Matshita UJ-832D problems

[Henriuk]

Hi everyone,
My Sony SZ2XP/C has a Matshita DVDRW UJ-832D but it is not recording at all. Not even a simple CD? I have tried different burning progams and types of media. I ended up buying many brands of CDR and DVDR media in an atempt to solve the problem. I have know media that will last for years to come but not luck in recording anything.
I have checked at the Vaio Support center for a firmware update for my laptop but it shows a different model of DVDRW for my Laptop UJ-842D! I have tried to install it anyway but it says that the Firmware is not compatible with my DVDRW, which is UJ-832D.
I have searched the net for the last few days and have even download a similar brand UJ-832B from VAIO US Support centre for another laptop but got the same message: not compatible.
At the Vaio specs it states that my Laptop should have an UJ-842D DVDRW and not UJ-832D. I think I was conned when I bought the computer at PCWORLD.
I have wasted my last weekend doing a complete new Windows instalation but still the same.
Any ideas.
Max.

[Blencogo]

Hi Max and welcome to Club Vaio.

Does the drive play CDs and DVDs?
Is the drive visible in My Computer?
Are there any errors shown against the drive in Device Manager?
Has the drive worked normally in the past?

[Henriuk]

Hi Blencogo,
Thanks for the reply.
The driver plays CDs and DVDs without any problems. Actually, it even starts burning but stops usually at 10-25%, depending if CD or DVD.
The DVD is visible in Windows but it shows as DVD-ROM not as DVD-RW.
No Erros in device manager, showing without conflicts or problems in properties!
It has never burning a single DVD in the past, never really works. At first I thought it was a media related problem. I had a desktop computer then I kept burning on it instead with the same media brand that gave me problems in this laptop. I have recently moved home and sold my desktop computer for lack of space in my new place. I thought I would manage with my beloved laptop, just kept my printer/scanner.
This is my first Sony laptop, I had few Toshibas and IBMs laptops in the past and never experienced any problems. Really disappointed with VAIO laptops.

[Blencogo]

It doesn't sound good! Because it starts the burn process and also plays discs, it does seem like a hardware or firmware problem.

The only firmware update I can find is to Version 1.1 FROM SONY US DOWNLOADS - if this does not work and a good cleaning of the lens with a liquid cleaner also fails, I think you are going to need a replacement drive.

[Henriuk]

Thanks again, but the link you sent to me is for UJ-842 driver, my is a UJ-832D. That's the funny thing because my laptop should have UJ-842 instead of UJ-832D!
I will try to clean the lenses anyway and I will report the results here.
Many thanks...

[Blencogo]

Good Luck!

Is this the Firmware Upgrade to v1.03 you have already tried?

[Henriuk]

Oh!Thanks for the link. It is the correct one but it gives a message: "This is update is not for use with your computer model. The firmware version from Nero Info Tool says 1.70!
I have just bought new media, my last chance, Verbatim premium DVDR to try and it gives me the error message when burning at 15%:
17:18:02#22 SPTI -1 File SCSIPassThrough.cpp, Line 291
F: CdRom0: SCSIStatus(x02) WinError(0) NeroError(-1)
Sense Key: 0x04 (KEY_HARDWARE_ERROR)
Sense Code: 0x03
Sense Qual: 0x00
CDB Data: 0x2A 00 00 04 03 60 00 00 20 00 00 00
Sense Area: 0xF1 00 04 00 04 00 60 0A 00 29 00 00 03
Buffer x0a640000: Len x10000
0x00 00 01 BA 44 10 44 F2 14 AD 01 89 C3 F8 00 00
0x01 E0 07 EC 81 00 00 00 8E 0D 67 68 68 16 DE 4B
0xCA 01 CD 12 35 4C AE 86 44 60 02 80 1D 92 90 92

17:18:02#23 CDR -1 File Writer.cpp, Line 302
Unspecified Recorder Error
F: MATSHITA UJ-832D

17:18:02#24 Text 0 File ThreadedTransfer.cpp, Line 228
all writers idle, stopping conversion

17:18:02#25 Text 0 File ThreadedTransfer.cpp, Line 222
conversion idle, stopping reader

17:18:02#26 Text 0 File DVDR.cpp, Line 3265
EndDAO: Last written address was 263007

17:18:20#27 CDR -1194 File WriterStatus.cpp, Line 167
PMA update failure
F: MATSHITA UJ-832D

17:18:20#28 TRANSFER -24 File WriterStatus.cpp, Line 167
Could not perform end of Disc-at-once

17:18:21#29 Phase 38 File dlgbrnst.cpp, Line 1730
Burn process failed at 4x (5,540 KB/s)


Existing drivers:
File 'Drivers\CDRALW2K.SYS': Ver=8.0.0.212 , size=2560 bytes, created 28/10/2005 11:00:00
File 'Drivers\PXHELP20.SYS': Ver=3.00.20a, size=46080 bytes, created 02/08/2006 21:07:06 (Prassi/Veritas driver for win 2K)

Registry Keys:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WinLogon\AllocateCDROMs : 0 (Security Option)

[Henriuk]

Even at 1X speed it failed to burn. Message:
18:06:11#38 CDR -1106 File Writer.cpp, Line 302
Power calibration error
F: MATSHITA UJ-832D
The odd thing is that it passed the simulation all the time!

[Blencogo]

The Program Memory Area (PMA) Update failure is normally media related as the drive is not writing to this PMA area of the disc correctly.

I think the answer is going to be a new drive - these older OEM Matshita drives are really crap and were chosen by Sony at the height of the DRM wars over copying discs for one simple reasom - they will not accept RPC Region Free hacking. We are into long-shots now - her are the last two I can think of: -

1. Have you tried Sony or Panasonic discs? I have seen these OEM drives occasionally default to an internal setting that only allows the manufacturers discs to be written to.

2. Have you tried going to Device Manager, then click to open the [IDE ATA/ATAPI (hard disk) controllers] section. Uninstall all IDE ATA/AAPI Contrllers and re-boot the Vaio.

I see you are using Windows 2K drivers for the drive. What model Vaio do you have and what OS are you running?

[Henriuk]

Thanks again,
Well, I will buy Sony or Panasonic media and post the results later.
I am using a Vaio VGN-SZ2XP/C with Windows XP, pack 2 and all the available updates.
I have also just reinstalled Windows again from scratch and try to burning a cd with the factory software but no luck again. Actually, in the process I manage to lose all my documents?
When I check at Sony Support Website for my laptop it says that my laptop should come with UJ-842D DVDRW! Not UJ-832D!
Can you tell me which DVDRW should fit my laptop? Shall I attempt to change it myself or is it too dificult?