firewire cdrw

[deseng]

We have a G4 tower with 9.2.2 running Retrospect Express 4.3c.

 

 

 

We bought a EZQuest Boa 16x10x40 CDRW ext firewire drive following a check with the compatibility database, it came up as qualified for mac os.

 

 

 

Currently we have had no luck getting it to back up from a script or immediate backup, with errors such indicating the media inserted as erased then going into a loop while it tries to erase it, or producing various different messages for the media such as unrecognised content etc.

 

 

 

We have spent several days surfing dantz and ezquest websites and it seems that we have all the correct extensions eg driver update 2.3.101, SDAP 1.2, toast reader 5.01, toast firewire 1.08.

 

 

 

Then we had another look at the compatibility guide and when searching for EZquest products the drive didnt appear in the list, strangely when searching for All drives it did. This raised some alarm bells so when we checked the device status its product number was LITE ON LTR 16102B. Searching for this drive came up with an unqualified for mac os product.

 

 

 

What does this mean we have bought, as far as we are aware the hardware guide recommended an EZquest Boa 16x10x40, we ordered a EZquest Boa 16x10x40, it looks like a EZquest Boa 16x10x40, it came in an EZquest boa 16x10x40 box, but its innards are a different piece of kit.

 

 

 

Have we misunderstood something and what can we do.

 

Please help. Thanks

 

 

 

 

[AmyJ]

The qualified EZQuest Boa CDR/W 16x10x40 FireWire Ext. has the CD-W516EB internal mechanism, as you've seen on the website. Unfortunately, the LITE ON LTR 16102B is not currently qualified for use with Retrospect

 

 

 

If a company switches out the mechanism of a drive or changes the specs without telling us, it needs to be requalified from scratch, which means one incarnation of a drive may be supported well before others. Yes, it's frustrating. We try to qualify new mechanisms as we become aware of them. Please understand that not all drives will be qualified, and of those that are, some take a while.

[deseng]

Thanks for the response, at least I'm not going completly mad.

 

 

 

I can see what happens now, you guys say its not your fault that EZquest changed switched a mechanism, EZquest will say that they can do what they like as long as it is a 16x10x40 and works on mac os and my retailer will say that I asked for a 16x10x40 drive and thats what I got.

 

 

 

What can I do if I need to replace this drive, I dont want to end up in the same situation with another drive picked off the compatibility database as I won't be able to find out the mechanism version number until I've bought it and plugged it in to retrospect.

 

 

 

Cheers

 

 

 

 

[AmyJ]

Your best bet would be to go with a drive that isn't qualified based on a particular mechanism, as in the case of your drive. There's no way to buy one off the shelf and know which mechanism you'll get.

 

 

 

You're correct - it's not a matter of "fault" for any of the companies. The reality, as you noted, is that drive vendors can put whatever mechanism they choose in their drives. However, that doesn't ensure that the new mechanism will work with Retrospect, or that we have any advance notice of the change.

 

 

 

We can't guarantee that if you go out and buy a supported drive, that it won't have a mechanism change that we don't yet know about. However, that would be a rare exception, and most drive vendors don't make hardware changes midstream. You're usually safe if the drive does not list a specific mechanism on the Dantz compatibility list. Hope this helps!

[deseng]

Thanks for your help.