Help needed with burning Image

[drumcode]

Hi!

 

I've previously been visiting as a guest and found this forum very helpful. Now, that I've encountered a major problem on my PC, I've decided to register an become ana ctive member. I'm unfotunately no IT expert but a super moderator in a small but very friendly satellite TV forum. I'd be glad to help anyone here who has satelitte TV related questions!

 

Your help with the below issue would be much appreciated.

 

I'm using ImgBurn to make legal copies of my Xbox 360 games (I'm not downloading ISOs but making copies of my originals). Everything used to work fine but now I'm getting a "Session Fixation Error Writing Lead In" message.

 

Just to clarify: I've successfully copied around ten of my games using the same DVD drives, programmes and DL DVDs. I then caught a virus (win 32 heur), which I tried to fight but the PC was almost running abolutely fine. Before I formatted my C drive to get rid of the virus, I tried burning an ISO using ImgBurn and got the aforementioned error message for the first time ever. I didn't think much of it blaming it on the virus.

 

However, having re-installed XP (clean), I'm still unable to burn the image.

 

Here's what I've done to try and rectify the problem:

 

Updated the drive's firmware from 1.3 to 1.5

Un- and reinstalled the drive

Disconnected the other drive (used to extract the ISO)

 

I'm posting the error log below. Could you please also let me know whether the DVD can be re-used?

 

I 20:13:28 ImgBurn Version 2.4.2.0 started!

I 20:13:28 Microsoft Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600 :

Service Pack 3)

I 20:13:28 Total Physical Memory: 982,256 KB - Available: 664,200 KB I 20:13:28 Initialising SPTI...

I 20:13:28 Searching for SCSI / ATAPI devices...

I 20:13:28 Found 1 DVD

[Shamus_McFartfinger]

I 20:13:54 Destination Media Type: DVD+R DL (Disc ID: CMC MAG-D01-00)

 

This would be the first thing I'd look at. CMC media is garbage. The worst of the worst. Grab some Taiyo Yuden or Verbatim media and I suspect that your problem will be solved.

[drumcode]

Thanks, mate.

 

I've read a lot about only using verbs made in Singapore. The chap who flashed my Xbox 360 uses the cheapest DLs available (

[Shamus_McFartfinger]

The problem with CMC and other cheap media is they will almost always fail. It might be immediately, tommorrow or in 3 months time. They're poor quality using cheap chemicals. Type "cd rot" into google and see what you find.

[drumcode]

Shamus,

 

I'm fully aware that most people only recommend using high-quality DVDs or even very specific ones. I only got my 25 CDs three weeks ago and all previous burns worked just fine. That's why I'm currently finding it hard to blame the CDs and am most inclined to blame the PC (or even the drive even though that's also unlikely).

[Shamus_McFartfinger]

I'll be blunt. Prepare yourself. I don't fuck about.

 

In the 6 years or so that I've been in this forum (previously 3 years with DVD Decrypter), two things have been made plainly obvious to those of us who have been around a while and answered the same questions with the same logfiles regarding the same problem. The first is that people insist on using shit media, even when we tell them otherwise. The second is that the people using this shit media insist on debating with us about its particular merits and how it has always worked in the past. If the media wasn't the problem, we wouldn't be telling people otherwise. The beta testers (and the site admin, of course), have tens of thousands of burns under their belt. We're not going to shake a magic 8 ball and pull out a random solution, regardless of how much the person asking wants to be told that the problem is software related. For what it's worth, the problem is almost never software related. It can't be. All the software does is issue a set of instructions to the drive. It's then up to the drive and the media being burnt to do what it's told and to do it properly. While we're here, your drive is 3 years old and desperately needs a firmware update. Grab it from here:

 

http://www.storageupdates.philips.com/file...ate_to_P1.6.zip

 

Lastly, as I've already mentioned, your media is the problem. Take it on faith.

[drumcode]

Thanks, Shamus! I'll upgrade to 1.6 from 1.5 this weekend.

 

I appreciate you get a lot of idiots asking you a lot of things and I really appreciate the time, money and patience you invest. I've also helped out quite a few people in various satellite forums and know what it's like.

 

If someone experienced like yourself looks at my error log and is very certain that it's the cheap media and nothing else, then I'll take that to heart.

 

You have to see where I'm coming from as well, though.

 

I bought 25 DVD RW DLs a few weeks ago and then burnt around ten back-ups on my drive (with 1.3 firmware at the time). Then I fall victim to some malware and all of a sudden I get this stupid session fixation error. Surely, I wouldn't assume that the DVDs have deteriorated in the few days since the last successful burn and rather suspect that something's wrong with the system.

 

Just lastly, are the DVDs ready to be destroyed once I get this error meassage or has ImgBurn not written anything at all at that point, please?

[mmalves]

With ImgBurn in Write mode, insert the disc(s) and look at the Status field on the right: if it says Empty then the disc can be burned with another burner. If it says anything else then the disc was damaged.

[drumcode]

Thanks - just got home from the pub!

 

I'll give that a try tomorrow. I'll also try to burn some less complicated data onto a normal CD and/or non-DL DVD tomorrow. If that doesn't work something's not right with my PC. Otherwise I'll have to invest into some fancy DL DVDs.

[spinningwheel]

Druncode;

 

Otherwise I'll have to invest into some fancy DL DVDs.

 

When you compute the cost of failing discs in time (yours), aggravation (yours), and waste of the cost of the crap media disc, the 'fancy' Verbs become a lot cheaper in cost and troubles.

 

 

spinner

[Shamus_McFartfinger]

Just lastly, are the DVDs ready to be destroyed once I get this error meassage or has ImgBurn not written anything at all at that point, please?

 

Save yourself some pain and just toss them into the bin. If you select WRITE MODE from the menu and then chuck in a blank DVD you'll be able to see the details of the media you're about to burn to. If you use good media like Taiyo Yuden, you'll see something like this in the right window. The bit that interests us the most is what I've highlighted in red.

 

 

 

PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-112D 1.24 (ATA)

Current Profile: DVD-R

 

Disc Information:

Status: Empty

Erasable: No

Free Sectors: 2,297,888

Free Space: 4,706,074,624 bytes

Free Time: 510:40:38 (MM:SS:FF)

Supported Write Speeds: 4x, 6x, 8x, 12x

 

Pre-recorded Information:

Manufacturer ID: TYG02

 

Physical Format Information (Last Recorded):

Book Type: DVD-R

Part Version: 5

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: 0

Last Physical Sector in Layer 0: 0

[drumcode]

First of all I'd like to thank Shamus and Spinner for looking into my problem.

 

I haven't bought any new media yet but tried my mate's external burner last night. Everything worked fine!

 

In summary, I (and everyone I've consulted) don't have a clue why my I can't burn ISOs with my burner anymore. That's the magnificent world of IT!

[LIGHTNING UK!]

Successful burning is down to 3 things.

 

Drive, Firmware, Media.

 

If they're not a good match, you get failures.

 

Some drives are just better suited to certain discs than others are.

 

Lots of drives will burn (high quality) Verbatim and Taiyo Yuden discs, very few will burn the cheap crap!

[drumcode]

Hi Lightning UK,

 

I totally acknowledge that. The only reason why I didn't buy Verbs is the fact that the chap who flashed my Xbox360 uses the cheapest he can get and he assured me that they work just fine for him.

 

I'm still puzzled by the whole thing because the media, drive and firmware are identical to when it still worked. I've even upgraded the drive's firmware!

 

Well, external drive it is from now on...