# Can't erase DVD-RW disc!!!



## cg1349

I have a DVD-RW disc that for some reason won't erase. I've tried 3 different dvd softwares and none of them can erase the disc. It gives errors saying the disc is not eraseable, which is stupid because it is eraseable.  Are these DVD-RW discs stable at all??? What can I do to erase them???


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## patrickv

Have you even tried another type of media bro ?
i mean some media can be deffective, have many have you popped in so far ?
can you erase a cd-rw also ? 
This may help to know if your media is bad/defective or you have a problem with your dvd device


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## cg1349

patrickv said:


> Have you even tried another type of media bro ?
> i mean some media can be deffective, have many have you popped in so far ?
> can you erase a cd-rw also ?
> This may help to know if your media is bad/defective or you have a problem with your dvd device



Yes, I tried it with another DVD-RW disc and this one did erase successfully.  I guess the first disc was corrupted because it wasn't readable as well.  I was being stubborn trying to erase the first disc, it seems like a waste of money to just throw them away.  So everything works fine now and can now erase multiple discs easily.


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## Droogie

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you just write over the data that's already on the DVD-RW.  I don't think you can just simply delete things from it.  Not sure though.


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## sg1

There's a process which some DVD software uses called "finalizing" the disk, I don't do it myself but I was told that it makes the disk undeletable. Maybe that's what happened??


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## jdbennet

also they are not infinate

they can only survive a few erases because each  time it  burns some of the surface off


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## patrickv

sg1 said:


> There's a process which some DVD software uses called "finalizing" the disk, I don't do it myself but I was told that it makes the disk undeletable. Maybe that's what happened??



it's a dvd-rw so it should not be a problem even though you finalize it, or close your session, in the end it's erasable. I've never had any problems with rw's be it + or _.



> Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you just write over the data that's already on the DVD-RW. I don't think you can just simply delete things from it. Not sure though.


Depends on the software suite, it will ask you if you want to erase the disk.
Yes you can delete things from it


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## sg1

Can you reformat the DVDRW disk and then it would be wiped surely ? it works with CDRW disks because I have just this second done it to prove it to myself


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## patrickv

sg1 said:


> Can you reformat the DVDRW disk and then it would be wiped surely ?


I erase mine all the time,the data is gone, the size switches back to 4.5gb (though we are not talking about possibility of recovering, which you can)


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## sg1

patrickv said:


> (though we are not talking about possibility of recovering)


 I know we're not  he want to erase the disk doesn't he? so a format would do it, maybe he had something on the disk before that wouldn't wipe(a virus maybe)


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## TrainTrackHack

> Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you just write over the data that's already on the DVD-RW. I don't think you can just simply delete things from it. Not sure though.


When erasing CD/DVD-R discs, the data is simply written over and space can't be regained by deleting stuff. However, you can actually free space by deleting stuff from a CD/DVD-RW.



> There's a process which some DVD software uses called "finalizing" the disk, I don't do it myself but I was told that it makes the disk undeletable.


Finalizing simply makes it impossible to add any data to the discs, and also writes stuff like content menus on DVDs and whatnot. Finalizing a CD/DVD-RW doesn't make it... "uneraseable" (is that a word?)


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## sg1

hackapelite said:


> Finalizing a CD/DVD-RW doesn't make it... "uneraseable" (is that a word?)



I'm not sure if it is a word but it SHOULD be-I like it 

it's a bit like *Dell*ability when talking about what Dells can do


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## localgod56

I have had this same problem.
I am a serial Re-Writer and have a stack of discs i keep shuffling through, none of them as of yet have failed on me.
Couple of weeks ago my main pc started telling me my discs were not RW... every single one, my other pc erases them fine.
I took it to my mates shop and he said that after months of abusing my DVD Rewriter using from everything to writing, erasing, listening to music, installing games and such, it had screwed my drive. 

First get it checked, but my advice is get a new rewriter.
and don't chuck your old RW discs just yet.

**If all else fails you could just try the toothpaste trick**


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## G25r8cer

I have the same problem


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## opurbo

*Can't Erase DVD RW in "MATSHITA DVD RAM UJ-861S*



localgod56 said:


> I have had this same problem.
> I am a serial Re-Writer and have a stack of discs i keep shuffling through, none of them as of yet have failed on me.
> Couple of weeks ago my main pc started telling me my discs were not RW... every single one, my other pc erases them fine.
> I took it to my mates shop and he said that after months of abusing my DVD Rewriter using from everything to writing, erasing, listening to music, installing games and such, it had screwed my drive.
> 
> First get it checked, but my advice is get a new rewriter.
> and don't chuck your old RW discs just yet.
> 
> **If all else fails you could just try the toothpaste trick**



Hi,
I am having problem with my "MATSHITA DVD RAM UJ-861S" DVD writer. I am using Vista Ultimate x32 & my laptop is ASUS F6S.

it used to work well. i wrote dvd & cds. recently when i was trying to burm DVD-RW, it was unable to detect it. then sometimes when it detects & i try to erase the disc it says "illigal block size for command".

previously my dvd burner also gave wrror like "power calibration error", and many burning were failed in 6% but later on this problem was solved by itself. i don't know how it was solved.

now my dvd burner can write and erase CD-RW successfully but unable to burn DVD-RW.

please give me a solution. it's really killing me. i already wasted almost 20 DVD's and 2 of my DVD-RW disc is not working. when i insert it, it's not detected and can't even erase it, as the Erase button is inactive in my NERO.

waiting for your reply.


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## fmw

Your media is probably at the edge of defective or was formatted on a different drive.  Try formatting it.  That might restore it's usefullness.  If that doesn't work, then trash it and replace it.  To say that DVD-RW is unreliable is an understatement.  Never use it for backup.


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## chrisalv14

maybe something is loose inside the tower of the pc.
i dunno 
- try using a different cd or swap the drive.


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