Frequent failures to burn DVDs

I have a new Macbook Pro 13", June 2009 (unibody.) Almost every other DVD+R DL I burn from finder (burning files to a DVD) results in a failure (a "coaster.") This is my first mac, I've only ever used Windows PCs before this and I can't remember the last time I actually had a CD or DVD fail on any PC before this. It hasn't happened to me in many years, but I get them a lot on the Mac.
The question is, is this normal? Or is there something wrong with my drive?
I could certainly go in to visit a Genius and have them check it out, but before I do I wanted to check in here on expectations.
It's a brand new laptop, so I know it's not dirty.
Thanks

I've had these discs for a very long time, so they aren't going back. I'll just bring them to work and/or use them with my external USB burner. They're still find for my other computers.
Odd, I thought Memorex was supposed to be decent. Now I know. You know, you think you're avoiding the garbage and going with a good name brand only to get garbage. The whole point is to avoid media problems in the first place.
Well now I know it's likely the media. For whatever reason the Macbook burner just doesn't like this media.
Awesome, thanks for all of the help. I'll definitely go get some Verbatim (and stick to them.) Good advice on getting something I can return if they don't work.
Thanks again for all of the responses.

Similar Messages

To BALTWO:I really appreciate the fast sent solution about my failure to burn DVDs with Lion, but I am 89 years old and think I know something about computers, but don't have a clue about ZAPPing PRAM nor RESET SMC. I also can't find any evidence of a p

I really appreciate the fast sent solution about my failure to burn DVDs with Lion, but I am 89 years old and think I know something about computers, but don't have a clue about ZAPPing PRAM nor RESET SMC. I also can't find any evidence of a preserved earlier OS (Snow Leopard). I also don't know how to partition further my drive after all this time…(I used to have Parallels partitioned) but as I said I cannot find any where on the HD SN. Is it possible that it doesn't exist anymore? Not too technical, please, unless that is the only possible answer to this whole delemna..

Blue colored text in these forums usually indicates a clickable link. The two I posted in https://discussions.apple.com/message/18789716#18789716 bring up Apple's articles on those subjects. For partitioning information, peruse Disk Utilities help files, especially
Changing a disk’s formatting and partitions
BTW, the proper way to respond to a post is to use the Reply button and not start another. Good luck and hope you make it to your tenth decade—I'm in my eighth.

Failure to burn DVD

I created a movie in i Movie. It includes stills, video clips, sound effects and music. It plays perfectly in i Movie but during the i DVD process, it seems to crash during the "encoding audio" mode.
Help.... and thank you

What kind of iMac (Processor and speed) do you have?
How long is your iDVD in minutes, including movies and slideshows?
Just trying to guess at how long should be "normal" for your machine. My first iDVDs on a G4 TiBook always took about 12 bours.....
Where did the audio come from?
Can you check the audio in your movies and see if it is 12 bit or 16 bit? iDVD needs 16 bit.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=61636
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=42974
Not only will it produce sync issues noted above, it will very often crash iDVD.
One other note, the "not responding" upon force quite (or in activity monitor) is also normal.
John B

Can't burn DVDs? Try this first...

Like a number of other folks, I had an unexplained failure to burn DVDs and thought something Very Bad had happened to my drive. However, doing some research before buying a new drive (if I had to buy one, might as well get the Latest and Greatest right?) I found there's a lot of really bad media out there. Companies are buying some really cheap junk, slapping their label on it, and putting it on the shelves.
So before doing anything drastic, try this:
Go to Applications -> Utilities and start "System Profiler".
In System Profiler, left hand column (labeled "contents") click "Disc Burning".
Insert a disk you haven't been able to burn.
When (sometimes "if") the disc mounts, refresh System Profiler (command-R or from the View menu select "Refresh"). At some point, you should get something like this:
Media:
Type: DVD-R
ID: CMC MAG. AM3
Blank: No
Erasable: No
Overwritable: No
Appendable: No
Pay attention to the ID field. In this case, "CMC MAG. AM3"
Pop over to:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm
And search for your disc ID. This likely is "all run together". That is, for "CMC MAG. AM3", you look for:
CMCMAGAM3
And, presto, the discs my drive "quit" on are listed in the section:
"4TH CLASS MEDIA:
"Pathetic garbage media, landfill material, about 0-50% success rate. These discs are pretty much only suited for preventing drink cup rings from forming on a table. Most of the time, these are ready-made coasters. If you can actually get a burner to acknowledge the disc, do not expect much. And if the burn actually succeeds, do not be surprised if a DVD-ROM or player chokes on the disc (read/play errors). Cheap prices, cheap junk quality."
How nice!
Mind you, I did not buy "CMC Magnetics" discs. I bought a "brand name". I got CMC Magnetics discs with a "brand name" label. And, apparently, their lowest quality (they do have some listed as "3rd Class Media" but not the ones I have).
This would also explain why I managed to get several burns from the spindle then everything just up and stopped. A "0-50% success rate" means I can expect half *or more* of the discs to fail. I managed about 30% before reaching a run of total garbage in the spindle.
(In fact, many of the remaining discs--I've taken different ones out of the spindle at random--won't even mount.)
Also, the fact that companies are "out sourcing" means that even though you may have tried different "brands", you may actually still be getting discs from the same crappy factory! Scroll down to "Branding Guide" at the digitalfaq.com site and you find that CMC is supplying (among many):
Datawrite, HP, Maxell, Memorex, Staples, and some TDK even!
Buying different "brands" doesn't necessarily mean you've bought different discs.
So before doing anything drastic, before assuming the drive has konked out, buy some one packs or three packs of the "1st Class Media" and try them. I haven't a problem with the ones I bought from companies listed as providing "1st Class Media".
Based on the "Branding Guide", I suggest buying a few from one or more of:
Verbatim
Sony
Panasonic
Then see if your drive problem suddenly clears up. Did for me. Now to figure out what to do with the 60+ CMC coasters I have left...

Matt Clifton wrote:
A great tip that works in OS X 10.5.
Does anyone know how to get the same information under 10.4?
If Disk Utility in 10.4 doesn't do it, there are two things I've seen that could help though I cannot vouch for them. One is a little utility here:
http://tinyurl.com/yr6brj
Now, that's a Google translated page in Japanese. But I could find no other widgets out there that read the info. I did download the program from here:
http://homepage.mac.com/raktajino/dvdmediainspector/dvdmediainspector-1.0b1.dmg
And tried it out. It worked for me. Just leave the "Format" setting to: Pre-recorded Information in Lead-in. Insert a disk, click on the drive name in the top box of the window when the name appears (takes a sec as the disk is mounted). You get hex (which to most folks is known as "gibberish" <g>). But in the first couple of lines on the right hand side, you should see the manufacturer info such as:
read DVD structure [0E]
00 6C 00 00 01 40 C1 FD 9E D8 52 00 02 84 0D 12 [email protected].....
98 99 90 00 03 43 4D 43 20 4D 41 00 04 47 2E 20 .....CMC MA..G.
41 4D 33 00 05 88 80 00 00 00 02 00 06 09 0D 14 AM3.............
Second line, far right, you see the "CMC MAG AM3" (with some spaces in "MAG", no I don't know why). Of course, you'll be looking for codes from here:
http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm
They should show up somewhere in those first few lines.
According to this discussion:
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=56774
You can get the info in Toast. I can't verify that myself as I don't have the software.

Error occur when burning DVD

My macbook pro can't burn DVD, both DVD-r and DVD+R DL.
I tried to use a better media (eg. verbatim) and slower speed (1X)
but the problem comes again and again.
I suspect the error may relate to the failure of "laser component" in the DVD drive
Because when I was using LiquidCD ,whcih is a DVD buring software, to burn DVDs,
the error message said that the software cannot control the strength of the laser.
Does it mean the problem relates to the failure of "laser component" in the DVD drive?
Also, I tried Hardware Test, but it said everything is fine.
Any method can help to check or solve the problem?

Take it to an Apple Store or call Applecare assuming it is under warranty. Is this problem only with this software, which I have to admit I have never heard of.
Out of warranty I'd get an external burner vs. fix it since they perform better anyway.

Burning DVD's

Why can't iTunes burn dvd's? I have a dvd burner on my computer, which is new, and I would really much appreciate it if it could. Seeing is how I'm Canadian, I'll have to wait until late 2008 until movies, tvs shows, etc are available on the Canadian store.
Canada 7 vs 0 Russia. LETS GO CANADA!!

Not sure what you mean as I burn DVD's through iTunes on my Mac frequently. If you are talking about burning iTunes video content to a DVD that can be played in a home DVD player, you can't because of the protection on the files. The protection is there by request of the copyright holders for this content, not Apple.

Quality Issues Burning DVD's

I am new to iDVD and iMovie.
I am hoping to be able to burn a DVD that will play on a
standard DVD player hooked up to a TV.
I made a 4 minute movie in iMovie,
then onto iDVD...
Saved movie to HDD
Burned DVDs via disk utility (one at all 3 speeds)
Used high quality DVDs.
The DVDs I created...
only the 4x would play on my standard DVD.
It plays in black and white, not color.
It stops and starts frequently.
Do I have any other options on my Mac?
Should I copy the movie to miniDV and take it to
a company that burns DVD's?
Any advice would be very much appreciated.
I posted this question in the iMovie forum as well...
Thanks in advance,
Kell

What kind of media are you using? Are you using Verbatim or Maxell DVD-R and burning from a disc image at 4x or slower?
Use Roxio Toast or apple's Disc Utilities to lower the burn speed. If your DVD or iMovie has B&W issues where it's not supposed to, then you have a shaky connection / loose cable somewhere. Check all connections (make sure all is snug).

HELP! MacBook Pro cant recognise or burn DVDs but only CDs, and...

Hi all
I noticed that there many of you have the same problem, but I really need some advice here, my MacBook Pro cant recognise or burn DVDs but only CDs, well actually occasionally it does recognise the DVDs then it burn but cannot write (on Toast), also in many other apps, like iDVD or DVDSP, it does run well on the first part of the burning but then failed at the end, with all kinda diff error msg. I have tried using many diff brands of disc too, inc verbatim.
So I borrowed my friends external DVD writer (actually a cheapy one with no brand), when I tried to burn using the external then an error msg comes up and says the writer cannot recognise the disc.
I dont wana get the MBP to repair but just wana get a external DVD writer to solve the problem, cos i need to use my computer and dont have a replacement mac, but now I am worry if the problem i now having is a system problem or just hardware, not sure if it is because the DVD writer i borrow is cheapy so it doesnt cope with mac, or just my MBP have system error that cant burn DVDs...
But my MBP can burn CDs so it is not a hardware problem? and if that is a system problem so even I buy a new DVD writer wont solve the problem?
btw, I have tried many solving methods like rewriting permission, reset PVRAM, etc
PLSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS HELP

I'm having the same problem you are on my 2.4GHZ Core2Duo MBP running 10.5.2. It will sometimes recognize DVDs, sometimes not... it chuggs and clunks and then spits the disc out. If i re-insert it a view times it will show up on the desktop. I get failures from Toast as well as iDVD. If i keep trying i have been able to burn files onto a disc with the finder, but then the burner fails during the verification. If put the disc back in the contents appear to be correct (after a quick look). Burning CD-Rs seems to be working fine, that with the occasional DVD write seems to point away from the HW. I am trying with both Memorex DVD+RW and Verbatim DVD-Rs...
I have tried the command/option-PR reset combo with no luck.
Any ideas?
thanks,
-graham
PS the specific error i got from iDVD was: The error #-2147352539 was reported…
Message was edited by: Graham - Sonos

IDVD 6, no audio on disk image or burned DVD

Seems I've just been plagued with this problem as well, and the first time I noticed it was after accepting an upgrade from iDVD 6.02 to iDVD 6.04 as well as a firmware update.
Audio from imported .avi files plays fine in the iDVD preview and even played perfectly on disk images and burned DVDs, but now there is only audio in the video I dropped into a background drop zone, and no audio in the two movies. During a second burn, still no audio in the movies but audio for the first 5 seconds of the loop of the background movie. I should mention, prior to updating, these .avi files were burned perfectly. So this is very erratic.
I used appzapper to remove iDVD 6.04 and reinstalled 6.02, but the problem persists. I'm wondering *if any others have experienced the same issue after some form of "upgrade"*. If there was only some way to revert back to the old firmware I would. A few other updates took place as well, but I can't remember exactly what was done.
Quite ridiculous for updates which are supposed so solve issues, just create them.
Any new fixes for this apparently popular problem? Is there a way to revert back to my old firmware?

Have you updated to QuickTime 7.1.2?
Suggest you create a disc image and then burn the DVD. File/Save as Disc Image...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=164927
This will isolate any encoding/burning issues you may encounter. Once the disc image is created, double-click the .img and burn the virtual disc that should appear on your desktop, using Toast to burn the DVD. Disk Utility to burn the .img file. Usually, you can select a burning speed in Disk Utility.
There are variations to this process based on which OS X you are using...
Open Disk Utility (in Utilities folder in Applications folder), click on the virtual disc (maybe the .img) in the left-hand window. Click the Burn icon. A new window should drop down and your SuperDrive tray will open after clicking the Burn icon. Insert a recordable DVD. (Verbatim DVD-R preferred by me.) Click the Close button. Wait. Select a burn speed. If you hold your mouse cursor over the pop-up it says: "Select a slower speed to work around burn failures," so select 4x or slower for best results. Then click the Burn button.
-->If the virtual disk selection won't allow you to click the Burn icon, use the .img file instead. This may have changed in 10.3.9 and did change in Tiger.
Also, you can use DVD Player to play the virtual disk to check your iDVD project before burning to DVD. Launch DVD Player. File/Open VIDEO_TS (Open DVD Media... in Player 4.6). Find the VIDEO_TS folder and open that. (The audio folder is for DVD-Audio disks.)
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93006

Burning DVD-RL discs

Anyone successfully burned DVD-RL discs with the iMac? I'm using Toast 8.0.1 and running Leopard and so far my failure rate has been 100%. The discs fail at different places with different errors with both hardware and verify errors.

transco wrote:
Anyone successfully burned DVD-RL discs with the iMac?
I'm not familiar with "DVD-RL" -- and don't see it mentioned on any iMac spec sheet.
If you meant "DVD-R DL", it wasn't supported by the built-in "superdrive" until the most recent generation ALU iMacs. See the thread linked below for more details:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1196774
BTW, my 20" white iMac burns "DVD+R DL" media with no problem (but only at 2.5x speed, as specified).
Looby

Can't burn DVD-DL since 10.4.5

did this auto update and now we can't burn any DVD-DL on the LaCie FW burner... either with DVDSP4 or toast 7.0.2
Anyone find the work around?

Thanks. The online search indicated the disc could burn DVD+R DL, but the Disc Burning section says it cannot. I guess that's a pretty good explanation for the failure.

Burning DVDs on my Macbook Pro 10.6.8

Can someone please help? I cannot burn any DVDs. I keep getting the following error message: (error code 0x8002006E). Thanks

Don't know what the error code means, but if you're unable to burn DVDs, it could be that your SuperDrive just isn't that "super" any longer. You may want to take your machine to your local Apple Store or an AASP and have them diagnose the problem: if it turns out that you need a new SuperDrive, you'll be much better financially getting a new one from OWC and installing it yourself (instructions on OWC's website).
The first thing you may want to try is just using another disc, though: perhaps from a different vendor? I've been using Verbatim discs for over 11 years now and have only had one bad one in the bunch...
Try another disc - or a different brand. If the problem persists, take the machine in for diagnostics. If it's a drive failure, just get a new one from OWC and install it yourself. Quite simple.
Good luck,
Clinton

Purchased Premiere 13. Won't burn dvd of slideshow created in elements 12.

I created a slideshow in Elements 12. Saved as WMV. Tried to burn DVD. Get message inviting me to try Premiere 13 trial. Have already purchased Premiere 13, but Elements 12 doesn't recognize that.
Tried opening Premier 13, importing my WMV from file. Go to create DVD. After seeming to go through the entire burn, I get a message that says something is stopping the complete burn. Provides a link that takes me to a page not available. Is there a way to get my Elements 12 to link to Premiere 13? What else can I try?

susanK
If you have outputted your Elements Organizer 12 slideshow to obtain a wmv file saved to your computer hard drive, you should be
able to import that into Premiere Elements 13 Editor with the Editor's Add Media/Files and Folders and edit and export accordingly.
There is no integration between the Elements Organizer 12 Slideshow Editor and Premiere Elements 13/Elements Organizer 13.
However, you can convert the 12 catalog in 13. But 13 will require you to convert the slideshow in that catalog to its new format which
is significantly different from what you have used in 12.
Have you updated 13 to 13.1 yet. If you have, sounds like the program is using a new 13.1 feature which leaves you with .iso image file
if you hit burn to failure. You can take that .iso image file to DVD-VIDEO on DVD using a free program named ImgBurn.
You can also use Publish+Share/Disc/DVD burn to Folder (4.7 GB) to obtain a saved folder containing the VIDEO_TS Folder that you can
get to DVD-VIDEO on DVD disc using the ImgBurn program.
Things to check out
http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/burn_dvd_folder_imgburn.cfm
Elements Organizer Help | Create slideshows
Please review and consider and then we can decide what next.
ATR

Problem burning DVD's in Snow Leopard 10.6.7

I do not burn DVD's frequently - but it seems each time I try to there is yet another software upgrade that has killed the functionality for me!
In Dec I was able to successfully burn. Now using the same media in April the DVD drive just rejects the media completely.
If I do try to burn the dvd from IDVD it will recognize the DVD+R DL that I am using (Verbatim). However I DVD does not recognize the Kodak DVD - R at all.
Existing software install discs work fine - so the issue is one of burning. In all of my attempts today I got one error message about unable to calibrate the laser. But to re-iterate - exactly the same media which worked well in Dec.
The only changes since that time are the addition of a HP inkjet printer, and MS office.
I reviewed many of the forums and followed their advice (PRAM reset etc). At one time I did have Western Digital Mybook which was preventing burning - but I long ago deleted those files - and as of Dec 2010 everything seemed to be working nicely.
Any advice would be very welcome.

Download THIS version. Program opened now, will see if it stays open after restart.
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/Supportdlsurvey.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=ye s&download=ftp%3a%2f%2fftp.epson.com%2fdrivers%2fepson13964.dmg&pn=Artisan725&pc=Epson+Artisan%26%230174%3bSeries&ft=software&returnpage=%2fsupport%2fsupDetail.jsp&returnparams=%26infoTyp e%3dDownloads%26oid%3d156707%26prodoid%3d63087900&licenseoid=17774

Upgraded to leoperd now I can't burn DVD's

Doesn't a compatible version of iDVD come w/ leoperd? Do I have to buy iLife too? Wouldn't someone have told me this when I was at the store buying the leoperd disc? Is there something I did wrong in the installation process?

Hi JDM and welcome to the forums!
Doesn't a compatible version of iDVD come w/ leoperd
The then current version of the iLife applications are included when you buy a new Mac with Leopard pre-installed.
Do I have to buy iLife too
Yes, if you want to upgrade to a newer version than the one that came with your Mac.
Wouldn't someone have told me this when I was at the store buying the leoperd disc?
Not if you didn't ask about iLife!
I deduce that your Mac did not have Leopard pre-installed when you bought it and that you purchased the Leopard install disk to upgrade from Tiger.
Is there something I did wrong in the installation process?
Possibly, if you have lost the ability to burn DVDs.
There are no guarantees, but following this procedure when installing updates and upgrades on your Mac, or even re-installing them, will go a long way towards avoiding unpleasant after effects and ‘post-update stress disorder’.
It is also worth noting that it is an extreme rarity for updates to cause upsets to your system, as they have all been extensively beta-tested, but they may well reveal pre-existing ones, particularly those of which you may have been unaware. If you are actually aware of any glitches, make sure they are fixed before proceeding further.
So before you do anything else:
If you can, make a full backup first.
Turn off sleep mode for both screen and hard disk.
Disconnect all peripherals except your keyboard and mouse.
1. Repair Permissions (in Disk Utility)
2. Verify the state of your hard disk using Disk Utility. If any faults are reported, restart from your install disk (holding down the C key), go to Disk Utility, and repair your startup disk. Restart again to get back to your startup disk.
At least you can now be reasonably certain that your system does not contain any obvious faults that might cause an update/upgrade to fail.
3. Download the correct version of the COMBO update from the Apple download site. If your car runs on gasoline you would not want to fill the tank with diesel, so don’t try to install the PPC updater on an Intel Mac!
If you prefer to download updates via Software Update in the Apple menu (which would ensure that the correct version for your Mac was being downloaded), it is not recommended to allow SU to install major (or even minor) updates automatically. Set Software Update to just download the updater without immediately installing it. There is always the possibility that the combined download and install (which can be a lengthy process) might be interrupted by a power outage or your cat walking across the keyboard, and an interrupted install will almost certainly cause havoc. Once it is downloaded, you can install at a time that suits you. You should make a backup copy of the updater on a CD in case you ever need a reinstall.
More information on using Software Updater here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1338
(Just using Tiger as an example) Using the Combo updater ensures that all system files changed since the original 10.4.0 are included, and any that may have been missed out or subsequently damaged will be repaired. The Delta updater, although a temptingly smaller download, only takes you from the previous version to the new one, i.e. for example from 10.4.10 to 10.4.11. Software Update will generally download the Delta updater only. The preferable Combo updater needs to be downloaded from Apple's download site.
Now proceed as follows:
4. Close all applications.
5. Unplug all peripherals except your keyboard and mouse.
6. Install the update/upgrade. Do not under any circumstances interrupt this procedure. Do not do anything else on your computer while it is installing. Be patient.
7. When it ask for a restart to complete the installation, click restart. This can take longer than normal, there are probably thousands of files to overwrite and place in the correct location. Do nothing while this is going on.
8. Once your Mac is awake, repair permissions again, and you should be good to go!
If your Mac seems slightly sluggish or ‘different’, perform a second restart. It can’t hurt and is sometimes efficacious!
9. Open a few of your most used applications and check that all is OK. In this connection please remember that not all manufacturers of third party applications and plug-ins, add-ons, haxies etc, will have had time to do any necessary rewrites to their software to make them compliant with the latest version you are installing. Give them a weeks or two while you regularly check their websites for updates. This applies particularly to plug-ins for Safari 3, and when you have upgraded to Leopard.
N.B. Do not attempt to install two different updates at the same time as each may have different routines and requirements. Follow the above recommendations for each update in turn.
Lastly, Apple's own article on the subject of Software Update may also be useful reading:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106695
If you are updating Safari (or just have):
Input Managers from third parties can do as much harm as good. They use a security loophole to reach right into your applications' code and change that code as the application starts up. If you have installed an OS update and Safari is crashing, the very first thing to do is clear out your InputManagers folders (both in your own Library and in the top-level /Library), log out and log back in, and try again.
So, disable all third party add-ons before updating Safari, as they may not have been updated yet for the new version. Add them back one by one. If something goes awry, remove it again and check on the software manufacturer's website for news of an update to match your version of Safari.
Most errors reported here after an update are due to an unrepaired or undetected inherent fault in the system, and/or a third party ad-on. Two such add-on that have been frequently mentioned here for causing such problems are Piclens and Pithhelmet. If you have them, trash them.
Additional tips on software installation here:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106692
To reiterate, Input Managers reach right into an application and alter its code. This puts the behavior of the affected application outside the control and responsibility of its developers: a recipe for problems. That's not to say that issues absolutely will ensue as a result of Input Managers, but you, as a user, must decide. If the functionality of a specific Input Manager or set thereof is really important to you, you may well choose to assume the associated risk.
Again, the advice is to remove all Input Managers from the following directories:
• /Library/InputManagers
• ~/Library/InputManagers
especially prior to system updates (they can always be added back one-by-one later).

Frequent failures to burn DVDs

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