CD Error - Power Calibration Error

[BHF]

I have a Sony PCG-FX109k with a "MATSH1TA UJDA710" DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive when I try to write to a CD-R or CD-RW using Easy CD Creator 4 (Data CD) function I get the following Error.

CD Error - Power Calibration Error

If I use Direct CD function I get an unknown error (Ox17)

If anyone has seen this problem before please let us know how you fixed it? I have already reinstalled Easy CD creator and restored the original driver and tried different makes of CD-R disks

Thanks in Advance
BHF

[NooNoo]

I got that when my old cdrw got too hot - let it cool down for a while, it would burn one cd and then I would have to wait for 30 mins to burn again..

What operating system are you running easy cd 4 with? and have you downloaded and installed the patches from roxio?

[confus-ed]

Originally posted by NooNoo
I got that when my old cdrw got too hot

That's kinda the point with calibration, you want it hot or it don't write properly (evenly acccross the full span of the disk), obviously not too hot or it indicates a faulty drive, which this looks like, mind you easy cd creator has a very 'creative' way with error messages, I think it just makes 'em up, it means somethings wrong but usually not what it said!

So can you test the cd with Nero, its the only cd package anyone is ever sure of what the errors really mean, you can download a free trial of that from www.ahead.de .

I take it that it reads CDs & DVDs okay, & does it spin up & down correctly when it does that? It should spin like mad, when you first put it in for about 2 secs while it reads the irsc & all that stuff, then splurge every now & again as it reads data.....

[NooNoo]

It was Nero that kicked out those messages! And yah after I had pulled my hair out over it I discovered it was too hot, literrally to hot to handle!!

I moved it as far away from the other components as possible and right opposite the top case fan exhaust, it settled down then.

[confus-ed]

Originally posted by NooNoo
It was Nero that kicked out those messages!

For you.... Not BHF?? Come on now I have enough trouble fathoming out all this without you making me even more confus-ed.....

My point was that Nero seems to be one of the few cd writting packages where the developers actually thought reporting accurate error messages & conditions was a good idea....WTF good is this message 'If I use Direct CD function I get an unknown error (Ox17)'.... very helpful I think not!

Without some meaningful error it's gonna be hard to diagnose, neither of the packages BHF mentioned are renowned for their accutrate fault diagnosis.

You can calibration errors reporting with a range of circumstances from device mis-recognition to a faulty aspi layer, IMHO Nero is the best bet to get a sensible error condition reported back....

& edit....

Noo's advice is still good, the kind of heating I'm talking about is of the laser, not the entire unit! So if it is that hot cool it, though I'd have thought you'd be reporting slightly different symptoms like the unit failing to write after x many minutes, I forget that folk often have far too many devices squeezed into little tiny boxex...

[BHF]

I have updated CD Creator 4.02 to 4.05 however this did not solve the problem or give me any additional information about the error.

I also downloaded a copy of Ahead NERO and it basically gives me the same message with a lot more detail (as suggested by Confue-ed) however I don't understand most of it.

Its my turn to be

It must be a hardware problem I'll have it checked out

Thanks for all the help
BHF

[NooNoo]

Confus-Ed - yes I was talking about my cretive 8438E (the third unit from creative, and I only bought one... )

BHF - if two separate progs give you that error, I would take the cdrw and put it in another machine with windows 98 on it just to check - but its looking like a hardware problem.

[semble]

you might want to try some different media as well..

[orange]

Originally posted by semble
you might want to try some different media as well..

I think he already mentioned that he'd tried that:

I have already reinstalled Easy CD creator and restored the original driver and tried different makes of CD-R disks