cd has a bad block
need expert help :)
Sunday, February 13, 2005 by werewolf | Discussion: PC Hardware
I have been having problems with my Yamaha CD-RW lately. It has started slowly and the problems are now 'almost' constant.
The CD is on the secondary IDE channel as master and there are no other devices on that channel. I have rechecked the CD jumper, it is correct.
The CD is now stuck in PIO mode. BIOS adjustments have not helped.
The most frequently seen error is "The device, \Device\CdRom0, has a bad block." I have googled this and there are thousands of folk who have had the same error. The 2 main replies are "clean the lens" (which doesn't ever solve the problem) or 'reinstall the driver' (I have done that many times)
After I fiddle around some more in my quest to fix this, I get this error "The device, \Device\Ide\IdePort1, did not respond within the timeout period."
Then, usually this is followed by this error: "The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort1."
Which is then followed by this error: "The device 'YAMAHA CRW2100E' (IDE\CdRomYAMAHA_CRW2100E_________________________1.0N____\5&2dfcc752&0&0.0.0) disappeared from the system without first being prepared for removal."
At this point I have to go to the device manager and scan for hardware changes to get my drive back.
One fix that popped up more than once suggested deleted 2 reg keys from [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}]
The reg keys were the upper and lower filters. I did this and my CD started recording at >18x which is interesting because it's only rated at 16x write.
So the thing worked for the rest of that session. I could burn, rip and read perfectly.
The next day after boot-up, the same old things started happening.
I did not see any responses on Google which suggested the CD-RW might be fried, but I have to think that it is a distinct possibility.
However, I don't really want to buy a new one only to find out that the problem was some other thing
I could really use some help here from anyone who really knows how to fix these problems.
I have disconnected/reconnected the cd; reinstalled the aspi layer; replaced the ide cable; had windows try to update the secondary ide port.
I will provide any other info you might think is relevant to solving this. I have not installed any other hardware or software (other than XP updates and SDC software updates) recently. I have run AD-aware, Spybot s & d, MS Antispyware, and my AVG. All have been clean.
I have nothing to offer in return other than my undying gratitude and my appreciation.
Thanks so much,
WW
Reply #2 Sunday, February 13, 2005 4:23 PM
I had started to add to my post that the secondary channel was reporting as ultra DMA mode 1 upon reboot. I was going to report when it switched over to PIO only, but I can't get past the bad block errors anymore.
Reply #3 Sunday, February 13, 2005 4:25 PM
It could have become corrupted.
Also when a device is on an IDE Chain alone it needs to be set as Cable Select, not Master or Slave.
Some machines are forgiving and will work if they are set as M or S, but the device alone actually doesn't qualify for that category. How can a device alone be a Master? See my point?
In my personal experiences, I have found that one of the first things to go on a machine is the CDRom Drive. Especially if it is a writer. I figure this is due to the stresses of the Laser Burning Disc, instead of just reading them.
What it sounds like though, is that the drives controller is dying. This means that any data written with that drive will be suspect to being read by other drives, or even lost completely. I had an issue similar with an older JVC 8x CDRW Drive.
Reply #4 Sunday, February 13, 2005 4:36 PM

I will try the CS setting, but it has been on master since I first installed it years ago with no problems.
Reply #5 Sunday, February 13, 2005 4:41 PM
Put a hard Drive on that IDE Channel for a bit, and see if it has data issues. If you have a speare, that is. I have had a Hard Drive, and a CDRom Drive suddenly stop working on a particualr IDE Channel Setting, and function only as a SLAVE for no apparent reason.
Reply #6 Sunday, February 13, 2005 5:51 PM
I tried to re-flash the cd bios and couldn't
Good thing I'm medicated or this thing would be out the window 
So, new CDRW...
I checked out that ASUS that Jason reco'd, but I don't want DVD. The regular CDRW (with QuieTech technology, sounds good) looks impressive and comes with Nero ver 6.0 (is that the full featured CDRW software?). The Samsung I found comes with Nero Express 6 and InCD (probably the packet writer?)
they are both 52x32x52x
One of the things I really liked about EZCD Creator was the Jewel Case Creator app (but now, it doesn't even recognize that there is a CD in the drive). Does this nero business have such a thing? Really need that functionality.
Any ideas?
Reply #9 Sunday, February 13, 2005 6:24 PM
Reply #10 Sunday, February 13, 2005 6:29 PM
hmm, ok, that might take more time than I have today
If the CD controller is failing, it won't work in that setup anyway, but it couldn't hurt to check, I suppose.Reply #12 Sunday, February 13, 2005 6:55 PM
Reply #13 Sunday, February 13, 2005 7:00 PM
Reply #14 Sunday, February 13, 2005 7:30 PM
I will still try the slave to HD connection just to see, but I'm willing to bet it won't change anything. We shall see.
I appreciate your input yrag

Reply #15 Sunday, February 13, 2005 7:42 PM
Good luck and let us know...

Reply #16 Sunday, February 13, 2005 7:54 PM

Actually, I'll probably take it apart to see what makes it tick
Or give it to my son to do the same.Reply #17 Sunday, February 13, 2005 10:12 PM
The UDMA mode on the controller will drop to PIO if repeated errors are logged on the drive (applies to HDDs as well) see "IDE ATA and ATAPI disks use PIO mode after multiple time-out or CRC errors occur" http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;817472
Just my 2¢ worth,
Jeff
Reply #18 Sunday, February 13, 2005 10:30 PM
Reply #19 Sunday, February 13, 2005 10:42 PM
I bought a $39 MadDog 52X CD/RW, on sale at Microcenter. It was even supposed to come with Nero Express. Surprise, no Nero (Drive works great BTW, really quiet) I emailed the customer support after registering. They emailed back asking for more info, I replied with requested info.....several back and forths later, when I've given them my mothers maiden name, fathers social security number, the name of my firstborn, etc... I get a returned mail message, saying that the address I have now sent about a hundred replies to, rejected my message.
I'm betting if you tear open every one of those boxes at the store, you don't find a single copy of Nero Express.
( I already have Nero 5.5 but dammit, if they say it's in the box it should be in the box.) Lesson learned, back to buying from Newegg.Reply #20 Sunday, February 13, 2005 11:06 PM
Newegg is where I'm going to buy this new thing if that's what I end up doing...Nice to hear some positive statements about it.Thanks tjesterb
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Reply #1 Sunday, February 13, 2005 4:17 PM
I reccomend the ASUS Quie-Trak Burner. It is ultra quiet. And Very Reliable. Comes with the awesome Nero burning rom as well as ASUSDVD as a bonus! never go into a retail store and buy a burner. Its a big ripoff