28-09-2013, 11:51 PM
This all sounds very similar to several sessions of total madness that I went through about a year ago. No laptops were used, though - just 3 'ordinary' desktop PCs, all running Win 2k + SP4, plus 3 different makes of R/W DVD drives and about 4 different makes of DVDs: all 700 MB type. So the number of possible permutations was substantial! 
But despite trying - and trying very hard - to see some sort of pattern as to what would - and wouldn't - work, with what, and under what conditions, I could not come to any definite conclusions. On two PCs, I even updated the flash BIOS: but to no avail.
In the end, I simply ran out of time and patience and gave up. I realised that although it would have been 'nice to know', (read: overdose of enthusiasm and inquisitiveness), the wick simply wasn't worth the candle, so to speak, since all the PCs here are networked and connected to a central data server anyway: the backups that I do are hard disk-to-hard disk 'copies', using Drive Image ghosting software. The rare occasion when I do need to write to a DVD / RW is the odd 'one-off instant backup / copy' and the odd music compilation, so one PC with one working / compatible DVD / RW drive is quite adequate for my needs - which is what I finally settled for.
About six months ago, I did re-visit this 'testing scenario' using Win XP + SP3: I'm a glutton for punishment.
The problems were even worse with Win XP than Win 2K (not that I was surprised by that): total inconsistency within just that one PC!
I suspect that substantial causes of the problems are incompatibilities amongst the s/w on the drives; the BIOSes in the PC; the formatting of the disks; what s/w is being used to read and write; and the particular O/S in use. In other words, too many 'unknown variables', some of which I had (& have) no control over.
Al. / Sept. 29, '13 //
But despite trying - and trying very hard - to see some sort of pattern as to what would - and wouldn't - work, with what, and under what conditions, I could not come to any definite conclusions. On two PCs, I even updated the flash BIOS: but to no avail.In the end, I simply ran out of time and patience and gave up. I realised that although it would have been 'nice to know', (read: overdose of enthusiasm and inquisitiveness), the wick simply wasn't worth the candle, so to speak, since all the PCs here are networked and connected to a central data server anyway: the backups that I do are hard disk-to-hard disk 'copies', using Drive Image ghosting software. The rare occasion when I do need to write to a DVD / RW is the odd 'one-off instant backup / copy' and the odd music compilation, so one PC with one working / compatible DVD / RW drive is quite adequate for my needs - which is what I finally settled for.
About six months ago, I did re-visit this 'testing scenario' using Win XP + SP3: I'm a glutton for punishment.
The problems were even worse with Win XP than Win 2K (not that I was surprised by that): total inconsistency within just that one PC!I suspect that substantial causes of the problems are incompatibilities amongst the s/w on the drives; the BIOSes in the PC; the formatting of the disks; what s/w is being used to read and write; and the particular O/S in use. In other words, too many 'unknown variables', some of which I had (& have) no control over.
Al. / Sept. 29, '13 //
