CD Burner Problem

[robertrossband]

I’m having burn problems with my Pioneer 109 aftermarket cd burner which is installed into my Mac G4. I have OS 10.4.11. I've used the cd burner/player for 2 or 3 years without problems. I just upgraded to itunes 8 yesterday. Maybe that's the problem. Everytime I try to burn I get a message that says “insert a blank disc” even though it is a blank disc. I’ve tried 2 other cds just to be sure the cds aren’t defective. I restarted a couple of times. I ran Disk Utility and repaired permisions. It still wouldn't burn. I also installed PatchBurn but that didn’t help. Any thoughts?

[Hughvane]

Have you tried burning CDs with something than iTunes? Try, for example, the OS itself, or Disk Utility.

Secondly, the Pioneer may simply have a dirty laser lens. Buy a commercial cleaner disk and give that a go, or squirt compressed air from a can into the drive slot.

Next, the 109 is (relatively) an old drive. Pioneer are, in my view, the best optical drives for Mac but it may be that you need to think about upgrading your drive to a minimum 112D to accommodate the newer media (disk) technology.

[robertrossband]

I did try to burn with Mac OS but it didn't work.
I tried to clean the lens with a rag, and by literally blowing air into the tray from my mouth. I didn't have compressed air handy. Those quick fixes didn't work either. If you have other ideas, let me know.
It seems that the drive is shot, even though it isn't very old - 2 or 3 years I think. I wonder if Pioneer stuff is fragile or otherwise poorly designed.
Right now I'm trying to decide whether to buy a new drive for my old G4, or spring for a whole new computer which I may need anyway.
Funny, consumer electronics like computers have a built in obsolescence, and every few years we have to upgrade by buying a new device. And our money is worth less and less every year due to inflation. The corporations are bleeding the consumers for every drop of blood we've got. But that's for some another forum.
Thanks for the advice.

[Hughvane]

Yes, planned (or otherwise) obsolescence is a vexed topic. Re Pioneer, if you think its products are substandard, read the reviews of other brands like Matshita, LG, Liteon et al. Sony seems to remain relatively unscathed but from what I've seen and worked with, Pioneer is my first choice. I take a lot of notice of what the professionals in audio and video use, ie. Pioneer, unless they're after seriously expensive gear.

The 109 came out in Jan of 05, so it's by no means antiquated. There's a truckload of info about it here: http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Revi...rticleId=12802

I learned the expensive way just how fast optical drive technology, in particular the media (disks) has changed/developed, and the harsh fact is that we need newer hardware to both accommodate and facilitate it. Which, for me, is the single-most compelling reason to use external firewire optical drives (I use three of them, daisy-chained). When necessary, I update the hardware innards because it's a simple and not-too-expensive task. The internal Sony optical drive of this eMac is used only for playback.

So, if you're contemplating a change of computer, I suggest you think seriously about buying an external optical drive in the meantime.

[robertrossband]

Thanks again Hughvane. I may buy an external. I had a Lacie about 5 or 6 years ago. It got outmoded fast. And I'm thinking about a refurbished iMac computer too.
Take care,
Robert