VGN-AR71S cd cant write

[MarkNinja]

Hello i have vgn-ar71s for an year now and for the last few months i have a problem i cant solve. Nomether what OS and what software i use to burn a disk i get mostly the same error message - Can't determine write speed. i noticed that in the vaio support page it sais that my pc has UJ-220B model for CD/DVD/BD from the firmware update
"Blu-ray Drive Firmware UJ-220B - 1.04080723
1.39 Mb 19/02/2009"
but my cd drive sais that its MATSHITA BD-MLT UJ-220S ATA Device
can some1 explain and help because i cant find any UJ-220S firmware anywere
Tnx

[MarkNinja]

Please can some1 help I find it hard to beleave that there can me such small aid from Sony.
Can at least some1 tell me whats the true model of the default device of Sony Vaio VGN-AR71S
"b" or "s".
Tnx in advance

[rich912]

Hi MarkNinja and welcome to the forum.

Please can some1 help I find it hard to believe that there can me such small aid from Sony.

We are just users on this forum and are not Sony employees. If you need official help then you should contact Support via the tab at the top of this page.

The most reliable way of determining the drive fitted to your machine is to open Control Panel -> Device Manager -> Expand DVD/CD-ROM Drives.

I doubt somehow that if your drive has worked in the past that a firmware update will make any difference but cleaning the laser lens might. Are you having problems burning both DVD and Blu-Ray?

[MarkNinja]

Hi and tnx for the wellcome

Its bizzar because i have no problems at all reading any kind of cd/dvd/bd but at the same time nometter what software i use to try and burn a cd/dvd didnt try with a bd i get something like "can't determine drive speed"
I have some idea of how stuff work and i've tryied everything i know including recovery disks, win xp, vista and 7, reinstalling the device, cleaning regestry e.t.c but no resault at all 😞 im a fan of sony but this really gets me disapointed because they don't have support in my country as they should i will have to w8 like months if i give them my laptop for reapir and i use it for work ...
hope someone have any solution
Tnx for the interest.

[rich912]

Hi MarkNinja,

The message "can't determine drive speed" seems to indicate that the MATSHITA BD-MLT drive is not retrieving the disc information properly. This could be because the drive and disk are incompatible or that the drive itself is faulty.

Have you tried different brands of media?

[MarkNinja]

Hi Rich912

Yes i've tried everything one could imagine Well i suppose that once im in france i would be able to give my VGN-AR71S for repair. Hope they have support in south france...
Tnx for the help i thinl its hardware problem 😞 sadly

[rich912]

Good luck MarkNinja

Please let us know how things progress...

[patrickgrangien]

Hello, not much of consolation but I have the exact same problem with my Vaio AR61ZU.
The support page says UJ-200B but the drive in the settings says UJ-220S.
Want to remember that pbl started before the upgrade to W7.0 but anyway I definitely have pbl now.
I've just sent a support request to Sony.
Hoping...

[MarkNinja]

Dude the problem continues with me i havnt had time to give it for repair so please keep me informed if u get any adequat help
BTW they sent me an email with the following info that really helped (i dont know exactly how after changing every operation system posslebe with no effect) write a cd but still problem with the dvd burning thing. here is the mail hope it helps to you as well


Dear Mr/Ms
Thank you for contacting Sony VAIO Link.
Regarding your issues about the optical drive please try the following:
Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).

Locate the UpperFilters value under the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

On the Edit menu, click Delete, and then click OK.

Locate the LowerFilters value under the same key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

On the Edit menu, click Delete, and then click OK.

Quit Registry Editor.
NOTE: After you remove the Upperfilters value and the Lowerfilters value, if you notice lost functionality in a particular program, such as CD recording software, you may need to reinstall that software. If the problem recurs, consult with the software vendor for assistance.

Restart your computer.

Since you have done a recovery and applied the firmware update if that does not work we will have to repair your computer.