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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Why Won't My Computer Record Cds

stango - Nov 11, 2005 - 4:38 pm

I seem to have a problem with my CD recording system.
I have tried to record both data through a burn file in the finder and music through Itunes. I also tried Toast 5.2. In both cases each system goes through preparations but wont record. I did get an error message from Toast:

"The drive reported an error:
Sense Key =MEDIUM ERROR
Sense Code = 0x73, 0x03"

I have tried a half dozen CD blanks.
Any ideas?

Rod Hagen - Nov 14, 2005 - 4:50 am

Gove us some more info to work with Stanley.

1) What sort of Mac are you using? Model? Amount of RAM, Type of Optical drive (Superdrive or Combo or something else?)

2) What version of the operating system are you using?

Cheers

Rod

stango - Nov 14, 2005 - 12:29 pm

Thanks for your interest. i think the following provides the information you requested.

my operating system is tiger 10.4.3

this is my hardware overview:

machine name: imac
machine model: powermac4,2
cpu type: powerpc g4 (2.1)
number of cpus: 1
cpu speed: 700 mhz
l2 cache (per cpu): 256 kb
memory: 512 mb
bus speed: 100 mhz
boot rom version: 4.3.5f1

this is my cd-dvd overview:

matshita cd-rw cw-8572:

firmware revision: 2a11
interconnect: atapi
burn support: yes (apple shipped/supported)
cache: 2048 kb
reads dvd: yes
cd-write: -r, -rw
burn underrun protection cd: yes
write strategies: cd-tao, cd-sao
media: no

Rod Hagen - Nov 14, 2005 - 4:02 pm

Thanks for the info , Stanley.

There are some incompatabilities between Tiger and Toast 5.2 but I suspect this is not the cause of your problem here.

Sense Key errors are usually associated with a problem with the actual brand or manufacture of the CD-R blanks being used, though sometimes they can occur with a dirty drive lens. Were all of the CD-R blanks you tried the same brand? I've generally had a very good run from TDK and Verbattim media in the Matshita drives fitted in many Macs. Many people have reported problems using Memorex discs in these same computers.

Did you have the problem before updating to OSX 10.4.3? If not, then it may be a problem with the update itself. In this case people have reported success in overcming the problem by;

1) booting up their computer from their Tiger DVD and running "disk Utility" (from the Utilities menu in the menu bar), and using the "Repair Disk" (first) and then "Repair permissions" (second) functions.

then

2) downloading the "Combo" 10.4.3" updater from http://www.apple.com/support/downloa...1043combo.html and re-installing it.

Problems can also occur if your HD is getting low on available space to prepare the necessary CD disc images, but these don't usually produce the "Sense" error you mention.

Cheers

Rod

stango - Nov 17, 2005 - 1:16 pm

Thanks for your help.I followed your suggestions; ran "Repair disk" and "Repair permissions. There were no problems there. Remembering your comment about a dirty drive lens I used the aerosol air spray inside my disk drive.
This seemed to do the trick. My iMac recorded through iTunes and the burner on the founder.
This morning to reassure myself (I did see the contents of the recorded disks on the computer last night) I tried the newly recorded disks and got either no response or the "You have inserted a blank disk" message and did not read the disk.
Any suggestions?
Incidentally through this who experience I have been using TDK disks.