CD-RW but just doesn't like that particular brand/manufacturer of CD-RW.

I had wondered why BD-R SL's didn't migrate to using 33.3 GB layers, since they did exist in BD-R TL discs.

The good news that's not "sparking" but I figured you probably were aware of that. That sounds more like the laser having difficulty switching between the layers. Actually, another possibility is it's not a BD-R/RE DL layer on the other side. It could be one of those single layer 33.3 GB BD layers. Triple layer BD's use layers that are 33.3 GB each. (So, yes, technically 100 GB TL discs are not 100 GB but 99.9 GB.)

34 GB is a double layer Blu-Ray or HD DVD. The fact that Windows asks if you want to format it as a giant floppy (Packet writing.) indicates it's a BD-R DL or BD-RE DL layer. A BD drive wouldn't be able to read anything from an HD DVD layer. However, it is practically unheard of to create CD-R flippers with a CD-R on one side and a BD-R/RE DL on the other.

If you've got a CD with a branded surface, like those CD-RW's in your other post, you could try putting one of those in your drive with the label side down and see how ImgBurn behaves. See what it returns. See if it returns a Logical Unit Not Ready - Cause Not Reportable error. (I've never seen that 2nd part before.)

It's always possible. I've never seen such a thing and I can't see much use in producing one because people might be confused which side you're supposed to put face down into a device. Plus, given that the drive tries to do something to it as opposed to just returning no disc in the device indicates the other layer has a surface for a laser to pass through, indicating the layer is intended to be read.