verifying disk stuck at 98%

[Mandrix]

I recently bought a spindle of Ritek 25GB disks. The first one stalled in the burn process at about 29%, ImgBurn showed no errors and Windows 11 Device Manager says all is good.

I had to kill the process with Task Manger.

2nd disk burned fine, is stalled in verification at 98%.

I've never seen this before, no errors or complaining from ImgBurn, just stuck at 98% doing nothing. Drive is not spinning either, no light showing on the drive.

I'm using a Verbatim external drive (Pioneer BDR-UD03), it's only a few months old and I successfully burned several PlexDisc 25GB disks yesterday.

I'm burning .iso files, ripped from my BD disks. .iso's play fine in PowerDVD.

So likely problem.... the disks? the drive?

 

Thanks for any information.

 

[Mandrix]

 

OK so I had to force a shutdown of ImgBurn again with the three finger salute. But I played the disc, well sort of skipping from chapter to chapter after a minute in each, and it plays just fine in my Oppo 103. So I'm puzzled here. Not really understanding as I've never had ImgBurn fail on a disk without telling me....something. But so it goes, I'm not blaming the program, just trying to figure this out.

[Mandrix]

I just made two BD coasters in a row burning at (trying to burn at)  4X.

Here's the error message attached.

I talked to Verbatim support about slow read/write and they said they all their testing from Windows (Windows media player) and I should adjust the settings from slow to fast. I told them I never burn anything with that crap but used ImgBurn for years. Then they said talk to the software vendor and I explained it's basically free or donation software.

Anyway not sure on the coasters. I'm going to give it one more try at 2x with my last BD50 blank.

 

Any help appreciated...

[dbminter]

Open ImgBurn, and, under Help, choose the open Log option.  Copy and paste the portion of the log from one of these failed Ritek burns.  I'm looking for something in particular that I think is the problem.  In short, it's most likely the Ritek discs.  Ritek have been known to be problematic, particularly Ritek discs from Europe.  They may be Ritek or they may be CMC Magnetics, which may be better or worse, depending.

 

You could try using a different model external drive, but if it doesn't like those Ritek discs either, it won't help.

 

You could try searching for a firmware update that might provide better write compatibility with Ritek.  In Write mode, right click on the burner drive letter and choose the last option in the list from the context menu, the one about checking for a firmware update.

[Mandrix]

This model is not listed on the Pioneer site, and Pioneer just told me to contact Verbatim. But according to ImgBurn the drive is a Pioneer BDR-UD03, a listing I can not find anywhere, including the site ImgBurn took me to.

So after burning 2 BD50 coasters I reduced the write rate down to 2x and it completed successfully, including verifyIng.

These BD50 discs are labeled as Plexdisc but are Ritek. I've actually had very good luck with them in the past with internal burners.

Can't afford another burner, I'm retired and on a very tight budget.

 

So, to clarify, the first two posts are about Ritek branded 25GB discs; the latter two are about the Plexdisc (Ritek) BD50's.

ImgBurn Log.txt

[dbminter]

Verbatim makes very little of its own products.  About their BD-R in North America are the only things it doesn't farm out to someone else.  And their optical drives are farmed out to Pioneer.  My Verbatim USB BD burner is actually a Pioneer.

 

That site ImgBurn directs to for firmware updates doesn't list every manufacturer or if there are no firmware updates, the model won't be listed.  The BDR-UD03 is not listed on Pioneer's site for firmware, so there probably isn't a firmware update.  Plus, rebranded models, where one company releases someone else's product under their own name, generally rarely receive firmware updates.

 

As long as lowering the write speed works, that is probably your only available workaround.

 

The log tells me your media is Ritek, made by Ritek, and not Ritek that was farmed out to CMC Magnetics.  Which is probably a good thing, believe it or not.  You could try to see if you could find other media, but you're unlikely to find BD-50 discs that are any good from anyone else.  North American BD-50 from Verbatim is made by Verbatim and not farmed out to Ritek.  Do you live in Europe?  I believe Ritek in Europe is not as higher a quality as it is in North America, although Ritek in North America is really a 2nd tier brand.  However, any media beyond a single layer you would only trust to Mitsubishi for DVD or Verbatim for BD in North America.

[Mandrix]

I'm in America.

BD discs are always problematic, and for the BD50's if I buy  10 and 8 or 9 burn I'm happy. The Verbatim 9319? double layer DVD discs used to be somewhat affordable and never gave me any problems. So, of course, they jacked the price up to the moon. I even placed an order on Newegg aseveral years ago and the vendor lied and said they ran out...but their own website said they did have them in stock, and a friend in Vegas went to the store and spotted them.Newegg blew me off for the first time ever when I griped about it.

But several brands of DVD DL have worked good for me in the past, it's mainly just BD discs that give me fits and anger issues. All discs I buy are inkjet printable BTW. My now deceased LB BD burners never had a problem with DVD DL well, basically from about any brand I guess. Not sure now what to expect out of this external drive now as I've burned no DVD's, just a few BD's a ripped a bunch of my bought BD's.

I think the Verbatim BD discs are absolute highway robbery and don't buy them anymore. Actually none of them of any type. I sort of settled in the middle for Plexdisc, and although made by Ritek, I've had pretty good luck with them. I do have several other brands here of DVD DL I'll be curious to see how they fare. Panasonic BD's used to be good but who can afford them?

 

So thanks for the input. I will continue to burn at slow speed and put up with the absolutely abysmal read speeds I guess.

[Mandrix]

LG burners I meant, not LB.

[dbminter]

I couldn't say my experience with Verbatim BD-R DL.  Just BD-RE DL.  They were made by Verbatim, but didn't seem to be of high quality.  I'd write some data to them for a yearly backup and go back to them a year later to write the next year's backup to it, but the disc was no longer viable.

 

I've been using Verbatim's made BD-R for like a decade without issue.  They've been the only ones that didn't have playback issues on the PS3.

 

Verbatim "makes" the only viable option for DVD+R DL, but they are actually farmed out to Mitsubishi, which makes some of the best discs out there.  Mitsubishi also makes their DataLife Plus/AZO DVD-R, which I've used for like 15 years.

 

As for prices, the only really high prices are like on Verbatim's DVD+R DL.  More than $1 a disc, where as their DVD-R are like 50 cents each.  Their BD-R is like $35 for 50 of them.  At least on Amazon.com in the US, where I get mine, they are relatively affordable.

[Mandrix]

A few years ago, that experience I related about a particular Verbatim DVD DL going sky high? They were up to around $70 on Amazon for a cakebox/spindle of 50. They took a jump from around $35. I see they have come down some now to around $57/50.. The model number is 98319. I dropped a digit in a previous post. These are the datalife plus, white inkjet printable. Never had a coaster from them but too rich for my blood now. They appear to be made in the middle east now.

I don't know what the difference is, but the Plexdisc branded inkjet printable Ritek's seem like better discs. But for different branded Ritek the quality is all over the place. The SmartBuy discs are about as cheap as I would go for BD25/BD50 but they aren't particularly good.

These days you can get BD25 discs from about anyone and they seem to burn okay, whether they hold up is another story.

But it's a real shame about Verbatim. At one time you could say they were some of the best and everyone agreed. Now, not so much for the BD's. A few years ago the BD50 3 pack with the branded white labels were great disks, might still be.

For my external drive, I'll just have to deal with it. But it will be the last external slim drive I will buy, even if I have to prop up an internal drive on the desk.

Nice chatting with you.

[dbminter]

Yes, a few years ago, the prices of the DataLife Plus DVD+R DL unreasonably jumped to about $75 and then dropped back down to around $55 now.

 

I use an internal half height LG WH16NS60 in a USB 3.0 enclosure on my desktop.  Most slim models are junk.  Even my Verbatim one has its issues because it's a Pioneer and they won't properly write to 8x DVD+RW.  They haven't for almost 10 years now and Pioneer REFUSES to do anything about it, despite my constant stream of tech support e-mails telling them the firmware needs to be updated.  The NS60 is the best of the worst.  The NS60's problems are it only writes to 12x on 16x BD-R and they tend to die after 7 months.  However, LG has a very liberal replacement policy.  I am in the processing of getting like my 20th refurbished drive and they've yet to charge the $50 out of warranty replacement fee they say they will charge me.

[Mandrix]

I hung on to my LG WH16NS40 in hopes I could revive it. I pulled it out a while ago and the eject button will not work and no light comes on. It will software eject but not retract. I guess I'll just go ahead and junk it. LG BD drives usually last me about a year/year and 1/2 if I'm lucky. Of course after warranty has expired.

I have a huge CaseLabs pc case with two pedestals, but I did not have an open bay I wanted to use so after the above drive started showing out I stupidly bought the little

verbatim/pioneer exterior drive. Wish I could get my money back and get a Pioneer full size unit; I can always put it on the desk with a long enough  power cable (I make my own so that's no problem).

In the text file, notice I bolded the vendor's claim of drive speeds being 6x. I want my money back but I've had it since June 2022 so I doubt any luck with Amazon.

Verbatim_Amazon.txt

[dbminter]

Pioneer drives are fine for everything except 8x DVD+RW.  Didn't test 4x DVD+RW, so I don't know if it's just the 8x variety, of which there is only one kind out there manufactured now, or if it affects all DVD+RW discs.  Verifies will almost always fail, even on brand new, just formatted discs.  Has been that way for nearly 10 years now.  Otherwise, I like Pioneer drives.  Pioneer used to be my go to DVD burners.  I had one last me over 2 years!    The best drive I ever had.  Their BD were also my go to BD burners for a few years.  Then, they changed the firmware and borked 8x DVD+RW and they've yet to fix it.

 

The WH16NS40 has a fatal flaw.  9 times out of 10, it will fail to write properly to BD-R/RE DL.  Will almost always fail Verify.  That's why I've stuck with the NS60, even though I don't need its advanced UDH BD features.  At least it properly wrote to BD-RE DL that I needed.

 

[Mandrix]

The WH16NS40, and it's predecessor, depending on discs, a good batch of 10 BD-DL would get 8 of 10 for me successful.

Other times lucky to get 5/10 to verify, a real crap shoot.

I'll have to check into the NS60, maybe first of year I can get a better drive and just stick it in a front bay I've got my motherboard USB C connected to, and just run the C cable out the back to a Pcie slot.

This external drive I can't believe reads/burns so slow. I figured it would not do 6x but I hoped for at least 4x. I've ripped a bunch of my BD's in the last few days and burned a few, wish I had done this the first 30 days I had it from the Amazon, I'd tell them to shove it, er, back on the shelf and sell it to some other idiot.

Now I just set the read/burn for 2x and it's happy. Got to write, verify a BD50? No problem! Just start it and come back in an hour and a half to shove the tray back in then find something else to do for an hour and a half. lol.

Verbatim support kept insisting through a few emails that it "has to be the software" that they use native Windows apps to check the specs. Then lie about them I guess, or maybe it was just the vendor on the Amazon blowing smoke? Have to find out.

[dbminter]

Verbatim can be a bunch of hypocrites.  They constantly comment on my Office Depot reviews of their CMC junk that I don't know what I'm talking about.  I've got over 20 years experience burning optical discs.  I've seen the results of CMC bad media first hand.  Over half the problems on this board are caused by CMC media and they generally go away when people switch from them.  If anyone is blowing smoke, I'd say it's Verbatim as Amazon.com basically copies and pastes whatever they are given in an item description.

[Mandrix]

Nobody cares as long they are still making money. But Amazon is rigorous about the 30 day return policy. Argue all you want, they want the vendors to succeed so they can grab their take.

I keep getting ever worse products from a certain other country. Complain all you like, Amazon will not care unless it's in the 30 day window...used to be these vendors would honor their warranty. Now I notice most of them don't offer one save "we'll be here for you". What a joke. lol, because that's all you can do. These same idiots will troll you to review their product and sometimes even pay for it with an Amazon gift certificate. I always tell them to kiss off, I don't operate that way.

Amazon prevented me from reviewing HDMI switches, would not tell me why. I got nothing but got tarred by the vendor's bad behavior. These vendors will go to incredible lengths to get good reviews, and I'm sure many people that get freebies pop right up and tell the world the product is fine....3 days after owning it. I've told Amazon about this time and time again but they choose to turn their backs on it. How do they know how to contact you? To contact them you have to go through a process.

Any ways to get back on track, that you have been able to get a company to actually honor what they say is incredible to me; replace a defective product. No such luck with me. "You paid $100 and used it 3 months so we will give you $30 for your troubles". At least they tell you outright instead of dancing around like Verbatim is doing with me. I told the  no-service person that I had been using pc's since before Bill Gates pitched MSDOS to IBM, and that I certainly had burned hundreds and hundreds of discs on optical drives, but it's useless since they have no clue what you're even saying. Play the script and put the suckers off.

OK, maybe a little rant. I'm old, I get fed up.