DVD writer
 

While I have found this brilliant website maybe someone can help me with another issue I am having.

My laptop (Sony VGN-NR21J) DVD writer has worked fine but now the DVD writer does not work it is a Matshita DVD-RAM UJ870QJ ATA device.

I always managed to get my DVD burned using Windows DVD maker but now after the age that it takes to 'burn' it says that there was a problem and the file did not burn. I have checked the files and they work fine on the laptop, I downloaded another DVD burner programme and that worked fine for a week or 2 then that started to fail to burn. I have checked that the driver is updated, I totally rebooted the laptop restored to factory settings and it still did not work after that. I have tried anything I have read to no avail.

Please can anyone help?

Thanks

T x:angel:

Re: DVD writer
 

clean the lens? what discs are you using are they quality? Firmware update?

It could be giving up the ghost though ive gone through loads of burners over the years.

Re: DVD writer
 

The lasers tend to eventually give up the ghost or the laser vertical movement actuator also fail, look on ebay for a 2nd hand one but there is always a chance that it's a hardware/driver conflict or as Zing says just dust on the lens.. Only a good clean and probably a clean install will confirm either way.

Re: DVD writer
 

If all else fails you can pick up a new drive for less than £30.

Re: DVD writer
 

Had same kind of problem but it never bothered me that much as i have more that 1 comp on the go in my house that can burn cd/dvd ect.

it wasn't until i done a reinstall on the comp that it worked fine.. Burning no probs now....

Sometimes a reinstall if possible sorts out loads of problems...

After the reinstall i used all the same programs i had b4.

Re: DVD writer
 

may I point this out to both of you.

The op clearly states the laptop has been reinstated to factory settings and it didnt help

Re: DVD writer
 

YAWN...

I take factory settings to mean that they defaulted the bios, not did a full restore..

I think you've been hanging around users too long Zing ;)

Re: DVD writer
 

you mean I actually read the support request properly and actually do a good job of offering support.

Re: DVD writer
 

Terri, if by FACTORY Defaults you mean that you have done a restore of the operating system then it seems as though you have a hardware fault (please though make sure that you have done both a reset of the bios and a full restore before discounting the software and/or settings)

As I said in my original post in the thread if it is a hardware fault then cleaning the drive or a swap-out is really the only two things as an end user you can do. You can take it to a professional (not one of these home support persons who think that as they've stripped a machine down that they're professionally qualified, you know the type ;) ) but without the manufacturers test and set-up equipment (only found at a registered warranty agent and even then they'd probably just send it back to the factory) it's hard for anyone to actually component fix.

Give it a clean up using a wet lens cleaning disk and if that doesn't cure the problem then you've probably got a partial failure of the drive itself. (sorry to say but currently I don't think there's any on ebay)

I'll call up my old workshop and see who they currently use for trade 2nd user Sony bits and see if they have any available

In the mean time I presume it's not under warranty???

Re: DVD writer
 

I formatted a friends daughters laptop :rolleyes: not so long ago which had exactly the same DVD drive as the one mentioned (The Matshita DVD-RAM UJ870QJ) and it was stupid, stupid, stupid and ridiculously temperamental!
The symptoms where exactly the same.

Now i`m not an expert by any means and don`t really know why it started working when it did but i installed Nero 7 OEM (i know :shocked: ) and after that it seemed to work fine most of the time (and still is by all accounts)!
This was after reading several pages of problems concerning said drive and lots of people seemed to be having "issues".

Personally i think it`s a POS, a format may help, it may not, it just seemed to me to be a dodgy piece of hardware to begin with and why installing Nero helped well :confused:

Just my :2cents:

Re: DVD writer
 

hahahahaha I get the dig kymmy. My quality of support speaks for itself I do not require respect from someone like your good self. I have never professed to be able to resolder motherboards or change fixed chips or anything like that but my experience comes from in the feild meeting regular people learning how to fix the problems they often get. Plus the fact my knowledge is pretty much upto date



Fortunately for me hardware costs tend to be so cheap nowadays that I do not need your level of skills chuz I can diagnose faulty hardware and replace it cheaply and quickly ( normally same day) instead of going through the ball ache of trying to find individual board componant faults and messing with them

Anyway as I say my rep on here and rep in my real life is all I need respect off you I can happily live without cuz you certainly have none off me

Re: DVD writer
 

Sorry what are you going on about?

Re: DVD writer
 

you know full well

Re: DVD writer
 

Come on you two this isn`t helping the OP at all! :Sprint:

Re: DVD writer
 

Funny, I was sure that post #9 was the most helpful in the thread ;)