PX-716A suddenly fails reading some DVDs

[Lars-Erik]

Suddenly my 716A has started to have trouble reading some DVDs. Most DVD are detected OK, but on some discs it reads a long time when inserted, and the the LED on the drive starts to flash orange - two short blinks, the a pause, then two short blinks (and so on). The content of the disc is not displayed, and I cannot play it. It works on DVD-players and on my laptop. My 716A has firmware 1.11 - is this a firmware bug?

[negritude]

This is a hardware problem very common on the PX-716A. It’s a manufacturing defect that can’t be fixed with firmware. What is the TLA number on your drive (you have to look at the label on the drive, or the box the drive came in)? Many of the early versions of the 716A had this problem, and it could not be fixed by an end-user. If the drive was new, you’d need to get it replaced under warranty from Plextor. If it’s not new, then you’re mostly out of luck. Time to buy a new drive.

[hwp]

For the meaning of blink-codes and possible solutions, look at the links in the FAQ:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/f43/plextor-faq-read-first-49767/#general-ledmeaning

Also in some cases drives that seemed broken proved to be perfectly OK once the’ve been given a cleaning.

Plextors recommendation:
http://www.plextor.com/english/support/faqs/G00048.htm

CDFreaks successful DIY method:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/f43/712a-died-232572/

[Lars-Erik]

I never have had this problem before.
Just started some weeks ago.
My drive has worked 100% for several years.

Could this have been caused by a firmware update?
Whould I go back to an earlier firmware (any recommended version).

It’s only on some DVDs, most are read 100%.

[negritude]

[QUOTE=Lars-Erik;2155681]I never have had this problem before.
Just started some weeks ago.
My drive has worked 100% for several years.

Could this have been caused by a firmware update?
Whould I go back to an earlier firmware (any recommended version).

It’s only on some DVDs, most are read 100%.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, as I said, this is a KNOWN problem with PX-716A drives. They can stop reading disks at any point, or have problems recognizing disks. This has happened to MANY people. It’s OLD NEWS. It’s not your fault.

Best thing to try is to open up the drive and clean the lens, or if you’re not comfortable with that, buy one of these and use it:

[hwp]

I doubt this is in any way a firmware-related problem, unless it began immediately after doing an firmware-update, which seems not to be the case.

As for the problem itself it’s not just a PX-716 issue but can also be observed with drives from other brands on a regular basis. Typically such problems start to show after a period of 2 to 3 years, depending on the usage pattern of the user.

[negritude]

[QUOTE=hwp;2156275]As for the problem itself it’s not just a PX-716 issue but can also be observed with drives from other brands on a regular basis. Typically such problems start to show after a period of 2 to 3 years, depending on the usage pattern of the user.[/QUOTE]

Yes, but the PX-716A has evinced the problem to an inordinate degree, far out of proportion to other drives. It was mostly related to early revisions of the drive (I forget which TLA numbers). This has been documented in this very forum countless times. The PX-716A was and is a problematic drive, depending on certain factors, and that is simply a fact.

[Lars-Erik]

I guess I have one of the first 716As (waited for it to be released).
But I have not experienced any other problems with it.
Reads all disks (even copy protected audio without problems).
And no one has problems reading the disc I write…

Ohh… One problem. Writing at 12x (DVD) causes “spots” on Verbatim DVD-Rs
Writing at 16x og 8x never does. Strange thing (but test programs show that 16x gives many errors on outer (or was it inner) track, way iniside the specs, but anyway I usually write at 8x, then the written disk is perfect

BTW: I have one of those lens-cleaners (unopened) so I’lll try that.

But why is this error only when reading, and not when writing?