I have been having some strange results trying to burn CDs under CentOS. I don't think they are hardware related because I have had some success, in fact most of this usually works. I use k3b for most of my CD and DVD writing - it seems to work fairly well (well, except for wrecking my installation a few weeks ago when it crashed my installation and I had to reinstall to get it back, but that's old news). Yesterday, of my work desktop (32-bit), I tried to burn a CD with k3b. The system hung as soon as I clicked on the start button in the burn menu. I did not want another case of wrecked system, so I rebooted (no other way to interrupt it) and all went well, except that I didn't even try to burn the CD. (I used my other, backup desktop, and it worked fine over there - hmm....) Then, last night, on my home desktop (64-bit), which is usually solid as a rock, no problems whatsoever (I said "usually"), I had similar problems, though not quite as bad. I was trying to erase some CD-RWs, and I kept getting errors, both from k3b and cdrecord, claiming that they could not lock the drive for exclusive access (because another process was accessing the device). This is really annoying because I've tried this one several CD-RWs, and they all get the same error. Since k3b doesn't include a facility to add data to an already written CD or DVD unless there's a specific project for it (which I don't have 'cuz the CDs were written under Window$ or with projects I didn't keep). Any ideas/suggestions? Thanks. mhr
On Wed, 2008-12-31 at 10:27 -0800, MHR wrote:> I have been having some strange results trying to burn CDs under > CentOS. I don't think they are hardware related because I have had > some success, in fact most of this usually works. > > I use k3b for most of my CD and DVD writing - it seems to work fairly > well (well, except for wrecking my installation a few weeks ago when > it crashed my installation and I had to reinstall to get it back, but > that's old news). > > Yesterday, of my work desktop (32-bit), I tried to burn a CD with k3b. > The system hung as soon as I clicked on the start button in the burn > menu. I did not want another case of wrecked system, so I rebooted > (no other way to interrupt it) and all went well, except that I didn't > even try to burn the CD. (I used my other, backup desktop, and it > worked fine over there - hmm....) > > Then, last night, on my home desktop (64-bit), which is usually solid > as a rock, no problems whatsoever (I said "usually"), I had similar > problems, though not quite as bad. I was trying to erase some CD-RWs, > and I kept getting errors, both from k3b and cdrecord, claiming that > they could not lock the drive for exclusive access (because another > process was accessing the device). This is really annoying because > I've tried this one several CD-RWs, and they all get the same error. > Since k3b doesn't include a facility to add data to an already written > CD or DVD unless there's a specific project for it (which I don't have > 'cuz the CDs were written under Window$ or with projects I didn't > keep). > > Any ideas/suggestions?As to the "in use" part, I'll make a SWAG (Scientific Wild-Ass Guess). With a normal desktop, when you insert a CD/DVD that has something recognizable on it, an "automount" occurs that gives you access to the thing from your desktop. I know notthing about the k3*, so I don't know if the following is possible. Is it possible that it is mounted as another user? If it is mounted at all, does k3* allow you to erase, write, etc? I would think that it would need to be un-mounted for that to occur. That's all I can think of. Can you right-click on the icon and see what the system thinks about it? What does a mount command show?> > Thanks. > > mhr > <snip>Sorry I have nothing more knowledgeable. I always use the cdr tools for my stuff. HTH -- Bill
MHR wrote:> I have been having some strange results trying to burn CDs under > CentOS. I don't think they are hardware related because I have had > some success, in fact most of this usually works. >I use k3b with little problem. I do have to tell it to use TAO and to go at 8x. If I let it go auto, it would hang on me. I suspect it was not getting the 'right' hardware info and doing the wrong thing.> I use k3b for most of my CD and DVD writing - it seems to work fairly > well (well, except for wrecking my installation a few weeks ago when > it crashed my installation and I had to reinstall to get it back, but > that's old news). > > Yesterday, of my work desktop (32-bit), I tried to burn a CD with k3b. > The system hung as soon as I clicked on the start button in the burn > menu. I did not want another case of wrecked system, so I rebooted > (no other way to interrupt it) and all went well, except that I didn't > even try to burn the CD. (I used my other, backup desktop, and it > worked fine over there - hmm....) > > Then, last night, on my home desktop (64-bit), which is usually solid > as a rock, no problems whatsoever (I said "usually"), I had similar > problems, though not quite as bad. I was trying to erase some CD-RWs, > and I kept getting errors, both from k3b and cdrecord, claiming that > they could not lock the drive for exclusive access (because another > process was accessing the device). This is really annoying because > I've tried this one several CD-RWs, and they all get the same error. > Since k3b doesn't include a facility to add data to an already written > CD or DVD unless there's a specific project for it (which I don't have > 'cuz the CDs were written under Window$ or with projects I didn't > keep). > > Any ideas/suggestions? > > Thanks. > > mhr > _______________________________________________ > CentOS mailing list > CentOS at centos.org > http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos > >
On Wed, Dec 31, 2008 at 1:27 PM, MHR <mhullrich at gmail.com> wrote:> I have been having some strange results trying to burn CDs under > CentOS. I don't think they are hardware related because I have had > some success, in fact most of this usually works. > > I use k3b for most of my CD and DVD writing - it seems to work fairly > well (well, except for wrecking my installation a few weeks ago when > it crashed my installation and I had to reinstall to get it back, but > that's old news).I use k3b to burn CD-R and CD-RW media on my CentOS 5.2 (32 bit) box. Does not have a DVD burner, so I can't speak to burning DVD media with k3b. I do not see those issues. However, when I began having a variety of problems with this box, about 2 weeks ago, one of the symptoms was that k3b did not see media in the drive. There were also other symptoms, unrelated to k3b. Following my own advice, which I'd given to someone on the list, I opened the box and pushed down on all the connectors, RAM, etc. Poof..... All of the symptoms have gone away, and stayed away, with the exception of the 4 Diagnostic Lights on the motherboard are Yellow, undocumented, but apparently means mobo is damaged. Bottom line is I suggest that you open the box, and push down on all the connectors, RAM, etc. GL & Happy New Year!
MHR wrote: *snip*> > Any ideas/suggestions?I always just use the cli tool, and I always do the actual burn as root. To make a CD/DVD image I use - mkisofs -J -l -r -o foo.iso /path/to/some/directory To burn - which I do as root - I insert the media, wait a few seconds, then - cdrecord -dev=/dev/scd0 -speed=n -dao -pad -v foo.iso For data CDs if I pick a speed below 24x it does 24x anyway - not sure why, didn't with my old burner (ATAPI) but does with my SATA burner. With DVDs - I specify 4x. When burning AVI files to play on my DVD player (which supports divx on iso9660) if I burn at 8x - half the time the DVD player reports bad disk, but burn at 4x and it always works (DVD-R media) Don't let the screensaver pop on during a burn - I've had that ruin burns. Also burn as root. When I try burning as a non privileged user, it often fails. You can set the suid bit on cdrecord and burn as standard user, but that gets undone next yum update (I suppose you could write a suid wrapper script and throw it in /usr/local/bin ...) For audio CDs - last time I burned an audio CD was so long ago I don't remember, but I recall needing to make a TOC file and I think I used a different executable than cdrecord. Also - if running BitTorrent - shut it off. I've had burns ruined because BitTorrent was running. That may have been because I don't have a dedicated disk for the CD/DVD images, so the disk arm moving to read and send torrent bits may have been too slow to keep the burner buffer happily filled.
On Wed, Dec 31, 2008 at 1:27 PM, MHR <mhullrich at gmail.com> wrote:> I have been having some strange results trying to burn >CDs under > CentOS. I don't think they are hardware related >because I have had > some success, in fact most of this usually works. > > I use k3b for most of my CD and DVD writing - it seems to work fairly > well (well, except for wrecking my installation a fewI do have an issue with k3b (CentOS 5.2, 32 bit), but nothing grave. I cannot erase CD-RW media with k3b, most or all of the time. I ran into that last night. Went to M$ Windows and I was able to erase the 2 CD-RW media, without any problem. Then, I tried to burn the files (which are M$ Windows files) to the CD-RW media. No go and I wasted about 20-30 minutes, while it was in a loop or stalled on M$ Windows. Then, I went back to CentOS and I was able to burn the files, without any problems. :-) Not sure what is causing the issues. Nothing grave, such as borked your box recently.
On Wed, Dec 31, 2008 at 1:27 PM, MHR <mhullrich at gmail.com> wrote:> I have been having some strange results trying to burn CDs under > CentOS. I don't think they are hardware related because I have had > some success, in fact most of this usually works. > > I use k3b for most of my CD and DVD writing - it seems to work fairly > well (well, except for wrecking my installation a few weeks ago when > it crashed my installation and I had to reinstall to get it back, but > that's old news).<snip> A follow on to my previous replies about K3b. Yesterday, I purchased an LG DVD Burner for my Daughter's box. This morning I installed it and I tested it with K3b on CentOS 5 (32 bit). No problem writing a DVD with it. Since your problem is on your box at work and no problem on the other box you tested there, or, on your desktop at home, I wonder if there is some glitch in the drive in that box and that it is a HW issue. Or, some glitch with K3b on that box. If you are brave enough to uninstall K3b and then install it again, maybe the problem will go away. Do you have another DVD Burner at work you can install in that box, to see if you get the same results? My experience is that K3b is pretty solid. Also, maybe there is a problem with the EIDE cable to that drive? Have you checked to see that the connectors are seated properly?