Burning to DVD+RW requires format

[kayl]

I use ImgBurn to burn my weekly server iso backups to DVD+RW discs. The DVD+RW discs get rotated and reused.

 

I have noticed, since version 1.2.0.0 and newer, now when burning the image to a DVD+RW (that already contains data), it says "This disc needs to be formatted before you can write to it".

 

If I format the disc it takes a long time.

 

Previous versions (e.g. 1.1.0.0) would simply warn that the disc contains data, and if you continue will be overwritten. You did not have to reformat the disc each time, which was a lot quicker. This is also how Nero works, which I have gone back to using for burning the images.

 

It seems a bug has been introduced or some functionality lost in the newer versions.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

It's done on purpose and so therefore is by design.

 

DVD+RW should be formatted once - so the info on the right reads 'Formatted: Yes'.

 

If it doesn't, your drive does not consider the disc to have been formatted.

 

Once formatted properly, it'll do the overwrite thing again.

[kayl]

The DVD+RW disc has been formatted at least once.

 

Even after formatting again, it does not allow an overwrite, and will always say that it needs to be formatted.

 

I used to be able to overwrite these discs using version 1.1.0.0 without problems.

 

I have just checked with DVD Decryptor, and it will allow me to overwrite the disc, first giving warning "This disc is not empty. All data on the disc will be overwritten! Do you want to continue?"

 

ImgBurn 1.2.0.0 and newer no longer does this however.

 

The info in both ImgBurn and DVD Decryptor reads "Formatted: No (Started)"

 

My drive is a "HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-4163B A104 (ATA)" (LG)

 

So any ideas why I used to be able to overwrite DVD+RW discs but can no longer with the newer version of ImgBurn? Still seems like a bug to me.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

I assure you, it's not a bug.

 

Until it says 'Formatted: Yes'. it'll always ask to format.

 

Do a full format via the manual method.

 

Tools -> Drive -> Erase -> Full.

 

Leave it for 15 - 20 mins and then refresh the ImgBurn window (press F5).

 

If it doesn't say 'Formatted: Yes', your drive must not like those discs 100% - as that's what it 'should' say.

 

While I have your attention, update your drives firmware. You should be on A106 now. That in itself could fix the problem with the media you're using.

 

http://lgodd.lge.com/fwdrv/DVD-WRITER/GSA4163A106.exe

[pfeerick]

Hi kayl and Lightning UK!,

 

I've recently noticed the same problems with DVD+RWs and my PIONEER DVR-110D. The discs have been manually fully erased using ImgBurn 1.2.0.0, and I'm currently in the process of trying the same with 1.3.0.0. However, Imgburn still says that the 'Disc Needs Formatting' and 'Formatted: No (Started)'.

 

Lighning UK!: This may or may not be a bug - when Imgburn starts doing a full erase aka format of a DVD+RW, and the log reports 'Quick Erase: No', the status bar shows a message like '1% - Erasing Disc ...', counting from 1% to approximately 50% within 20 seconds and then simply says'Erasing Disc'.

 

Excellent program Lighting UK!

 

Regards

 

Heres the information on the DVD+RW if it is of any assistance in diagnosing the problem (Writer or medium)

PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-110D 1.39 (ATA)

Current Profile: DVD+RW

 

Disc Information:

Status: Complete

Erasable: Yes

Formatted: No (Started)

Supported Write Speeds: 2.4x, 4x

 

Physical Format Information (ADIP):

Disc ID: DAXON-D42-00

Book Type: DVD+RW

Part Version: 2

Disc Size: 120mm

Maximum Read Rate: Not Specified

Number of Layers: 1

Track Path: Parallel Track Path (PTP)

Linear Density: 0.267 um/bit

Track Density: 0.74 um/track

First Physical Sector of Data Area: 196,608

Last Physical Sector of Data Area: 2,491,711

Last Physical Sector in Layer 0: 0

 

Physical Format Information (Last Recorded):

Disc ID: DAXON-D42-00

Book Type: DVD+RW

Part Version: 2

Disc Size: 120mm

Maximum Read Rate: Not Specified

Number of Layers: 1

Track Path: Parallel Track Path (PTP)

Linear Density: 0.267 um/bit

Track Density: 0.74 um/track

First Physical Sector of Data Area: 196,608

Last Physical Sector of Data Area: 1,844,623

Last Physical Sector in Layer 0: 0

 

Current Format Capacity:

Sectors: 2,295,104

Size: 4,700,372,992 bytes

Time: 510:03:29 (MM:SS:FF)

 

Maximum Format Capacity:

Sectors: 2,295,104

Size: 4,700,372,992 bytes

Time: 510:03:29 (MM:SS:FF)

[LIGHTNING UK!]

Unfortunately, the pioneer drives do not report their status when doing the background part of the format (or at least not in the usual fashion).

It's the foreground part that only takes a few seconds to complete and that's the bit you see the % thingy for.

 

It just saying 'Formatted: No (Started)' is NOT a good sign.

That means it has begun formatting and then stopped for some reason.

It could be that it failed to format the disc - can't say as I've ever tried DAXON media so I don't know if they're just not supported by the drive.

 

At the very least, I would want it to say 'Formatted: No (In Progress)'.

At that stage, it would take another 15 mins or so to complete.

[pfeerick]

Hi Lightning UK!,

 

Manually full erased the DVD+RWs again with ImgBurn v1.3.0. and they're now "Formated: Yes". However, the Status of the disc is "Status: Complete" - shouldn't this be "Status: Erased"? Don't know if the version change made any difference, but the discs work now!

 

Regards,

 

pfeerick

[LIGHTNING UK!]

No, 'complete' is the correct terminology.

 

Glad that one works better for you... I did tweak some of the code when I realised pioneer didn't return the status in a nice fashion.

[Chetwood]

While I have your attention, update your drives firmware. You should be on A106 now. That in itself could fix the problem with the media you're using.

 

Unfortunately not. I'm using Verbatim (MKM-A02-00) DVD+RW 4x on my LG4163B (A106) and with ImgBurn 1.3 I have to format a full disc (instead of just quick-erase it) even though I formatted it the first time a while ago.

 

Formatted: No (Started)

 

is what I get even after I successfully burned an image with Nero bloatware.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

If another program formats the disc again (and doesn't wait for it to finish), it'll reset the format status and you'll have to do it again.

[Chetwood]

I just think it's strange that Nero does not see that disc as being unformatted. When ImgBurn says I gotta format the disc I can burn data on it in Nero after a quick erase and no format. Curiously enough the first time ever I burned this media was in ImgBurn so I did a long format initially. In the meantime I used the RW for saving avis on it and now I returned to ImgBurn for a video DVD ISO. Maybe these steps in between somehow throw it off. In any case: both DeepBurner and Nero do not need to format it, they just do a quick erase.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

It's up to the developer how to deal with DVD+RW. I don't have to make it want fully formatted media, I just chose to. The disc would actually burn fine with the format in the 'started' / 'in progress' states.

 

I can't think of any reason why you want to leave the format in limo - hence why I've designed ImgBurn such that it doesn't do that.

 

As I said earlier, if another program issues the 'format' command again (some probably do), it resets the format status and so to become fully formatted, you'll need to do a proper full erase (but it's a format really) in ImgBurn.

[Chetwood]

IOW, as long as I don't use other software that might reset the format status improperly on the same media, I'll be fine. It's a shame though cause I use the +RW for testing purposes with different formats (DVD Video and avis/mp3s next time or vice versa) and so I do have to use Deepburner which prolly was the culprit. Of course I wouldn't expect otherwise from Nero bloatware.

[Shamus_McFartfinger]

IOW, as long as I don't use other software that might reset the format status improperly on the same media, I'll be fine. It's a shame though cause I use the +RW for testing purposes with different formats (DVD Video and avis/mp3s next time or vice versa) and so I do have to use Deepburner which prolly was the culprit.

Deepburner support forum: http://www.deepburner.com/forum/

[ADude]

It's up to the developer how to deal with DVD+RW. I don't have to make it want fully formatted media, I just chose to. The disc would actually burn fine with the format in the 'started' / 'in progress' states.

 

I can't think of any reason why you want to leave the format in limo -

How about because it is a waste of my time ??

 

I didn't know about this weird fetish, and so I started an ISO to burn on DVD+RW (using IMGBURN) just to check the result before burning the ISO to a DVD-R.

 

ImgBurn started to do a Full Erase/Format. I groaned.

 

Then I put a 2nd DVD+RW disk in my older DVD burner drive, started Nero6, and burned the ISO, including a 'quick format" before ImgBurn even finished its Full Format. I was then able to use the DVD+RW from Nero6 in my standalone player to check how the ISO came out. There was no problem whatsoever due to using quick format instead of full format.

 

I quite like ImgBurn, but if you don't add an option for "Always use Quick Erase/Format", I'll probably uninstall it - because I don't have an extra 15 minutes every time I burn a DVD+RW.

 

These aren't Master Disks for pressing millions of copies of DVD's, they are just DVD+RW's for testing - that's what DVD+RW's are for - preventing the loss of a DVD-R disk when you have made a mistake in authoring.

[Defenestration]

On this issue, I swing both ways (oo-er missus!) in that I can see the logic behind LUK doing it the correct way, while at the same time seeing the need for only doing a quick format. The ideal solution is to make the full format optional, as suggested by ADude, so people can choose to either keep the current behaviour or leave the disc "in limbo".

 

BTW, I'm curious as to the cons of not doing a full format in these cases when a disc has been left in limbo ?

[Kenadjian]

Probably none, other than the fact that it's "half a job", and if I know LIGHTNING, there is no "half a job" in his mentality.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

Geez, I really don't get the issue here!

 

It's not like you have to format EVERY time, you just do it once and then the media will be in the proper formatted state.

 

I use DVD+RW all the time for my testing and I can't remember the last time I had to format the disc. Like I said, once it's done, it's done.

 

The 'Wait for background format' is already optional and you'll find it on the 'Write' tab in the settings.

It's still going to want to format each time, but at least you won't have to wait until it's fully done.

[Kenadjian]

LIGHTNING, is it possible that if you use another programme on the formatted +RW, that it can "unformat" it by doing a quick erase?

 

Maybe that's what's happening here?

[Defenestration]

Geez, I really don't get the issue here!

 

It's not like you have to format EVERY time, you just do it once and then the media will be in the proper formatted state.

 

I use DVD+RW all the time for my testing and I can't remember the last time I had to format the disc. Like I said, once it's done, it's done.

 

Aha, but you are using the latest and greatest IB v2. For those without v2, we have to use other apps in some cases when we want to burn files (and not ISO's).

 

The 'Wait for background format' is already optional and you'll find it on the 'Write' tab in the settings.

It's still going to want to format each time, but at least you won't have to wait until it's fully done.

You're one step ahead of us, as usual.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

Ok, just so you lot can quit your bitching, I've changed the basic 'wait for background format' option on the 'Write' tab in the settings into a 'Prefer Properly Formatted +RW' option.

 

When ticked, it'll wait for background formatting and it'll also prompt to format the disc when it's either in the 'Formatted: No' state or the 'Formatted: No (Started)' state.

 

When it's not ticked, it won't wait for the background format and it will only prompt to format when it really has to - i.e. when it's in the 'Formatted: No' state.

 

Happy Now?!

[lfcrule1972]

Christ Almighty - I am off the forum for the weekend and it seems that everyone has got grumpy !!!

 

[JasonFriday13]

I have a similar problem with DVD+RW's. Whenever I want to burn a DVD data disc image, I double click on the .iso to load ImgBurn v2.0.0.0 (with the DVD+RW already inserted - the disc is not blank). Then I just click the 'Go' button to burn. Once it has burnt, it cycles the tray before verifying, then comes up with a read error (usually it is within the first 100 sectors of the DVD+RW) .

 

If I manually quick erase the disc, close down ImgBurn, double click my .iso to load ImgBurn, and click the 'Go' button, I get a proper burn of my image. Is this a bug? Or am I just missing something?

 

My drive is a HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-4167B DL12 from LG (black front and black tray).

I am using Windows XP Pro SP1 32 bit with Adaptec's ASPI layer 4.60.

 

Not a relevent note: I have managed to burn a DVD Video image at 8x and verify it with no errors.

I may now switch to the ISO builder in this version to build my backups.

This is the ultimate image burner. Awesome tool.

Edited August 17, 2006 by JasonFriday13

[blutach]

Welcome to ImgBurn Forum Jason!

 

Your problem could be due bad/inferior media or media which could be on its last legs (RWs do "run out"). What media code is it?

 

Also check your firmware is up to date.

 

Why aren't you using SPTI?

 

Those LG drives are terrific IMO. I have a 4163B and it's never let me down.

 

Regards

[JasonFriday13]

1. I realise DVD+-RW "run-out", but it probably would since one of those cheap brands. Can't remember the code at the moment but knowing me I will remember on the way home .

 

2. I have been trying to find updated firmware for a while now with no luck yet. I bought my drive in December of 2005. [edit] Just found the DL13 firmware update and is downloading now.[/edit]

 

3. The reason I am not using SPTI is because I can't burn when I am in a restricted account (not administrator). The aspi drivers I am using are also know as ForceASPI v1.7.

Edited August 17, 2006 by JasonFriday13