Error message with new BD burner

[RRXING]

I've been using Verbatim 50GB discs with great success (no bad ones) until I purchased my last pack. My internal burner started having real problems and couldn't make it through a single one without popping up an error (the older discs still worked fine).

 

I had previously purchased an LG external burner and decided to try it. It will burn the new discs, but in the verify process it keeps showing the error - "Failed to read sectors --- Reason: The semaphor timeout period has expired", after which it produces the message - "Waiting for device to become ready"...... and then it recovers and starts verifying again. Most all verifies have completed but seem to take longer due to this behavior. I haven't tried the burner with any other discs (I don't have any) and the discs play fine so burning is successful (which the verify does indicate when it finishes). The external burner is connected via my laptop USB 3.0 connector.

 

Is there a setting in ImgBurn that could be causing this? What else might be responsible?

Thanks.

[dbminter]

It's odd that semaphore timeout issues have suddenly started up.  Semaphore time out issues are generally caused by an incompatibility between your motherboard's USB and the USB bridge in the external drive.  Generally, semaphore time out errors will pop up right at the start of a write, resulting in a burn that doesn't start.  I can't say what might be the issue with it suddenly turning up only on Verifies.

 

 

Could be the current batches of Verbatim BD-R DL's.  You say your old discs still work fine but not the new ones.  There have been gradually and worryingly, for me, increasing reports of Verbatim BD-R DL that used to could be trusted are having more and more failure rates.

[RRXING]

No problems writing (except with my internal drive). I meant that I had no problems with the old discs using my internal drive - I haven't tried any on the external drive (LG BE14)so don't know about that. This has been happening ever since I started using the external drive (and the new discs) - it didn't suddenly occur other than when I switched disc batches and couldn't use my internal drive.

 

Is it possible that the new discs can't be read by the LG unit and errors in reading a written disc cause the studder with the error message? They do play fine in my stand-along BD player though so........

 

I'll try to use some different discs in the external and get more data but anyone with ideas is welcome to chime in.

Thanks ISF God

[dbminter]

Yeah, if you got a disc that fails to Verify on USB, try taking that disc and Verify it in an internal drive.  See if you get semaphore timeout errors.  I've only generally seen them associated with USB drives.

 

 

Oh, so you haven't tried the old discs on your external drive yet, then.  If your old discs do the same thing, it's most likely your USB drive.  Although, as I said, semaphore time out errors generally don't just pop up on Verify and not on Writes.  You will usually get them at the start of a burn if that's the issue.

 

 

Some people have luck with fixing semaphore timeout errors by switching USB ports or swapping out the USB cable for a different manufacturer

[RRXING]

I tried my next burn using a different USB port on my laptop and, as dbminter mentioned, that fixed the problem. I never thought about doing that since I didn't have a clue as to what would be causing a semaphore error. I gave that a try and thought if it didn't work, I would try the old media, but just changing the port worked fine. I assume it has something to do with the data rate capability at that port??

 

Thanks for the hint.

[dbminter]

You know, I've got to be honest.  I've rarely seen that tip actually work!    I've heard it mentioned before but have rarely seen anyone report back that that fixed the issue.

 

 

I don't know the specifics.  Could be the USB port is going bad?  Or the connection of that port to the motherboard. 

 

 

Also, be aware it may not have actually "fixed" the problem.  It may be random and you only just encountered a case where it didn't show up when you switched the port.  Hopefully, it will work long term, and I say if you find a solution that works, be thankful. 

[RRXING]

Since it's only affecting the verify, I'll try the original port next time I burn and see if the problem returns, and then try again using the alternate port that worked. I've been using the "bad" port for almost everything USB up to now, with no problems of any kind. Chalk it up to "weird digital things". As long as I know the LG has to be used with the alternate port (and it works there), I'm happy.

 

The only thing that would make me happier is if I could use Verbatim discs with my internal drive like I used to, and not need the LG every time I want to burn a BD.

Edited July 1, 2017 by RRXING

[dbminter]

Now, if you still have the image you burned before where you were getting the timeout, you could try hooking the drive up to the "bad" USB port and perform a manual Verify against a disc you burned where it failed.  If it fails again, change the port and try again.  If it doesn't fail, you can pretty much rule it down to that one port has some kind of issue.

 

 

If you don't have the image, then, when you burn again on that port, keep the image, switch the port, and perform a manual Verify on the disc.

[RRXING]

You must have read my mind. Here's a post I tried submitting this morning, but the site wouldn't let it post so I was going to try another computer but you beat me to it:

 

Since it's only affecting the verify, I'll try the original port next time I burn and see if the problem returns, and then try again using the alternate port that worked. I've been using the "bad" port for almost everything USB up to now, with no problems of any kind. Chalk it up to "weird digital things". As long as I know the LG has to be used with the alternate port (and it works there), I'm happy.

 

The only thing that would make me happier is if I could use Verbatim discs with my internal drive like I used to, and not need the LG every time I want to burn a BD.

[dbminter]

That's odd.  Your original post did come through as that's what prompted me to reply about keeping the image and testing the ports with it after a burn.  I was a bit confused at first seeing the same post, for the most part, again.   Now, it makes more sense.

[RRXING]

The latest is interesting but not revealing - I burned and verified a disc in the alternate USB port and expectedly, it burned and verified fine. I then switched the cable from that port to the one producing semaphore errors and burned and verified another disc. This port has consistently been having the semaphore issues, but this time, no problems at all??? Go figure.

 

I'll try the problem port first next time and see what happens. The problem may have been cleared by using the alternate port in this case. In any event, this issue is mostly an inconvenience but certainly curious.

[dbminter]

It's possible it could have just been fluke.  That when plugged in the first time, inferring you never took the cable out until I suggested it, that it was "installed" incorrectly by Windows.  Unplugging it and reinserting might have "cleared" the issue.  It's rare, but it happens.  Hence why sometimes people have luck switching USB ports to fix semaphore time out issues.

 

 

Weird Windows issues just sometimes happen.  I had one PC where I couldn't, out of the box, put a shortcut on the Desktop with the letter S in the name.  Trying to name them with S in their names caused Windows to lock up.  Considering, until you change the setting, Windows DEFAULTS to naming all new Desktop shortcuts with the words Shortcut To in their name, this issue was a deal killer for that PC, which went back to the store.