CD-R blanks

andrzejpw · Post by **andrzejpw** » Sat Dec 29, 2001 11:41 am

Hi-

Well, I'm new to this, but I have a question. I have an april 2000 dreamcast. End is like 18041L, iirc. Anyway, I'm having problems burning. At first, utopia wouldn't run. I was using cheap, samsung blanks. They look cheap, since I can see right through them.

I finally used an old, 6x sony blank. It worked. Next: I burned dreamsnes on the cheap samsung. It worked. I tried burning a few files in cdi format. It says insert game disc. Tried converting to nero format. Same thing. So:

1) Whats the utopia disc for? I mean, I guess its for non self-booting things, but isn't everything sorta selfbooting?

2) Could my blanks be the source of my problems???? What blanks do you use? Should I buy the japanese T somethings?

DeGamer1 · Post by **DeGamer1** » Sat Dec 29, 2001 12:26 pm

andrzejpw wrote: Hi-

Well, I'm new to this, but I have a question. I have an april 2000 dreamcast. End is like 18041L, iirc. Anyway, I'm having problems burning. At first, utopia wouldn't run. I was using cheap, samsung blanks. They look cheap, since I can see right through them.

Hi and welcome aboard.

Just so that you know you can see through any CD, even if it isn't a cheap one. Just hold it up to the light and put your eyes close to it and you will be able to see through it (even psx games, which are really blue or purple, not black). However if you can still easily see through it in a dim lit room, then there is a good chance that it is a piece of crap.

andrzejpw wrote: 1) Whats the utopia disc for? I mean, I guess its for non self-booting things, but isn't everything sorta selfbooting?

The utopia disc is used for playing import games and Non-selfboot emulators and such.

andrzejpw wrote: 2) Could my blanks be the source of my problems????

They probably are.

andrzejpw wrote: 2) Should I buy the japanese T somethings?

What? Never heard of those. Are those the 99 minute CDRs?
BTW, I used CDRs made by Maxell.

andrzejpw · Post by **andrzejpw** » Sat Dec 29, 2001 5:35 pm

well, I bought some fuji discs. Taiyo Yuden makes em, and its believed that they do the best job. I tried nero. Still, no go.

I'll try disk juggler, and then I'll throw my hands up in despair.

andrzejpw · Post by **andrzejpw** » Sat Dec 29, 2001 6:07 pm

well, I tried burning a game with dj.

Tried the utopia disc with dj/ new blank.

Utopia only works on my old sony 6x.

Whats wrong??

I have a april 2000 dreamcast!

MadGun68 · Post by **MadGun68** » Sat Dec 29, 2001 6:38 pm

Those see-though discs suck. I bought a pack of them, and a few months down the road, they were unreadable.

Try lowering the recording speed down and see if that helps you at all. If not, get GOOD recordables.. Like TDK.

tom61 · Post by **tom61** » Sat Dec 29, 2001 6:42 pm

Why don't you go buy more Sony CDRs? Staples has a 30 pack of 24x rated CD with slim cases for less than $20.

Since you know Sony's works, get more. I've burned good DC discs on Sony, Imation, IBM, and Maxell usually each of these were the cheapest Staples had with cases. About the only CD Staples carries that should be avoided for DC burning are the Memorex CDRs and the cheap spindle(those without cases) CDRs (spindles usually work, but tend to vibrate and wistle).

andrzejpw · Post by **andrzejpw** » Sat Dec 29, 2001 7:11 pm

I have fujis. Those are said to be the best, because they are made by TY.

OX · Post by OX » Sat Dec 29, 2001 10:22 pm

TDK is best... Sure its expensive but its great.

Tails Prower · Post by **Tails Prower** » Sat Dec 29, 2001 10:31 pm

/me bought a 50 pack of TDK cdrs for $10 at the grand openeing off the safeway. it was the last pack too. And they work really great.

Mr._Chips · Post by **Mr._Chips** » Sun Dec 30, 2001 12:59 am

Fujifilm are the best....you can burn them at practically any speed and recieve great results, so they are the best choice. TDK are also good,... i've never bought junk media b4 so i can't say what not to use, even the cheap ones seem to work just as good if you burn at 4X or lower.

Don't know what to do with those coasters? Hang them from the ceiling of ur room with string, they reflect light all over the place and u'll get a trippy disco-ish groove goin'. Great for settin' the mood with chicks. lol.

fatheadpi · Post by **fatheadpi** » Sun Dec 30, 2001 2:09 am

Whaddaya mean don't use memorex cdr's? I always buy 80 minute 700 meg memorexes by the 50 spindle, they only screw up when i'm making a mistake. Memorex and tdk are damn good media, but tdk is heavy on the $$$. Maxells are alright, and I will never buy another sony cdr again.

Chimera-disKord · Post by **Chimera-disKord** » Sun Dec 30, 2001 5:51 am

Ive found TDK to be crap and Memorex to be very good, what a nice mixture there is on this thread.

kRYPT_ · Post by **kRYPT_** » Sun Dec 30, 2001 9:35 am

You cannot simply burn the self-boot DreamSNES non-selfboot and expect it to work, it WILL NOT. The Utopia disk will simply NOT boot self-boots! It expects the binary unscrambled, and the binary on a self-boot is scrambled. There are two solutions,

a) unscramble DreamSNES's .bin, rename it to 1st_read.bin, and re-burn it again, or
b) use DCFactory to create yourself a working, self-boot (no utopia needed here) cdi image of dreamsnes, with YOUR roms.

You be the judge.

andrzejpw wrote: well, I bought some fuji discs. Taiyo Yuden makes em, and its believed that they do the best job. I tried nero. Still, no go.

I'll try disk juggler, and then I'll throw my hands up in despair.

andrzejpw · Post by **andrzejpw** » Sun Dec 30, 2001 10:13 am

DreamSNES works! I made it on the cheapest blanks, and it works. I made it self boot. that's not the problem. Utopia doesn't work, except on the OLD sony blanks. I tried fujis. No go.

Should I return my dc? Its APRIL2000!!!

andrzejpw · Post by **andrzejpw** » Sun Dec 30, 2001 8:06 pm

Ok, I returned it FOR A SEPTEMBER 1999 DREAMCAST. SAME THING HAPPENS.

radish28 · Post by **radish28** » Sun Dec 30, 2001 10:01 pm

fujifilm cd's take longer to load i noticed, the besto ones i found were the sony ones, the new sony's, those are the one's i'd reccomend

Post by **melancholy** » Sun Dec 30, 2001 10:58 pm

Woah, woah, back way up! Did DeGamer say there was such thing as 99 minute CD-R's? Is this true, cause those would be great for VCD's! How many megs is that exactly, that is, if they do exist? Plus, are they compatable with most things (ex: Dreamcast, DVD Players, normal CD drives...)? I'm dying to know!

Gmc · Post by **Gmc** » Mon Dec 31, 2001 7:35 am

I've used 99 Mins CD's before, they didnt work on my DC, I tried burning Gyplay with a MPEG-1 movie (I was able to keep it better quality because of the disc size), It didnt work...then I got Some Traxdata Black-bottomed 99 Min CDRs, and it worked fine.

Normally I just use Emtec or Sony CDR's, memorex work ok aswell....but NEVER use Vivastars! They stink, and the top peels off after about a week, and they start to crack around the hole in the middle of the disk - they stink!

DeGamer1 · Post by **DeGamer1** » Mon Dec 31, 2001 9:57 am

When it comes to buying CDRs, it depends on 2 things, where you live and where you buy them from.

You should ask around your area what CDRs have worked for people and which have not. Don't ask a store employee unless you know them personally

I say this because some of the CDRs people have mentioned here have worked for me. I once bought some cheap CDRs, but never again will I do such a thing

There is a such things as a 99 minute CDR (little more than 850MB). However, if you are buying them anywhere besides Japan, there is a good chance you will get some cheap CDs. As far as I am aware, the 99 min CDRs have yet to be sold officially outside of Japan.

SurXes · Post by **SurXes** » Mon Dec 31, 2001 11:41 am

i buy a 50 pack spinle for $20 [last time i went they were $20 anyway] they work fine dont need any jewl cases when i burn i almost all the time put them in those AOL cases they send you or a jewl cases laying around from a lost game or cd