Definitive Drive Failure Test?

[ronbaby]

The subject line pretty much says it all.  I'd like to know if there is any such thing as a definitive test for burner failure, and if so, where I could obtain it.

 

My situation is as follows:  I've been using Imgburn happily & successfully for several years, with only occasional coasters.  The burner I have been using for a long time now is an ASUS BC-12B1ST.  I've successfully used this to burn hundreds of DVD+R DLs, essentially all of which are either TDK branded or else Optical Quantum branded.  Some time ago, I started using the Optical Quantums exclusively, because they seemed to produce only 1 or 2 coasters per 50 pack, and because they tend to be less expensive than the TDKs.  I've purchased at least five (5) 50 packs of the Optical Quantum DVD+R DLs, and burned through the first 3 of those with minimal coasters.  Now however, working on the 4th 50-pack, I am getting more than 50% coasters out of the first half of that 50-pack.  In general I'm getting either write or verify failures (or both) in layer 1.  It's possible that I just got unlucky, and that this one pack happened to come from a bad batch, but...

 

I've read somewhere that over time, the effectiveness of the laser inside a burner can diminish (with use).  I've used this ASUS burner quite a lot, and so now I'm just wondering if it is suffering from this effect, and if it is time to put it out to pasture.  (I have an LG burner sitting on the shelf already, collecting dust, so it would not be particularly difficult or costly for me to replace that ASUS, but I am reluctant to do so until I know that the ASUS is the source of the problem, and not just a bad batch of DVD+R DL media.

 

P.S.  The media code on the disk in the specific Optical Quantum 50-pack I'm currently working with is UMEDISK-DL1-64.  Googling that seems to indicate that Verbatim DVD+R DLs also have that same code.  If true, that would make all these recent coasters even rather more inexplicable (because everyone says that Verbatims are the best).

 

P.P.S.  I will post a burn log (from one of these failures) if someone requests that, however that is not really relevant to my question.  No matter what the log shows, I still want to know if there is a definitive way to test a drive to see if its laser is past its prime.

 

P.P.P.S.  Yes, my recent run of coasters most probably is due to plain old media failures.  I've just now completed a burn of another DVD+R DL from the same 50-pack (and using the same burner) with no hiccups at all.  But I'd still like to know how to test the drive.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

I'm afraid there's no such thing. The only test is to burn and verify several times (using various discs) and if it keeps failing where another burner keeps succeeding, the drive has probably had it.

 

Only the cheap verbatim discs use the UME media code and people are advised not to use them. Buy the proper MKM ones.

[dbminter]

In your case, probably the only good test is to get some Verbatim DataLifePlus MKM DVD+R DL's and try those.  You can only find them online.  The Verbatims you get in brick and mortar stores will usually be CMC or some other bottom of the barrel manufacturer.

 

 

My experience has been when a drive fails, it generally fails on burning DVD+R DL's first.  Sometimes only on those.  For whatever reason.  Probably the layer break change.  I've only ever had 1 drive fail on me that failed for something else.  It stopped burning BD-RE.

[ronbaby]

Only the cheap verbatim discs use the UME media code and people are advised not to use them. Buy the proper MKM ones.

 

Yes, I googled around a litte on UMEDISK-DL1-64 after I posted, and I see that most people seem to think these are just junk, and not worth the bother, however...

 

Here's the bottom line:  For me, in my experience... at least up until recently... the vast majority of these burn and verify OK, and they seem to hold up OK too, over time, if stored properly (i.e. vertically, in opaque cases, without extremes of temperature or humidity).  This one 50-pack is definitely not too good, and as of late last night I now have about 16 coasters from this pack (which is only about half way finished) but still, if you look on Newegg right now the Optical Quantums are on sale... which happens every couple of moths or so.. so you can get them for like $19 per 50-pack including shipping.  Compare that to the wonderful Verbatim AZO DVD+R DL 50 packs which at the moment are listed at Newegg for $49.98 (shipping included).  I mean jeeeeezzzzzz!  So the VerbatIms cost 2 and 1/2 times as much!!  Given that, I'd rather buy the Optical Quantum ones even if it ends up that 50% of them are coasters.  They would stuill be cheaper, per successful burn, even in that case.

 

 

P.S.  I should mention that I always burn my DVD+R DLs at 6x... never 8x.  I think that would be pushing the limit, and I'm not in that big of a hurry when burning.