Retrospect NOT writing to CD-R

[viorel00]

Mac OS 9.1, Retrospect Express 4.3 and Yamaha 4416SX.

 

 

 

All worked fine before. The drive works fine with TOAST. If I backup a small folder (200 MB) to CD-R using immediate backup, all is fine, verification is OK, and I am able to restore.

 

 

 

BUT, if I try to backup the entire volume (partition), about 3 GB, 11000 files, all appears to go smooth, and after about 5-6 CDs, when verification starts, the CDs seem to be EMPTY!!! Retrospect reports those CDs as empty!!! if I attempt to write again with retrospect to the same CDs, I get error 102. Toast says the disk is empty and writes, but verification fails.

 

 

 

I am 100% sure the drive is fine, media is fine (I tried a few brands), restrospect works fine with small folders, but not entire volumes. Please help me!

 

 

 

thanks!!!

 

 

[AmyJ]

Error 102 trouble communicating

 

 

 

This error occurs when the Macintosh's CPU loses contact with the backup device. The most common cause is improper SCSI termination. But it can also be caused by other issues on the bus. It is necessary to go through the SCSI troubleshooting outline below.

 

 

 

1) another device on your SCSI bus may be interfering with the CD drive's communication. Turn off your computer and the SCSI devices. Make sure your SCSI ID numbers don't conflict. Disconnect all SCSI devices except for the CD drive.

 

 

 

2) you have a bad cable. Replace the SCSI cable that connects the CD drive to the computer after removing other devices and cables from the SCSI chain.

 

 

 

3) you are missing a terminator or have a bad terminator. The last device and ONLY the last device in your SCSI chain needs to be terminated. Try replacing the terminator if you already have one on the chain.

 

 

 

4) the computer may be having a problem. Install Retrospect on another computer and try the CD drive there as the lone SCSI device.

 

 

 

5) the drive may be defective. If you have implemented all of the preceding steps and get failures on multiple CD's after changing cables, terminators and computers, then the drive, being the only factor that has not changed, is the culprit--send it back to your vendor for repairs.

[viorel00]

Thanks for your reply. But the drive is working just fine, TOAST burns like a charm, and even Retrospect Express 4.3 works fine if I backup a folder with let's say 200 MB data. But if I try to backup the WHOLE partition (3.5 gig), then the CD-Rs that it "burns" are EMPTY!!!

 

 

 

So how can this be???

 

 

[AmyJ]

Retrospect reads and writes data using various device transports, such as USB, IEEE 1394 or FireWire, ATAPI, and SCSI. Each device transport has its own requirements and limitations, but Retrospect can properly and completely back up data using any of these. Retrospect is not overly sensitive to errors on any transport; Retrospect simply sends commands and data to devices, following each transport's strict protocols. If unexpected errors are reported, Retrospect reports to the user. In a properly functioning system, all will be well. If, however, something is not operating properly (for example, a SCSI bus is not properly terminated or you are using old IEEE 1394 device drivers for a new 1394 device bridge), errors can be reported. The issue here is not one of sensitivity, but rather the nature of backup: if data is reported to not have been written or read properly, Retrospect must report it to the user, to avoid data loss.

 

 

 

People from time to time contact Dantz to complain that Retrospect does not work with a device, or that Retrospect reports an error, but that another backup application does not. There are many possible causes for this. First, and most frightening, it is possible that the other backup application is simply ignoring the error, and that your data is not actually being backed up properly. Second, there are many ways to access devices, including hundreds of commands and series of commands an application can use to send data for backup. Another backup application many issue commands to a backup device in a different order, or in fact use entirely different ways of writing. This does not make Retrospect's access methods incorrect, or inappropriate (nor the other application's for that matter). Dantz spends tremendous resources on testing and qualifying various backup devices with Retrospect; if we certify that a device is compatible with Retrospect, we have thoroughly tested the drive. This does not mean that in some configurations other factors will not be able to interfere.

 

 

 

Toast is not sustaining a continuous transfer across multiple CD's, so the comparison is incomplete. Retrospect is also successfully burning to a single CD. It is up the drive to properly handle media, and the drive determines whether or not there is media in the drive. In your situation, the drive is reporting not only that is empty, but that it is experiencing communication problems with the computer (error 102). I suspect, that with a little troubleshooting, you'll be able to isolate the cause of the problem.