How to unformat CD-RW to blank state?

How can I unformat a 3-inch CD-RW disk to a blank (virgin) state?

I hope to unformat some disks so I can run diagnostic tests.
I do not want to recover data, file structure, or anything else.
I hope to make the disks appear never to have been formatted.
I do not want to buy new disks.

Problem symptoms:
I have a new Plextor PX-716A drive which will format, read, and write
to a 3-inch 24-minute CD-RW disk IF the disk has never been touched by
my Yamaha CRW-F1E drive. If the CRW-F1E has formatted, erased, or
written to the CD-RW disk, then the disk is completely unusable in the
PX-716A: "My Computer" is unresponsive and its drive/file view is
blank, until I manually eject the disk. No disk drives or anything
else appears in that part of the window.This happens only for 3-inch
CD-RW disks.

I use Windows XP Home SP2 and Nero InCD 4 version 4.3.20.1 software.
I do not use Mt Ranier format: Its InCD 4 Options checkbox is blank.

Russell May

Russell May wrote

How can I unformat a 3-inch CD-RW disk to a blank (virgin) state?

You cant.

I hope to unformat some disks so I can run diagnostic tests.
I do not want to recover data, file structure, or anything else.
I hope to make the disks appear never to have been formatted.
I do not want to buy new disks.

There is no alternative.

Problem symptoms:
I have a new Plextor PX-716A drive which will format, read, and write
to a 3-inch 24-minute CD-RW disk IF the disk has never been touched by
my Yamaha CRW-F1E drive. If the CRW-F1E has formatted, erased, or
written to the CD-RW disk, then the disk is completely unusable in the
PX-716A: "My Computer" is unresponsive and its drive/file view is blank,
until I manually eject the disk. No disk drives or anything else appears in
that part of the window.This happens only for 3-inch CD-RW disks.

I use Windows XP Home SP2 and Nero InCD 4 version 4.3.20.1 software.
I do not use Mt Ranier format: Its InCD 4 Options checkbox is blank.

See what happens if you dont use InCD.

On Fri, 19 Aug 2005 18:37:37 +1000, "Rod Speed"
wrote:

Russell May wrote

How can I unformat a 3-inch CD-RW disk to a blank (virgin) state?

You cant.

I hope to unformat some disks so I can run diagnostic tests.
I do not want to recover data, file structure, or anything else.
I hope to make the disks appear never to have been formatted.
I do not want to buy new disks.

There is no alternative.

I have only a couple of unformatted 3-inch CD-RW disks, so I don't
want to let the CRW-F1E touch them until I determine what is causing
the problem. The minimum purchase for Plextor-recommended 3-inch CD-RW
disks is of 50 disks, which would be a lifetime supply for me.

I can buy a pack of five 3-inch CD-RW disks locally and inexpensively,
but they are Memorex brand which is not recommended by Plextor. That
is the type of 3-inch CD-RW disks which I have. The PX-716A could be
slightly incompatible with them despite being able to format, write,
and read them if they have not been touched by the CRW-F1E.

Several brands of 21-minute CD-RW disks are recommended by Plextor.
Only Ritek brand of 24-minute CD-RW disks is recommended by Plextor.
I have not found any vendor anywhere which sells them.

Problem symptoms:
I have a new Plextor PX-716A drive which will format, read, and write
to a 3-inch 24-minute CD-RW disk IF the disk has never been touched by
my Yamaha CRW-F1E drive. If the CRW-F1E has formatted, erased, or
written to the CD-RW disk, then the disk is completely unusable in the
PX-716A: "My Computer" is unresponsive and its drive/file view is blank,
until I manually eject the disk. No disk drives or anything else appears in
that part of the window.This happens only for 3-inch CD-RW disks.

I use Windows XP Home SP2 and Nero InCD 4 version 4.3.20.1 software.
I do not use Mt Ranier format: Its InCD 4 Options checkbox is blank.

See what happens if you dont use InCD.


Which of these are you recommending?
1. Burn a formatted 3-inch CD-RW disk in the CRW-F1E as if the disk
were a CD-R, for example via Nero Burning ROM. See whether the disk is
usable by the PX-716A.
2. Uninstall InCD 4 and install the Roxio Drag-to-Disc packet writing
software. Format a 3-inch CD-RW disk with the CRW-F1E via the Roxio
Drag-to-Disc software. See whether the disk is usable by the PX-716A.
3. Something else. If so, what?

Today I will reformat and write a couple of 3-inch CD-RW disks on the
two CD drives on my computer at work using InCD 4, and see whether
they are usable by the PX-716A. That might help to determine whether
the problem is mainly from the PX-716A or the CRW-F1E.

Russell May wrote
Rod Speed wrote
Russell May wrote

How can I unformat a 3-inch CD-RW disk to a blank (virgin) state?

You cant.

I hope to unformat some disks so I can run diagnostic tests.
I do not want to recover data, file structure, or anything else.
I hope to make the disks appear never to have been formatted.
I do not want to buy new disks.

There is no alternative.

I have only a couple of unformatted 3-inch CD-RW disks, so I don't
want to let the CRW-F1E touch them until I determine what is causing
the problem. The minimum purchase for Plextor-recommended 3-inch
CD-RW disks is of 50 disks, which would be a lifetime supply for me.

Yes, there have always been real downsides with testing CD
burners when the problem isnt completely black and white.

I can buy a pack of five 3-inch CD-RW disks locally and inexpensively,
but they are Memorex brand which is not recommended by Plextor.
That is the type of 3-inch CD-RW disks which I have. The PX-716A
could be slightly incompatible with them despite being able to format,
write, and read them if they have not been touched by the CRW-F1E.

Several brands of 21-minute CD-RW disks are recommended by Plextor.
Only Ritek brand of 24-minute CD-RW disks is recommended by Plextor.
I have not found any vendor anywhere which sells them.

That doesnt alter the fact that there is no
way to get a CDRW back to the virgin state.

Problem symptoms:
I have a new Plextor PX-716A drive which will format, read, and write
to a 3-inch 24-minute CD-RW disk IF the disk has never been touched
by my Yamaha CRW-F1E drive. If the CRW-F1E has formatted, erased,
or written to the CD-RW disk, then the disk is completely unusable in
the PX-716A: "My Computer" is unresponsive and its drive/file view
is blank, until I manually eject the disk. No disk drives or anything
else appears in that part of the window.This happens only
for 3-inch CD-RW disks.

I use Windows XP Home SP2 and Nero InCD 4 version 4.3.20.1 software.
I do not use Mt Ranier format: Its InCD 4 Options checkbox is blank.

See what happens if you dont use InCD.

Which of these are you recommending?
1. Burn a formatted 3-inch CD-RW disk in the CRW-F1E
as if the disk were a CD-R, for example via Nero Burning
ROM. See whether the disk is usable by the PX-716A.

That will do fine.

2. Uninstall InCD 4 and install the Roxio Drag-to-Disc packet writing
software. Format a 3-inch CD-RW disk with the CRW-F1E via the Roxio
Drag-to-Disc software. See whether the disk is usable by the PX-716A.

I wouldnt go that route until 1 works fine.

3. Something else. If so, what?

Today I will reformat and write a couple of 3-inch CD-RW disks on the
two CD drives on my computer at work using InCD 4, and see whether
they are usable by the PX-716A. That might help to determine whether
the problem is mainly from the PX-716A or the CRW-F1E.

Yes, thats certainly worth trying if you still see the problem with Nero
itself. There are certainly some faults in a cd burner which only affect
the initial formatting of the virgin blank, tho they usually produce a
different symptom, failure to complete the initial format.

The main reason for seeing what happens without InCD
is that those packet writing systems are notorious for
having more problems than the other way of writing CDs.

"Russell May" wrote in message
...
How can I unformat a 3-inch CD-RW disk to a blank (virgin) state?

I hope to unformat some disks so I can run diagnostic tests.
I do not want to recover data, file structure, or anything else.
I hope to make the disks appear never to have been formatted.
I do not want to buy new disks.

Problem symptoms:
I have a new Plextor PX-716A drive which will format, read, and write
to a 3-inch 24-minute CD-RW disk IF the disk has never been touched by
my Yamaha CRW-F1E drive. If the CRW-F1E has formatted, erased, or
written to the CD-RW disk, then the disk is completely unusable in the
PX-716A: "My Computer" is unresponsive and its drive/file view is
blank, until I manually eject the disk. No disk drives or anything
else appears in that part of the window.This happens only for 3-inch
CD-RW disks.

I use Windows XP Home SP2 and Nero InCD 4 version 4.3.20.1 software.
I do not use Mt Ranier format: Its InCD 4 Options checkbox is blank.

Russell May

Why can`t you just Erase the CDRWs ?.

On Sat, 20 Aug 2005 04:58:22 +1000, "Rod Speed"
wrote:

Russell May wrote
Rod Speed wrote
Russell May wrote

How can I unformat a 3-inch CD-RW disk to a blank (virgin) state?

You cant.

I hope to unformat some disks so I can run diagnostic tests.
I do not want to recover data, file structure, or anything else.
I hope to make the disks appear never to have been formatted.
I do not want to buy new disks.

There is no alternative.

I have only a couple of unformatted 3-inch CD-RW disks, so I don't
want to let the CRW-F1E touch them until I determine what is causing
the problem. The minimum purchase for Plextor-recommended 3-inch
CD-RW disks is of 50 disks, which would be a lifetime supply for me.

Yes, there have always been real downsides with testing CD
burners when the problem isnt completely black and white.

I can buy a pack of five 3-inch CD-RW disks locally and inexpensively,
but they are Memorex brand which is not recommended by Plextor.
That is the type of 3-inch CD-RW disks which I have. The PX-716A
could be slightly incompatible with them despite being able to format,
write, and read them if they have not been touched by the CRW-F1E.

Several brands of 21-minute CD-RW disks are recommended by Plextor.
Only Ritek brand of 24-minute CD-RW disks is recommended by Plextor.
I have not found any vendor anywhere which sells them.

That doesnt alter the fact that there is no
way to get a CDRW back to the virgin state.

Problem symptoms:
I have a new Plextor PX-716A drive which will format, read, and write
to a 3-inch 24-minute CD-RW disk IF the disk has never been touched
by my Yamaha CRW-F1E drive. If the CRW-F1E has formatted, erased,
or written to the CD-RW disk, then the disk is completely unusable in
the PX-716A: "My Computer" is unresponsive and its drive/file view
is blank, until I manually eject the disk. No disk drives or anything
else appears in that part of the window.This happens only
for 3-inch CD-RW disks.

I use Windows XP Home SP2 and Nero InCD 4 version 4.3.20.1 software.
I do not use Mt Ranier format: Its InCD 4 Options checkbox is blank.

See what happens if you dont use InCD.

Which of these are you recommending?
1. Burn a formatted 3-inch CD-RW disk in the CRW-F1E
as if the disk were a CD-R, for example via Nero Burning
ROM. See whether the disk is usable by the PX-716A.

That will do fine.

2. Uninstall InCD 4 and install the Roxio Drag-to-Disc packet writing
software. Format a 3-inch CD-RW disk with the CRW-F1E via the Roxio
Drag-to-Disc software. See whether the disk is usable by the PX-716A.

I wouldnt go that route until 1 works fine.

3. Something else. If so, what?

Today I will reformat and write a couple of 3-inch CD-RW disks on the
two CD drives on my computer at work using InCD 4, and see whether
they are usable by the PX-716A. That might help to determine whether
the problem is mainly from the PX-716A or the CRW-F1E.

Yes, thats certainly worth trying if you still see the problem with Nero
itself. There are certainly some faults in a cd burner which only affect
the initial formatting of the virgin blank, tho they usually produce a
different symptom, failure to complete the initial format.

The main reason for seeing what happens without InCD
is that those packet writing systems are notorious for
having more problems than the other way of writing CDs.

I tried your first suggestion. No go. Then I erased a disk with the
CRW-F1E and tried to write to it with Nero Burning ROM. No go.
I uninstalled InCD and tried that again. No go. The 3-inch CD-RW disks
formatted and written at work can be read by the PX-716A and sometimes
written by it, but unreliably. Nothing works. Everything eventually
results in the disk being marked as read-only, or a data I/O error;
usually followed by the disk not being recognizable, sometimes by
either drive. Nothing works.

I am now pretty much convinced the Memorex 3-inch CD-RW disks are
simply incompatible with my Plextor PX-716A. That's disappointing but
it is not a big problem because I can use them in the Yamaha CRW-F1E,
as I have done for 2-3 years. I discovered the problem when I tried to
use a 3-inch CD-RW in both drives. I just can't do that.

Russell May

Russell May wrote:
On Sat, 20 Aug 2005 04:58:22 +1000, "Rod Speed"
wrote:

Russell May wrote
Rod Speed wrote
Russell May wrote

How can I unformat a 3-inch CD-RW disk to a blank (virgin) state?

You cant.

I hope to unformat some disks so I can run diagnostic tests.
I do not want to recover data, file structure, or anything else.
I hope to make the disks appear never to have been formatted.
I do not want to buy new disks.

There is no alternative.

I have only a couple of unformatted 3-inch CD-RW disks, so I don't
want to let the CRW-F1E touch them until I determine what is causing
the problem. The minimum purchase for Plextor-recommended 3-inch
CD-RW disks is of 50 disks, which would be a lifetime supply for me.

Yes, there have always been real downsides with testing CD
burners when the problem isnt completely black and white.

I can buy a pack of five 3-inch CD-RW disks locally and
inexpensively, but they are Memorex brand which is not recommended
by Plextor.
That is the type of 3-inch CD-RW disks which I have. The PX-716A
could be slightly incompatible with them despite being able to
format, write, and read them if they have not been touched by the
CRW-F1E.

Several brands of 21-minute CD-RW disks are recommended by Plextor.
Only Ritek brand of 24-minute CD-RW disks is recommended by Plextor.
I have not found any vendor anywhere which sells them.

That doesnt alter the fact that there is no
way to get a CDRW back to the virgin state.

Problem symptoms:
I have a new Plextor PX-716A drive which will format, read, and
write to a 3-inch 24-minute CD-RW disk IF the disk has never been
touched by my Yamaha CRW-F1E drive. If the CRW-F1E has formatted,
erased,
or written to the CD-RW disk, then the disk is completely
unusable in the PX-716A: "My Computer" is unresponsive and its
drive/file view is blank, until I manually eject the disk. No
disk drives or anything else appears in that part of the
window.This happens only
for 3-inch CD-RW disks.

I use Windows XP Home SP2 and Nero InCD 4 version 4.3.20.1
software. I do not use Mt Ranier format: Its InCD 4 Options
checkbox is blank.

See what happens if you dont use InCD.

Which of these are you recommending?
1. Burn a formatted 3-inch CD-RW disk in the CRW-F1E
as if the disk were a CD-R, for example via Nero Burning
ROM. See whether the disk is usable by the PX-716A.

That will do fine.

2. Uninstall InCD 4 and install the Roxio Drag-to-Disc packet
writing software. Format a 3-inch CD-RW disk with the CRW-F1E via
the Roxio Drag-to-Disc software. See whether the disk is usable by
the PX-716A.

I wouldnt go that route until 1 works fine.

3. Something else. If so, what?

Today I will reformat and write a couple of 3-inch CD-RW disks on
the two CD drives on my computer at work using InCD 4, and see
whether they are usable by the PX-716A. That might help to
determine whether the problem is mainly from the PX-716A or the
CRW-F1E.

Yes, thats certainly worth trying if you still see the problem with
Nero itself. There are certainly some faults in a cd burner which
only affect the initial formatting of the virgin blank, tho they
usually produce a different symptom, failure to complete the initial
format.

The main reason for seeing what happens without InCD
is that those packet writing systems are notorious for
having more problems than the other way of writing CDs.

I tried your first suggestion. No go. Then I erased a disk with the
CRW-F1E and tried to write to it with Nero Burning ROM. No go.
I uninstalled InCD and tried that again. No go. The 3-inch CD-RW disks
formatted and written at work can be read by the PX-716A and sometimes
written by it, but unreliably. Nothing works. Everything eventually
results in the disk being marked as read-only, or a data I/O error;
usually followed by the disk not being recognizable, sometimes by
either drive. Nothing works.

I am now pretty much convinced the Memorex 3-inch CD-RW
disks are simply incompatible with my Plextor PX-716A.

It cant be that.

That's disappointing but it is not a big problem because
I can use them in the Yamaha CRW-F1E, as I have done
for 2-3 years. I discovered the problem when I tried to
use a 3-inch CD-RW in both drives. I just can't do that.

On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 14:16:46 +1000, "Rod Speed"
wrote:

Russell May wrote:
On Sat, 20 Aug 2005 04:58:22 +1000, "Rod Speed"
wrote:

Russell May wrote
Rod Speed wrote
Russell May wrote

How can I unformat a 3-inch CD-RW disk to a blank (virgin) state?

You cant.

I hope to unformat some disks so I can run diagnostic tests.
I do not want to recover data, file structure, or anything else.
I hope to make the disks appear never to have been formatted.
I do not want to buy new disks.

There is no alternative.

I have only a couple of unformatted 3-inch CD-RW disks, so I don't
want to let the CRW-F1E touch them until I determine what is causing
the problem. The minimum purchase for Plextor-recommended 3-inch
CD-RW disks is of 50 disks, which would be a lifetime supply for me.

Yes, there have always been real downsides with testing CD
burners when the problem isnt completely black and white.

I can buy a pack of five 3-inch CD-RW disks locally and
inexpensively, but they are Memorex brand which is not recommended
by Plextor.
That is the type of 3-inch CD-RW disks which I have. The PX-716A
could be slightly incompatible with them despite being able to
format, write, and read them if they have not been touched by the
CRW-F1E.

Several brands of 21-minute CD-RW disks are recommended by Plextor.
Only Ritek brand of 24-minute CD-RW disks is recommended by Plextor.
I have not found any vendor anywhere which sells them.

That doesnt alter the fact that there is no
way to get a CDRW back to the virgin state.

Problem symptoms:
I have a new Plextor PX-716A drive which will format, read, and
write to a 3-inch 24-minute CD-RW disk IF the disk has never been
touched by my Yamaha CRW-F1E drive. If the CRW-F1E has formatted,
erased,
or written to the CD-RW disk, then the disk is completely
unusable in the PX-716A: "My Computer" is unresponsive and its
drive/file view is blank, until I manually eject the disk. No
disk drives or anything else appears in that part of the
window.This happens only
for 3-inch CD-RW disks.

I use Windows XP Home SP2 and Nero InCD 4 version 4.3.20.1
software. I do not use Mt Ranier format: Its InCD 4 Options
checkbox is blank.

See what happens if you dont use InCD.

Which of these are you recommending?
1. Burn a formatted 3-inch CD-RW disk in the CRW-F1E
as if the disk were a CD-R, for example via Nero Burning
ROM. See whether the disk is usable by the PX-716A.

That will do fine.

2. Uninstall InCD 4 and install the Roxio Drag-to-Disc packet
writing software. Format a 3-inch CD-RW disk with the CRW-F1E via
the Roxio Drag-to-Disc software. See whether the disk is usable by
the PX-716A.

I wouldnt go that route until 1 works fine.

3. Something else. If so, what?

Today I will reformat and write a couple of 3-inch CD-RW disks on
the two CD drives on my computer at work using InCD 4, and see
whether they are usable by the PX-716A. That might help to
determine whether the problem is mainly from the PX-716A or the
CRW-F1E.

Yes, thats certainly worth trying if you still see the problem with
Nero itself. There are certainly some faults in a cd burner which
only affect the initial formatting of the virgin blank, tho they
usually produce a different symptom, failure to complete the initial
format.

The main reason for seeing what happens without InCD
is that those packet writing systems are notorious for
having more problems than the other way of writing CDs.

I tried your first suggestion. No go. Then I erased a disk with the
CRW-F1E and tried to write to it with Nero Burning ROM. No go.
I uninstalled InCD and tried that again. No go. The 3-inch CD-RW disks
formatted and written at work can be read by the PX-716A and sometimes
written by it, but unreliably. Nothing works. Everything eventually
results in the disk being marked as read-only, or a data I/O error;
usually followed by the disk not being recognizable, sometimes by
either drive. Nothing works.

I am now pretty much convinced the Memorex 3-inch CD-RW
disks are simply incompatible with my Plextor PX-716A.

It cant be that.

That's disappointing but it is not a big problem because
I can use them in the Yamaha CRW-F1E, as I have done
for 2-3 years. I discovered the problem when I tried to
use a 3-inch CD-RW in both drives. I just can't do that.


When the 3-inch CD-RW disk is inserted, the drive pauses for several
seconds, then blinks amber twice -- pauses -- blinks twice -- etc.
That Plextor blink code is for "Auto adjustment failed" -- "Cannot
read a stamped disc or initialize a CD-R/RW disc because the drive
cannot properly configure the focus and track adjustment settings".
Plextor solutions include "If this is a recordable or rewritable disc,
try another one from a different manufacturer".

An obvious next step would be to try some Plextor-recommended 3-inch
CD-RW disks. I unwilling to buy them now. The PX-716A drive seems to
work okay for my other media, and my other drive works okay for the
Memorex 3-inch CD-RW disks, so it's not extremely important for me to
troubleshoot much more.

If you have any other suggestions, I would certainly appreciate them.

Russell May wrote
Rod Speed wrote
Russell May wrote
Rod Speed wrote
Russell May wrote
Rod Speed wrote
Russell May wrote

How can I unformat a 3-inch CD-RW disk to a blank (virgin) state?

You cant.

I hope to unformat some disks so I can run diagnostic tests.
I do not want to recover data, file structure, or anything else.
I hope to make the disks appear never to have been formatted.
I do not want to buy new disks.

There is no alternative.

I have only a couple of unformatted 3-inch CD-RW disks, so I don't
want to let the CRW-F1E touch them until I determine what is
causing the problem. The minimum purchase for Plextor-recommended
3-inch CD-RW disks is of 50 disks, which would be a lifetime
supply for me.

Yes, there have always been real downsides with testing CD
burners when the problem isnt completely black and white.

I can buy a pack of five 3-inch CD-RW disks locally and
inexpensively, but they are Memorex brand which is not recommended
by Plextor.
That is the type of 3-inch CD-RW disks which I have. The PX-716A
could be slightly incompatible with them despite being able to
format, write, and read them if they have not been touched by the
CRW-F1E.

Several brands of 21-minute CD-RW disks are recommended by
Plextor. Only Ritek brand of 24-minute CD-RW disks is recommended
by Plextor. I have not found any vendor anywhere which sells them.

That doesnt alter the fact that there is no
way to get a CDRW back to the virgin state.

Problem symptoms:
I have a new Plextor PX-716A drive which will format, read, and
write to a 3-inch 24-minute CD-RW disk IF the disk has never
been touched by my Yamaha CRW-F1E drive. If the CRW-F1E has
formatted, erased,
or written to the CD-RW disk, then the disk is completely
unusable in the PX-716A: "My Computer" is unresponsive and its
drive/file view is blank, until I manually eject the disk. No
disk drives or anything else appears in that part of the
window.This happens only
for 3-inch CD-RW disks.

I use Windows XP Home SP2 and Nero InCD 4 version 4.3.20.1
software. I do not use Mt Ranier format: Its InCD 4 Options
checkbox is blank.

See what happens if you dont use InCD.

Which of these are you recommending?
1. Burn a formatted 3-inch CD-RW disk in the CRW-F1E
as if the disk were a CD-R, for example via Nero Burning
ROM. See whether the disk is usable by the PX-716A.

That will do fine.

2. Uninstall InCD 4 and install the Roxio Drag-to-Disc packet
writing software. Format a 3-inch CD-RW disk with the CRW-F1E via
the Roxio Drag-to-Disc software. See whether the disk is usable by
the PX-716A.

I wouldnt go that route until 1 works fine.

3. Something else. If so, what?

Today I will reformat and write a couple of 3-inch CD-RW disks on
the two CD drives on my computer at work using InCD 4, and see
whether they are usable by the PX-716A. That might help to
determine whether the problem is mainly from the PX-716A or the
CRW-F1E.

Yes, thats certainly worth trying if you still see the problem with
Nero itself. There are certainly some faults in a cd burner which
only affect the initial formatting of the virgin blank, tho they
usually produce a different symptom, failure to complete the
initial format.

The main reason for seeing what happens without InCD
is that those packet writing systems are notorious for
having more problems than the other way of writing CDs.

I tried your first suggestion. No go. Then I erased a disk with the
CRW-F1E and tried to write to it with Nero Burning ROM. No go.
I uninstalled InCD and tried that again. No go. The 3-inch CD-RW
disks formatted and written at work can be read by the PX-716A and
sometimes written by it, but unreliably. Nothing works. Everything
eventually results in the disk being marked as read-only, or a data
I/O error; usually followed by the disk not being recognizable,
sometimes by either drive. Nothing works.

I am now pretty much convinced the Memorex 3-inch CD-RW
disks are simply incompatible with my Plextor PX-716A.

It cant be that.

That's disappointing but it is not a big problem because
I can use them in the Yamaha CRW-F1E, as I have done
for 2-3 years. I discovered the problem when I tried to
use a 3-inch CD-RW in both drives. I just can't do that.

When the 3-inch CD-RW disk is inserted, the drive pauses for several
seconds, then blinks amber twice -- pauses -- blinks twice -- etc.
That Plextor blink code is for "Auto adjustment failed" -- "Cannot
read a stamped disc or initialize a CD-R/RW disc because the drive
cannot properly configure the focus and track adjustment settings".
Plextor solutions include "If this is a recordable or rewritable disc,
try another one from a different manufacturer".

Its more complicated than that because you have said
that they are fine if they havent been in the Yamaha.

An obvious next step would be to try some Plextor-recommended
3-inch CD-RW disks. I unwilling to buy them now. The PX-716A
drive seems to work okay for my other media, and my other drive
works okay for the Memorex 3-inch CD-RW disks, so it's not
extremely important for me to troubleshoot much more.

Sure, but thats a separate matter to what the problem is.

If you have any other suggestions, I would certainly appreciate them.

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 04:18:46 +1000, "Rod Speed"
wrote:

Russell May wrote
Rod Speed wrote
Russell May wrote
Rod Speed wrote
Russell May wrote
Rod Speed wrote
Russell May wrote

How can I unformat a 3-inch CD-RW disk to a blank (virgin) state?

You cant.

I hope to unformat some disks so I can run diagnostic tests.
I do not want to recover data, file structure, or anything else.
I hope to make the disks appear never to have been formatted.
I do not want to buy new disks.

There is no alternative.

I have only a couple of unformatted 3-inch CD-RW disks, so I don't
want to let the CRW-F1E touch them until I determine what is
causing the problem. The minimum purchase for Plextor-recommended
3-inch CD-RW disks is of 50 disks, which would be a lifetime
supply for me.

Yes, there have always been real downsides with testing CD
burners when the problem isnt completely black and white.

I can buy a pack of five 3-inch CD-RW disks locally and
inexpensively, but they are Memorex brand which is not recommended
by Plextor.
That is the type of 3-inch CD-RW disks which I have. The PX-716A
could be slightly incompatible with them despite being able to
format, write, and read them if they have not been touched by the
CRW-F1E.

Several brands of 21-minute CD-RW disks are recommended by
Plextor. Only Ritek brand of 24-minute CD-RW disks is recommended
by Plextor. I have not found any vendor anywhere which sells them.

That doesnt alter the fact that there is no
way to get a CDRW back to the virgin state.

Problem symptoms:
I have a new Plextor PX-716A drive which will format, read, and
write to a 3-inch 24-minute CD-RW disk IF the disk has never
been touched by my Yamaha CRW-F1E drive. If the CRW-F1E has
formatted, erased,
or written to the CD-RW disk, then the disk is completely
unusable in the PX-716A: "My Computer" is unresponsive and its
drive/file view is blank, until I manually eject the disk. No
disk drives or anything else appears in that part of the
window.This happens only
for 3-inch CD-RW disks.

I use Windows XP Home SP2 and Nero InCD 4 version 4.3.20.1
software. I do not use Mt Ranier format: Its InCD 4 Options
checkbox is blank.

See what happens if you dont use InCD.

Which of these are you recommending?
1. Burn a formatted 3-inch CD-RW disk in the CRW-F1E
as if the disk were a CD-R, for example via Nero Burning
ROM. See whether the disk is usable by the PX-716A.

That will do fine.

2. Uninstall InCD 4 and install the Roxio Drag-to-Disc packet
writing software. Format a 3-inch CD-RW disk with the CRW-F1E via
the Roxio Drag-to-Disc software. See whether the disk is usable by
the PX-716A.

I wouldnt go that route until 1 works fine.

3. Something else. If so, what?

Today I will reformat and write a couple of 3-inch CD-RW disks on
the two CD drives on my computer at work using InCD 4, and see
whether they are usable by the PX-716A. That might help to
determine whether the problem is mainly from the PX-716A or the
CRW-F1E.

Yes, thats certainly worth trying if you still see the problem with
Nero itself. There are certainly some faults in a cd burner which
only affect the initial formatting of the virgin blank, tho they
usually produce a different symptom, failure to complete the
initial format.

The main reason for seeing what happens without InCD
is that those packet writing systems are notorious for
having more problems than the other way of writing CDs.

I tried your first suggestion. No go. Then I erased a disk with the
CRW-F1E and tried to write to it with Nero Burning ROM. No go.
I uninstalled InCD and tried that again. No go. The 3-inch CD-RW
disks formatted and written at work can be read by the PX-716A and
sometimes written by it, but unreliably. Nothing works. Everything
eventually results in the disk being marked as read-only, or a data
I/O error; usually followed by the disk not being recognizable,
sometimes by either drive. Nothing works.

I am now pretty much convinced the Memorex 3-inch CD-RW
disks are simply incompatible with my Plextor PX-716A.

It cant be that.

That's disappointing but it is not a big problem because
I can use them in the Yamaha CRW-F1E, as I have done
for 2-3 years. I discovered the problem when I tried to
use a 3-inch CD-RW in both drives. I just can't do that.

When the 3-inch CD-RW disk is inserted, the drive pauses for several
seconds, then blinks amber twice -- pauses -- blinks twice -- etc.
That Plextor blink code is for "Auto adjustment failed" -- "Cannot
read a stamped disc or initialize a CD-R/RW disc because the drive
cannot properly configure the focus and track adjustment settings".
Plextor solutions include "If this is a recordable or rewritable disc,
try another one from a different manufacturer".

Its more complicated than that because you have said
that they are fine if they havent been in the Yamaha.

An obvious next step would be to try some Plextor-recommended
3-inch CD-RW disks. I unwilling to buy them now. The PX-716A
drive seems to work okay for my other media, and my other drive
works okay for the Memorex 3-inch CD-RW disks, so it's not
extremely important for me to troubleshoot much more.

Sure, but thats a separate matter to what the problem is.

If you have any other suggestions, I would certainly appreciate them.

From above: "The 3-inch CD-RW disks formatted and written at work can
be read by the PX-716A and sometimes written by it, but unreliably.
Nothing works. Everything eventually results in the disk being marked
as read-only, or a data I/O error; usually followed by the disk not
being recognizable, sometimes by either drive."

I forgot to mention that once the failure caused the computer to
become unresponsive. I had to reset the computer.

The Plextor drive did format and write nearly all of the virgin disk,
but maybe I did not try enough operations with it to cause a failure.
I observed this on Friday and verified it on Monday: On two disks that
I formatted and wrote at work, I got one to three operations each
(where I wrote a file and then tried to read it) on the PX-716A before
failure. The Yamaha drive was not involved until after the failure,
when I tried to read the disk with it.