Seriously need some help here...!

MystiK · Post by **MystiK** » Sat Jul 12, 2003 3:59 pm

I made quite a few cds since i got my dreamcast last year, but it's been the same since. I definitely know how to burn them since i read about 25 tutorials on doing it, and they work. However the problem is that they either not work at all sometimes or they work right after i finish burn them and then the DC starts making screeching noises and i'll be brought back to the ''insert a game cd'' screen or it just keeps making the noise till i take it off. From there i'll probably get fedup and not try again, but later on i do and guess what? it works! But then the screeching noise returns after about 10 minutes of play, and it doesn't work again. Similar to the ''click noise of death'' i experienced when i had my iomega 100mb zip drive.
I use Imation 700mb cds which i assume is an ok brand and i always burn at 2x ( i used to burn at 40x but then i realised that was dumb). My DC is used but it plays originals flawlessly and like i said it plays homemade cds and backups when it damn well feels like it and then stops abruptly with that noise

. I check all my images for errors with isobuster or cdmage before burning and most of them were already tested on other dreamcasts and work fine.
Can someone please tell me whats wrong?

Tall Israeli · Post by **Tall Israeli** » Sat Jul 12, 2003 4:01 pm

Clean your lens and see if the game has scratches on them...?

MystiK · Post by **MystiK** » Sat Jul 12, 2003 4:14 pm

thank you. no scratches on any of them, how do i clean the lens?

(newbie)

farrell2k · Post by **farrell2k** » Sun Jul 13, 2003 1:21 am

A cotton swab (q-tip) and some alcohol.

MystiK · Post by **MystiK** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 1:06 am

thanks farrell and systematic
i cleaned the lens with a cd i got from fye (standard lens cleaner)
it only IMPROVED the situation cuz i now get like 20 mins of gameplay before it starts making the noise again. My next step is to use higher quality cds like sony or tdk, i guess imation isnt good enough.

The Kron · Post by **The Kron** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 2:39 am

Dont try to load the 'Backups' its killing the motor/lens assembly.

farrell2k · Post by **farrell2k** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 5:51 am

Imation is a good name. I have a lot of imation and maxell that work flawlessly. I would bet that replacing you GDROM drive would make things all better. Its probably on its last leg. Nothing lasts forever, ya know?

Firthy2002 · Post by **Firthy2002** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 10:09 am

it's probably the backups.

Chaniyth · Post by **Chaniyth** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 11:44 am

He's killed his Dreamcast with backups.

Don't be a loser, BUY the actual games next time.

MystiK · Post by **MystiK** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 6:46 pm

who said anything about backups?

u can get original games for $2.99 at EB (NBA 2K1, Tomb Raider LR)

Chaniyth · Post by **Chaniyth** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 7:53 pm

MystiK wrote:who said anything about backups?

u can get original games for $2.99 at EB (NBA 2K1, Tomb Raider LR)

It's just your GD-ROM drive issues seem like it was under heavy backups use. I mean only 1 years use and it's dead?

Kinda unlikely.

Anyways, you can buy new GD-ROM drive from Lik-Sang [- http://www.liksang.com -]

curt_grymala · Post by **curt_grymala** » Mon Jul 21, 2003 8:04 pm

MystiK wrote:who said anything about backups?

u can get original games for $2.99 at EB (NBA 2K1, Tomb Raider LR)

You did. In your original post, you said it plays homemade CD's and backups when it damn well feels like it.

Imation CD's are just fine. They work without any trouble. I don't know what the problem with your DC is, besides the fact that someone may have been playing backups with it. The DC will die very quickly if you try to play a commercial game burnt on to a CD-Rom. As has been said many times before, the DC is designed to read from the outside of the disc to the inside. Backups are burnt from the inside out, so the laser has to work extremely hard to get to all of the information. Also, the laser was not really designed to ever get all the way to the inside of the CD, which is where a lot of backups begin, so the laser will crap out very quickly when used that way.

MystiK · Post by **MystiK** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 11:24 pm

oh ok. I bought it from some Serbian people that were moving away, so that means they had it for about 2 years. They probably used backups 24/7 or something to be able to really deplete the life span of the DC like that, though i doubt it cuz they didnt seem to be...technically savvy.
It's impossible for the GD-ROM to be dying cuz it plays originals perfectly, but then again since nothing else seems to fix the problem..

i rather buy a psx if i have to spend $40

Kyosuke · Post by **Kyosuke** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 12:48 am

I've been using homebrews and Linux and my drives been fine, though sometimes if there's only one track of info on the cd it won't work since there has to be a first track/session which the DC automatically dismisses as music files. For some reason Amanda wouldn't work for me...ticked me off because I got addicted to the worm game it imitates.....

curt_grymala · Post by **curt_grymala** » Sat Jul 26, 2003 7:32 am

Are you using dummy files? Are you burning your discs at a reasonable speed? Sometimes if a disc has been burned too fast, or if it does not contain enough data on the CD, it will do what you are describing.