Burning a CD-RW a 2x

[lazybum]

Ok. its gonna be long, so i apologise in advance.

I own a Philips Expanium 101 which plays CD-Rs and CD-RWs in audio or mp3-format.

So far, CD-Rs work fine. CD-RWs cause the problems.
I burn my CDs with Nero 6 in ISO 9660 and Joilet format.

I burn using an Imation 52x32x52 CD-writer.
CD-Rs, both mp3 and audio, work fine when i record even at top speed, 52x.
CD-RWs, audio or mp3 format, whether i burn at 4x or the max of 12x that my multi-speed (4x-10x) CD-RWs allow (Sony and Yamaha ones), my expanium reads at "No Disc".

I've sent my expanium for replacement. They changed the CD-drive. So now i'm almost positives its either my burner or CD-RWs. I'm guessing my CD-RWs. Because i read somwhere that expanium reads CD-RW at 2x only. Nero can't burn at 2x. The Windows XP burner can burn at 2x and i burnt my CD-RWs with it. But they were the multi-speed 4x-10x one. And my expanium still can't read.

I'm frustrated as hell. I bought my Exp in march and it still can't play CD-RW, something it should be able to do. I don't know if its my software, my hardware (i sure as heck hope not) or my CD-RWs.
Help!

[LTR12101B]

You are burning them the same way - like a CD-R, and not formatting, I presume?

Do they play ok on the PC?

The Firmware numbering for the drive - QSI3 - sounds like Liteon, so you may find that the drive can be used to scan the written media for quality using Kprobe or CDSpeed.

The player states it has CD-RW support (if it doesn't say so, then don't bank on it), so it should work.

You don't need to write at the reading speed, that's an old myth, dating back to when old drives and media DID produce a better burn at 1x that worked better in audio players (at 1x).

CD-RW media is far too variable - it is really hard to find any that will write well - I know, from having had a habit of buying a sample quantity whenever possible - 2 individual disks from anyone selling them singly.

[lazybum]

Yeah yeah i burn them the sameway as a CD-R.
CD-Rs work fine by CD-RWs give a "No Disc" Error.
They also work fine on the PC.

And the Expanium 101 is CD-RW compatible. Written on the device as well in the manual, and all over the web.

Tmr i'm gonna get some other CD-RW brands and try em out.
I mean, even if they can't work on my Expanium, at least i can put them to use somewhere else.
Thanx for the help mate.

[scarecrow]

You can only burn at 2X an old 1-4X RW, and most "ultra" modern drives cannot use those old 1-4X media at all (surely enough my Plextor premium can't, and even my Sony DRU-500 DVD-burner which is just "hi-speed" enabled CDRW drive has real trouble burning them, although in theory it can).

[lazybum]

So, is there any other alternatives? What should i try next?

[LTR12101B]

http://www.cdspeed2000.com/go.php3?link=cdspeed30.html

Since the Kprobe2 site seems to be down, I'd say try CDSpeed for media scanning - I'd say your Imation writer could be a rebranded Liteon, and if so, it'll work with this tool - then we can see if the write is poor, or if the player just doesn't like reading it.

Sony & Yamaha - I don't know their CD-RW - I've had reasonable results with Traxdata in the past.

Memorex - AVOID - they have been without a doubt, the worst CD-RW media I have ever had the misfortune to come across - unusable in BOTH my current drives.