Semaphore Time out

[joec]

 

Windows 10 Home.

Optical Disk Drive: LGBE14NU40 External Blu-Ray Writer USB 3.0. Microsoft driver 6/21/2006; 10.0.105 86.0; 32 bit. Is connected to a USB 3.0 port. From error messages, looks like firmware is at 1.01. Device list ID = “O”.

Using ImgBurn V 2.5.7.0 to write in test mode which does send the data to the LG but the laser is turned off.

 

(1) Powered up PC. Open ImgBurn. Write 10 GB ISO file to LG unit. Went thru the write ok.

(2) Repeated the write option again. Got to “Synchronizing buffer” at end of write and ImgBurn error: “Synchronise Cache Failed”; Device: [0:0:0] HL-DT-ST BD-RE BE14NU40 1.01(O:)(USB); Reason: The Semaphore Timeout Period has expired. Had to CAD to close ImgBurn .  The LG unit is now offline.

(3) Cycle power on LG and unit comes back online. Start the write action third time. Software shows the buffer filling (not the device buffer yet). Nears 100% full and get an “I/O Error”. “Interrupted Write (12) Sectors 0-31”; “Reason: device not connected”. The File Explorer list does now show that the LG unit is offline.   

(4) Cycle power on LG and it comes back online. Start the write operation the fourth time. Got a repeat of “(2)”. This time clicked on “Cancel” three times and got “CreateFile Failed!; Device: ‘\\?\usbstor#cdrom&ven_hl-dt-st&prod_bd-re_be14n40&rev_1.01#prolificmp00000001d&0#{53f56308-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}’: Reason: The system cannot find the file specified.    

 

I was using a Plextor optical disc unit prior to replacing it with the LG (wanted to be able to write M-discs also). The Plextor worked fine on the PC and Windows 10. I just got the LG unit so have no idea if it would have worked ok with previous Windows versions.

 

At a total loss to identify the problem area. Any suggestions? What is a “Semaphore”? Is the “Timeout” an option value? Why is the device taken offline after the errors and what software does this? ImgBurn shows two buffers used; a “buffer” and a “device buffer”. Where are these buffers located (drive or PC)? Where is the “failed cache” located? What “caches” are being synchronized?.....and so on. I did not have any other programs running during this testing; however, there may have been some “services” running in the background.

 

​I doubt there is any problem with ImgBurn; however, maybe someone has encountered this problem and can direct me to the right support area. Thanks.

[joec]

Forgot to attach the log file.

[dbminter]

Semaphore timeout errors are, unfortunately, a bane with external burners.  It's caused by a conflict between the USB bridge in the drive and your PC's motherboard.  The only generally known accepted fix is to replace either the bridge in the drive, the motherboard, or replace the external drive with another one.

 

 

There are some steps that some people have employed that have worked in the past, but I don't know what they are.  Someone else will have to pass that information along.  Over a decade ago, I had a USB DVD burner that suffered from the dreaded semaphore timeout issue.  I never could fix it and just had to replace it.  Although for a long time, I kept the drive for testing purposes as a beta tester.  I eventually got rid of it, forgetting I wanted to keep it for testing purposes. 

[dbminter]

Forgot to attach the log file.

 

 

I think you still did. 

[joec]

ImgBurn.log

 

I think I did it right this time!

 

Slow learner

[LIGHTNING UK!]

You could always try putting the LG inside the Plextor's case?

 

Why didn't you just replace your internal drive with another one? A direct SATA connection is much better than a USB one - unless your motherboard also uses a horrible SATA chipset?!

 

To answer your questions...

 

What is a “Semaphore”?

 

Google answer - In computer science, a semaphore is a variable or abstract data type that is used for controlling access, by multiple processes, to a common resource in a concurrent system such as a multiprogramming operating system.

 

Is the “Timeout” an option value?

 

Yes, and it's set a quite a large value within the program itself. If things do as they're told, it wouldn't expire.

 

Why is the device taken offline after the errors and what software does this?

 

Windows or the drivers

 

ImgBurn shows two buffers used; a “buffer” and a “device buffer”. Where are these buffers located (drive or PC)?

 

Buffer is in computer/system memory.

Device Buffer is in the drive.

 

Where is the “failed cache” located?

 

That's essentially talking about the same thing as the 'Device Buffer'. Drives have 'cache', and data gets transferred from the PC to the drive, filling up its internal cache.

 

What “caches” are being synchronized?

 

See above. It just asks the drive to finish writing whatever's in its internal buffer/cache (if possible).

[joec]

Thanks for the help and terminology definitions.

 

I already have a CD/DVD/BD optical disk unit in the PC. The Plextor drive is an external USB3 attached drive. That USB cable is the one the LG unit was attached to.  I could search for an internal replacement with the LG functions. Had two separate read/write units to make disc copy easier. Spent some time researching an internal replacement. Seems like all of them have problems relative to manufactures media support or reliability. Also, saw a report that SATA is slower than USB3.

 

Anyway, will continue to pursue the drive or even the PC hardware as the problem area.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

I see, so you wanted a 2nd (external) drive in order to do disc to disc. Assuming your case only has room for one internal drive, that makes perfect sense.

 

Seeing as ImgBurn doesn't support such a thing though and that's what we're talking about in this forum, it would make sense to have your best drive inside the PC on a permanent SATA connection and use that for non disc-to-disc burns.

 

Whilst I haven't done any tests with USB 3.1, I've yet to see any device that can do 500+ MB/s via USB (my USB 3.0 -> SATA adapters don't even do 200 MB/s), yet most SSD devices easily do that on a direct SATA connection.

 

Even SATA 1 with a quoted speed of 150MB/s is more than enough for anything an optical drive is capable of. Most SATA ports are SATA 3 now - quoted at 600MB/s.

 

Your external drive is no different to the internal versions from the same companies. You just bought the drive in a USB enclosure - which unfortunately doesn't appear to like your machine. If anything, it's the internal models that get the firmware updates - which in turn are what add support for new media and tweak compatibility with older ones.

 

The BH16NS55 is LGs latest offering. It'll do everything your external one does and is probably cheaper.

[dbminter]

Yeah, I always thought SATA was faster than USB 3.  I, too, don't know about 3.1, though.