Only getting 2GB per DVD-DL Disk

[jenetic]

I'm using Retrospect Desktop on a Powerbook G4 1.25 ghz, 1.25 GB Ram, OS 10.4.9, Retro v 6.1.126 RDU 6.1.11.101 with a built-in Pioneer dvr-k05. This is a qualified device.

 

I'm trying to continue a backup to a storage set that was started on a different computer. When it was started, the other computer had trouble with the media I was using and would only write a certain amount of data before it had errors. Now on this other computer with another brand of DL media, Retrospect will only write about 2gb per DL disk. No errors are indicated it's just acting as though the disk is full. Is this a catalog problem? Can it only write 2gb per disk cause that's what got written to the other disks in the set? I'm burning DL coasters here. How can I fix this? Should I try to repair the catalog or throw everything out and start over? I don't really want to do that but I also don't want to keep burning DL disks and only ending up with 2gb on each. I should be able to complete this backup with 3 DL disks total and I'm already on #7.

 

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

TIA

[Lennart_T]

For starters, I would quit using DL media. It's much too expensive (per GB) than single layer media. It also takes longer to burn a GB and time is money (8x vs 4x. And that is if you can even find 4x DL media.)

[CallMeDave]

And do try using high quality +R media; it's more suited for backups then the other flavors.

[jenetic]

Okay, neither of these replies are helpful. I need to use DL media for the amount of data I backup. It's still cheaper than buying tape and an AIT drive especially if you buy it like I do.

 

Why do people think they know your situation better than you know it yourself? Who are you to tell me I shouldn't use DL? Are you paying for it? If it's all about cost than I shouldn't be using Macs either and neither should you.

 

Secondly, I am now using quality DVD+R DL media. This is a software issue. I have not had this issue in the past with this particular media during other backups i.e. other storage sets.

 

Please re-read my original question. Retrospect sees that these are DL media it just isn't writing anywhere near capacity. Has anyone else experienced this problem? If so, how did you resolve it?

 

Please DON'T make suggestions that don't regard fixing the problem. "Use something else" does not fix the problem.

[Lennart_T]

What is "quality DVD+R DL media", exactly?

And I'm not very intersetd in what's printed on the box, I want the "media ID".

http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm

 

And why don't you want tips about saving money? I welcome such tips any time, EVEN if they don't help with my immediate problem.

[jenetic]

Quote:

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What is "quality DVD+R DL media", exactly?

And I'm not very intersetd in what's printed on the box, I want the "media ID".

http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm

 

And why don't you want tips about saving money? I welcome such tips any time, EVEN if they don't help with my immediate problem.

 

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I don't need your tips on saving money. I'm the biggest bargain hunter around. I'm paying 13 cents/GB. Is that cheap enough for you? I could still get DVD-r cheaper but I would have to sit here and feed them to the drive. With DL I can put in a disk and go do something else. I'm not doing incremental backups of my internal drive. I'm backing up higher capacity storage on a per project basis. It's presumptuous of you to think you know my situation better than I do. Can we stick to what this forum is about? Saving money is not the topic.

 

I don't have the pq codes right now but that's not the problem anyway.

[Lennart_T]

How about some troubleshooting, then?

 

Try another burner. Yours is getting old. ("Powerbook G4 1.25 ghz")

My trusty old Pioneer DVR-106 slowly produced more and more coasters before finally giving up last year.

 

Try another brand of discs. Or at least another batch. Try single layer media. (But don't try -R media, just +R).

Once I bought four "cakeboxes" of 25 discs each at the same time of the same brand. One of the cakeboxes produced 8 coasters, the other ones none. So you might have a bad batch of discs, even if it's the same box.

[jenetic]

The burner isn't old. It's not the original. I upgraded it less than a year ago. I'm going to do a burn with the same media using different software and see what happens. I'll post then.

[Lennart_T]

That test doesn't tell you anything unless the other software also uses "packet writing".

 

Neither the Finder nor Toast uses packet writing.

[CallMeDave]

> Okay, neither of these replies are helpful.

 

Really? So if you were using -R media, a suggestion that you use +R media would not be helpful? Of course, you didn't _say_ what type of media you were using, so the failure of the reply to be "helpful" enough was entirely of your making.

 

 

> I need to use DL media for the amount of data I backup.

 

Fair enough, provided the optical drive you're using will reliably work with the media you choose.

 

 

> Why do people think they know your situation better than you know it yourself?

 

Do "people" think that? Perhaps when attempting to help fellow users, "people" provide what guidance and suggestions live for them at that time.

 

In the same vain, why would _anyone_ look a gift horse in the mouth, and insult the very readers from whom he/she is asking for help?

 

 

> Who are you to tell me I shouldn't use DL? Are you paying for it? If it's all about cost than I

> shouldn't be using Macs either and neither should you.

 

No one told you to do anything. Lennart wrote that it's what _he_ would do. It was a friendly suggestion. Coming from someone who was trying to HELP YOU.

 

 

> Secondly, I am now using quality DVD+R DL media.

 

Does that mean that before "now" you were not using "quality DVD+R media?" What changed, the level of quality? Or the write type of the media?

 

 

> This is a software issue.

 

Perhaps. Perhaps not. You really don't know at this point.

 

 

I have not had this issue in the past with this particular media during other backups i.e. other storage sets.

 

The name "Storage Set" was changed sometime in the previous century. The new term has been in use since somewhere around Retrospect 4.2, i.e. Backup Set.

 

When you provide an anecdote about previous successes you should tell us what was the same then and what exactly is different now (see, I don't "know" your situation unless you spell it out for me). What changed?

 

 

> Please re-read my original question.

 

Harumph. To suggest that those of us who reply on the Forum don't read original posts carefully is perhaps the most insulting thing you've said so far (and that's a high bar to pass).

 

 

> Retrospect sees that these are DL media it just isn't writing anywhere near capacity.

 

Where does Retrospect provide information that it "sees" the layer density of your Media? When I insert a DL disc, Retrospect tells me only that it's status is "erased."

 

 

> Has anyone else experienced this problem? If so, how did you resolve it?

 

Since the most recent shake up at EMC, the quality of the RDU releases has been somewhat less then we were used to in the past. The support for your optical device was introduced with RDU version 6.1.3.101; perhaps you should fall back to that version and see if the problem persists.

 

 

> Please DON'T make suggestions that don't regard fixing the problem. "Use something else" does

> not fix the problem.

 

Please don't be a total jerk when people who are trying to help don't live up to whatever expectations you have about community powered technical support. Or, just bypass the Forum and pay the company for a support incident.

[rhwalker]

Quote:

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I'm using Retrospect Desktop on a Powerbook G4 1.25 ghz, 1.25 GB Ram, OS 10.4.9, Retro v 6.1.126 RDU 6.1.11.101 with a built-in Pioneer dvr-k05. This is a qualified device.

 

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Does Retrospect show anything funny for the backup set type or media size in Configure > Backup Sets ?

 

It's my understanding that the media size setting (preference) in Configure > Backup Sets, Options > Capacity, is informational only, and that Retrospect writes until it reaches end of media. But there's always a chance that there is a bug, or that somehow this is marked as an odd type of backup set.

 

Easiest way I know to test this out would be to make a new test backup set (not append to your existing one) and try a backup to that, see how big it gets, in case there is some remnant of the backup set having been started with a different configuration. Yes, I know, it would waste a coaster, but I can't figure out any better way to test.

 

Russ

[jenetic]

Thanks. I thought the same - that I should just create a new backup set and see what happens. I didn't want to start over but it may be the only way to figure out what is going on.

In checking capacity, there are 6 members in this set. The first is 8GB and then I did switch brands of media which I had trouble with. From there on out it shows 1GB even though these were also DL disks just a different brand. On disk #5 I switched again but I'm still only getting 1gb. That's why I was thinking Retro was in some strange mode where it thinks the media is still only 1GB because of the bad stuff I had used for #2-#4 and/or that the catalog had been corrupted. The other obvious thing is that this is also media that the drive and/or retrospect doesn't like.

 

I'll try starting over and see what happens.

[rhwalker]

It may be that the "end of media" code in Retrospect is less than optimal, and just keeps writing until an error is returned. In that case, an early error could produce early "end of media".

 

Sorry I can't be of more help - we only back up to tape in our autoloader, my only time to DVD was to do a test when a poster in these forums reported an error.

 

Russ

[jenetic]

Thanks for your relevant helpful suggestions Russ. I've started a new backup set and so far it's working as it should. So I still think that something corrupted the catalog file once I had my initial media problem and it just continued from there. Anyone who wants to argue with me about having a bad batch can do so but based on my experience with Retrospect, this drive and my current brand of media, I'm going with it being a software snafu. I stayed with the latest RDU as well.

 

Thanks again - you actually were helpful even though you hadn't experienced this exact scenario before.

[rhwalker]

If you can find a spare DVD reader to hook up to this computer (or put the other computer into Target Disk Mode so that its DVD reader can be used, if the other computer supports TDM), you could try a "Transfer" from that other backup set to a new one in order to preserve that history on fewer DVDs (and create a new catalog for the new backup set by virtue of the Transfer process). Just a thought in case there is something going downhill in that older backup set that would benefit from preservation.

 

Russ

[CallMeDave]

Quote:

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Thanks for your relevant helpful suggestions Russ

 

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I sure wish that _I_ had thought to recommend starting a new Backup Set (even though the origial post noted that he/she didn't "really want to do that"); then my post could have actually been helpful, too!!

 

Sadly, one is left to wonder if simply rebuilding the Catalog from the Media might also have been successful.

 

 

Dave