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Burned DVDs (DVD-R discs) produce CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) error messages

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CD\DVD\Blu-ray drive/writer problem: Burned DVD-R discs produce CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) error messages

I am using a PC running Windows XP Home Edition, updated to the SP3 service pack and all subsequent security updates. I use Nero 6 Reloaded to burn DVDs, and all of a sudden I'm getting Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) errors from all of my recorded discs. The DVD writer used to work properly. It burns DVD-R discs at 8x (4x DVD-R DL - double-layer discs), but there is no brand-name on it. Can you tell me what could be causing this to happen?

Answer

You might be able to find out what the manufacturer of the drive is by having a look in the Windows Device Manager by clicking the + beside DVD/CD-ROM drives. (Enter devmgmt.msc in the Start => Run box to open the Device Manager. In Windows Vista, enter that command in the Start => Start Search box and in Windows 7 enter it in the Start => Search programs and files box.) Alternatively, you can use the free Belarc Advisor that creates an analysis of the hardware and software on a personal computer. Look under FREE DOWNLOAD on http://www.belarc.com/.

This is what the Belarc Advisor says about the DVD drive/writer and hard disk drive on my laptop PC:

Drives
97.40 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
57.37 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space
PHILIPS DVD-RAM SDVD8821 [CD-ROM drive]
TOSHIBA MK1032GSX [Hard drive] (100.03 GB) -- drive 0, s/n 467H1534S, rev AS021G,
SMART Status: Healthy

When you know the make/model of the writer, you should be able to visit its manufacturer's website for the drive's latest device driver and the latest firmware update (if one is available for that particular model). You should only use the firmware that is designed for use with a particular make and model of drive/writer, otherwise you could ruin the drive. It is always a good idea to have a DVD writer that is running the latest firmware, because it is what provides disc-compatibility. If a particular make (Verbatim) and format of disc (DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, etc) is included in the firmware, the drive will be able to use it, if not it probably won't be able to.

Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) error messages most commonly occur when a CD/DVD drive is trying to read data from a damaged CD or DVD. The drive will probably grind and whirl as it attempts to read the disc again and the PC may become slugglish. After trying several times, it gives up and displays the error message.

The problem can be hardware-related (loose cables, failing drive), software-related or damaged media (discs). Often just checking and cleaning the disc is the easiest way to overcome the problem. However, all of your discs are producing the error message, so cleaning probably won't work.

If different clean discs produce the error, it is probably a hardware issue. To find out if the discs are faulty, if possible, try using them in another drive.

Another common cause of the errors message is improperly burned CDs and DVDs - especially those that suffered buffer underuns. USB DVD burners can give rise to this problem if the burning speed is set too high, so setting the burning software to burn at a slower speed might fix the problem.

If your discs are damaged, you need a recovery tool if you want to recover your files. CDCheck 3 works for CDs and DVDs. Free for personal use, it checks the integrity of the disc and then provides you with the option to recover the files.

The writer might have developed a fatal fault. CD/DVD drives - even the best name-brand drives - can sometimes be functional one day and non-functional the next.

If the drive itself is not at fault and the discs themselves are not faulty, the first action to take when troubleshooting the burning of CDs or DVDs is to try burning them at a slower speed, because the maximum burning speed of the drive might be exceeding that of the discs. You set the burning speed in the burning software. If a slower speed corrects the problem, you may need to use that slower speed until your current stock of blank DVDs/CDs is used up. Then make sure when you buy new discs to obtain a type that specifically supports your DVD/CD burner's highest rated speed. It will say what burning speeds are supported on the disc-container's package label.

You don't say which brand(s) of discs you are using. Never buy cheap, no-brand discs. You should always buy brand-name discs. Not very long ago, Tom's Hardware Guide found that discs made by Verbatim were the most drive-compatible make.

Note that with the cheaper CD/DVD blank discs, a specified maximum burning speed isn't necessarily a guarantee that they'll function properly at the full burning speed.

If that doesn't work, try different burner software just to make sure that yours isn't to blame.

Before you spend money, try the excellent free program CDBurnerXP Pro 3 from http://www.cdburnerxp.se/. The critics are raving about it. "CDBurnerXP is a free application to burn CDs and DVDs, including Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs. It also includes the feature to burn and create ISOs, as well as a multilanguage interface. Everyone, even companies, can use it for free. It does not include adware or similar malicious components."

If it's not a software problem, try uninstalling and then reinstalling your current software, using the latest device drivers and firmware for the writer and any patches from the software vendor's site.

If the problem still occurs with discs that work on another PC, the cause is probably a hardware problem with the DVD writer. Perhaps its insides may be have collected large dust bunnies that can be the cause of otherwise unexplained drive errors. These can be removed by opening the tray to the drive and then blowing them loose and out with a can of compressed air that can be obtained from most good computer shops.

Open the case and make sure that the drive is very securely screwed to the case at all four points, because the vibrations caused during use can make a loose drive malfunction. Make sure that the screws that are being used are short, because it is possible to screw a drive's mechanism up by using fastening screws that are too long.

If none of the above suggestions work, the lens of the CD/DVD burner may be unclean.

Note that the chances of damaging the drive increase markedly if you have to mess about with its optical mechanism, but you may as well try using a lens-cleaning kit, because if using one doesn't work, you'll probably have to buy a new drive. DVD writers are very cheap. You can buy brand-name drives for under £20.

You can try using a search query such as clean + dvd + lens (as is) in a search engine to find cleaning advice and suitable vendors of the cleaning kits.

Note that the latest-standard Blu-ray writers are currently much more expensive, but most of them can also write to the recordable CD and DVD disc formats. A couple of years from now, you will probably be able to buy a Blu-ray writer for £20.

Here is an example:

LG GGW H20L Super Multi Blue Blu-ray writer - £135 (April 2009) -
Supported disc formats and writing speeds:
BD-RE / HD DVD-ROM combo drive - Internal - Serial ATA - Read speed: 40x (CD) / 12x (DVD±R) / 8x (DVD±R DL) / 6x (BD-R) / 4.8x (BD-R DL) / 3x (HD DVD) / 3x (HD DVD DL) - Write speed: 40x (CD) / 16x (DVD±R) / 4x (DVD±R DL) / 6x (BD-R) / 4x (BD-R DL) - Rewrite speed: 24x (CD) / 6x (DVD-RW) / 8x (DVD+RW) / 5x (DVD-RAM) / 2x (BD-RE) / 2x (BD-RE DL)