Burner Going Bad?

[vprmatrix]

Hello all. I have a Plextor 708-A that has seen extensive use the past couple of years. Have always used Ritek -Rs with never a problem. Recently I have encountered a couple of bad burns that will skip and/or freeze. Upon close examination of my most recent bad burn I noticed what looks like faint rings of alternating color. In other words the burned portion of the disc is not uniform and the very narrow faint rings I am seeing are closer to the color of the unburned portion of the disk. I have had subsequent successful burns from the same batch of discs. My question is - do I have a bad batch of discs or is the burner failing?

[LT. Columbo]

it is completely possible it is the media. can you tell us the media ID? i had some ritek g05's (which are known to be problematic) and a few also produced the same rings you describe.

[locoeng]

I'm with LT on this one, the cheapest troubleshooting route would be to try another brand of discs rather than buying a new drive. Not by much though as the price of drives is about on par with a 100 disc spindle of blanks.

[vprmatrix]

Thanks for the quick reply. They are indeed Ritek GO5s. I used to use the GO4s but have found them in short supply recently and found a good price on the GO-5s, even though I always burn at 4x. Not all the GO5s produce rings and most of the ones that do are still playable.Will try to find the GO4s again. Have never had a problem with them. Why do the GO5s produce rings and what exactly are they?

[locoeng]

The rings are just an effect of defective dye.

[vprmatrix]

Any recommendations on a different brand? I have found Riteks to be compatable with every stand-alone player that they have been played in and I hate to switch. BTW the GO5s in question are -Rs Do the +Rs have the same problem?

[locoeng]

Verbatims are top notch and widely available. Taiyo Yuden, Sony, Fuji, and Maxell are also excellent if made in Japan.

[LT. Columbo]

I believe it to be either format of the g05's. i can suggest sony or verbatim media as an alternative though

[vprmatrix]

Thanks for the recommendations and all your help. You probably saved me the cost of a new burner which was the first thing I thought of. I'll switch if I can't find any more GO4s.

[NightTran]

Thanks for the recommendations and all your help. You probably saved me the cost of a new burner which was the first thing I thought of. I'll switch if I can't find any more GO4s.

you may still checking newburner that are onsale , before you real burner broke