retrouser888 Posted November 29, 2009 Report Share Posted November 29, 2009 Running 10.6.2 on a MBP (2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB 1067 MHzDDR3, 270GB available hard disk space) and trying to backup to DVD using trial download of Retrospect 8.1. When executing a scheduled script or using the backup button, I get a "needs media" error with a blinking black and white question mark icon. I've tried it with several new DVD-Rs, putting the disc in before starting the program and at the "needs media" prompt, but I can't get past the "needs media" error. I have set up an optical media set. It has a gray pencil icon with a line through it. Retrospect recognizes my optical drive. Please help. Also is there a user guide for retro 8? All I can find is the quick start guide which doesn't help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsobel Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 I assume that you have activated optical support by modifying retro.ini as described in the article "Retrospect 8.x for Macintosh Optical Support (9720)" in the knowledgebase. (http://kb.dantz.com/display/2n/kb/article.asp?aid=9720&n=2&s=) However, if you can eject the tray from the Finder (e.g. using the eject button), then the Retrospect Engine does not have control of the drive. What you need to do then, is to eject the drive, stop the Retrospect Engine (from within System Preferences), restart the Retrospect Engine, and then close your tray by pushing on it. Now, the Retrospect Engine will have control of the drive and you will only be able to eject the tray from within Retrospect. Retrospect should then operate normally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhwalker Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Also is there a user guide for retro 8? All I can find is the quick start guide which doesn't help. No, there is no user guide. Apparently documentation is not a priority, and the Retrospect group does not have a documentation person on staff. The product was only announced a year ago at Macworld in the first week in January 2009. Think of the program as a game, with twisty turny passages, all alike. Program operation has to be learned by trial and error. Many bugs, so it's hard to tell what the correct behavior should be. Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrouser888 Posted November 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Hadn't seen that article, thanks. I changed the retro.ini file as instructed but still having same problem. Even followed the steps in "How to tell if your optical device is supported by Retrospect 8" because I'm not sure what the "disclosure triangle" icon is (is that the green orb with a check in it???) - it said my device was configured and ready to use but still having the same "needs media" error. Stopped & started the retro engine, quit and restarted retro app but still no luck. When I put in the DVD whether before retro is running or at the needs media prompt, it is still controlled by the finder. If only Time Machine could backup to DVD I wouldn't have to deal with Retrospect ever again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsobel Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 You need to start the Retrospect Engine with the tray of the DVD OPEN. Retrospect will then take charge of the DVD, after you close the tray by pushing it. Don't worry about the Retrospect Console, its just an interface to the Engine. Its the Engine that controls everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrouser888 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 I have a trayless drive though, it's just a slot. So I ejected the disc, stopped & started the retrospect engine, pushed the disc back in. Finder no longer sees or controls the drive, but retrospect doesn't recognize the drive in either the "choose media" window or in Storage Devices... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrouser888 Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 AHA! But quitting the retrospect app and reopening it works now!!! Holy crap, it's a miracle! I'm backing up to DVD as I write. But does this process need to be done EVERY time you run a backup to DVD? No wonder they haven't gotten the user guide done yet. Thanks, jsobel. You saved me from wasting countless more hours of my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsobel Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 Although, I don't have any experience of how this works with a slot DVD, I think that once the Retrospect Engine takes control of the DVD, you don't have to repeat the procedure. However, if you want to use your optical drive for anything else in between backups, you certainly do need to. For example, after a restart. I always restart with the mouse button down, in order to eject my backup DVD before startup. In this way, when I push it to close after startup, Retrospect takes control again. No wonder they haven't gotten the user guide done yet. No, I don't think this hassle is related to the lack of user guide, but it certainly is the reason why they have backup to optical media disabled by default. Apparently they can't share the optical drive with the Finder, and are waiting for Apple to come up with a solution. I can't understand why... It was working somehow in version 6 of Retrospect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhwalker Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 Apparently they can't share the optical drive with the Finder, and are waiting for Apple to come up with a solution. I can't understand why... It was working somehow in version 6 of Retrospect. Retrospect 6 was not always running. Retrospect 8 (the engine) is always running. Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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