[qanda]This thread is about the BenQ DW1655. Click here to see full specs[/qanda]I’ve had my DW1655 for 3 or 4 years now and have burned probably 400 CD-R’s and DVD±R’s with it. Suddenly, my verifications have started failing. I can still read every file I look at on the disk, but my trials are not exhaustive (we’re talking thousands of photos or songs).
I use Taiyo Yuden media exclusively, purchased from either Supermediastore or Rima. At first, I thought that my media was starting to get old (bottom of the cakebox), but then I tried some 1-month-old TY’s and I have the same problem. I’ve never burned any of my CD’s or DVD’s at maximum speed… I always back off by one or two speeds. In this case, I was using 48x disks and tried burning one at 20x and another at 16x, both are readable, but failed verification.
What’s bugging me even more is that because I needed to burn some CD-R’s in a hurry, I shared the files I was going to burn on my network, fired up my 18-month-old Gateway laptop, copied the files to the laptop HD, and tried to burn the CD-R’s on the laptop. I again got repeated verification failures. I couldn’t have burned more than 100 CD’s and DVD’s in the last 18 months with that laptop. The laptop has a Philips burner. Replacing that will be VERY expensive, I’ll bet!
So, my questions:
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4 years and 400 CD’s/DVD’s… is that a reasonable life for a Benq burner?
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If not, what should I do? I’ve tried using a lenscleaner CD (this is the very first time I’ve cleaned any of my burners… I really take care of my disks and they barely have even dust on them, so the burners should be pretty clean).
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Can you tell from doing an analysis of the disk whether the problem is in the drive or the media? Tell me what to run and I’ll post the result. I used to know how to do the analysis using the Nero StartSmart menu, but I’ve forgotten… it’s been so long, so you’ll have to walk me through it. I still have the error.txt from the last two failed verifications. I can post one or both of these. I use Nero 6 Ultra Edition (6.1.1.15) for burning on both the laptop and desktop.
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Is there any standardization in laptop burners? Am I stuck buying a replacement from Gateway and probably paying hundreds of dollars, or can I buy a replacement elsewhere?
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If I do need a new burner for my desktop, I can look in any one of the many “what’s the best burner” post. Which is the best “what’s the best burner” post?
Thanks.
Al.