[NA]Toshiba can't fix[NA]

[Let'sgoflying!]

the dvd drive on my Tecra M8.
12 mo ago, the drive would not burn a dvd. Couple hours of tech support and I had to send it off for a drive replacement. When it came back it worked fine. I don't burn many dvds or play discs much so didn't notice a problem. Til last week, it would not burn a dvd. Wouldn't burn a cd. Won't play a dvd.
Tech help (6 calls) could not fix. They removed the upper and lower filters. Uninstalled the drive, reinstalled, rebooted. All new updated drivers. No change. Finally got through to "Level II " tech help tonight, (which was promised on first callup) no joy. They remote manipulated my computer to change the resolution etc (messing up the desktop), but it did not help. See error message.
So her conclusion was we need to swipe the HD clean and if that doesn't work send it in for another new disk drive.

(Warrantee til 2011)
Toshiba Tecra M8,
The disk drive is a Mat****a DVD-RAM UJ-852S
WinXP home
using mainly WMP
have tried all sorts of disks including brand new nonpirated hollywood DVDs, brand new blank DVDs (Imation) -R and +R

Did find a known problem thread on a computer forum about this DVDdrive but the fix did not work.

Error messge when installing a blank DVD is "The drive is not capable of burning"

 

[bbchien]

Uh oh. I think this one has a memory controller on the motherboard. There were a few Dells that used this technology. It was fine when it worked, but....suffice it to say mine is in the basement.

Just demand replacement.

 

[RJM62]

Do you have another PC capable of burning a CD?

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

Yessir.

 

[RJM62]

You may want to download a copy of Ubuntu and burn the image to a cd, then try to boot from it. If it boots from the CD, select "Memtest" and let it run all night. You'll need to know how to create a bootable cd from an ISO file. A program like imgburn is the easiest way I know of.

Also, WinXP does not have native DVD writing support. You need a third party packet-writing driver. Typically, this driver comes with various commercial CD/DVD burning programs such as Nero, Roxio, etc. Try uninstalling and reinstalling whatever burning app came with the disk. Or you can try an open-source one like InfrarRecorder.

-Rich