PC won't accept Maxell DVD-R

[prowler]

I just bought some Maxell DVD-R discs which won't work with my Win7 drive.

I've never paid much attention to what I use before, but surprised about this. My other discs that work fine are Memorex DVD+R.

I verified my DVD drivers are up to date.

Please advise.

 

[Barman58]

There have always been different types of DVD RW disks +R and -R being the main ones, check the specs of your Writer to see if you can burn the disks you have. Of course some systems can be temperamental and refuse to accept a certain batch of disks, A certain manufacturer's disks, or even individual disks of a specific batch

 

[prowler]

Thanks for your reply. I've been reading and burning discs on this system on a regular basis, but never encountered this before. In fact, I never pay attention to name brand or to + or - DVDs, it's usually what happens to be there at the best price.

I'll defer to your comment that some batches might be problematic.

 

[OvenMaster]

I will definitely go along with Barman's assessment. I've been burning optical discs since 2001 and it seems that now more than ever, a lucky combination of good optical drives and good quality discs are needed for successful burns. Way back when, it didn't seem to matter all that much, and just about any disc would work with any burner.

In 2016, it's a much different story. Optical drives are cheaper than ever.. but they don't last more than a few years. Blank disc media is cheap... and of poorer quality than before. Sometimes you can hold the blanks up to a lamp and see right through them, because the coatings are now so thin. Thin coatings = lower reflectivity = poor performance.

The name brands on the discs are a guide, but no longer a guarantee of good quality, as the number of actual manufacturers has been cut drastically over the years. If you see discs branded Verbatim, for instance, you can be sure that they were actually made by the Ching Chow Optical Disc Factory Number Six or some such.

This said, for DVD-R, I use Memorex branded discs.
For DVD+RW, I use TDK branded discs.
For CD-R, I use Taiyo Yuden, Verbatim, TDK, and occasionally, HP branded discs.

 

[prowler]

I appreciate your feedback. Moving forward, it sounds like a good move might be to buy small quantities of discs at a time.

 

[OvenMaster]

Yes, definitely. That way you'll minimize losses if the discs don't work well.