SATA DVD Burner cannot write

[chemist109]

I installed Feisty on a Lenovo Thinkcentre M55 Tower (IBM ThinkCentre M55 8811 - Core 2 Duo E6400, Intel Q965 motherboard, all SATA, no IDE). The DVD-RW reads CDs and DVDs fine, but I can't get it to burn.

The output of:

wodim -v -checkdrive dev=/dev/scd0

TOC Type: 1 = CD-ROM
scsidev: '/dev/scd0'
devname: '/dev/scd0'
scsibus: -2 target: -2 lun: -2
Linux sg driver version: 3.5.27
Wodim version: 1.1.2
SCSI buffer size: 64512
atapi: 1
Device type : Removable CD-ROM
Version : 5
Response Format: 2
Capabilities :
Vendor_info : 'HL-DT-ST'
Identification : 'DVD-RAM GSA-H30N'
Revision : '1.06'
Device seems to be: Generic mmc2 DVD-R/DVD-RW.
Current: 0x0000 (Reserved/Unknown)
Profile: 0x0012 (DVD-RAM)
Profile: 0x002B (DVD+R/DL)
Profile: 0x001B (DVD+R)
Profile: 0x001A (DVD+RW)
Profile: 0x0016 (DVD-R/DL layer jump recording)
Profile: 0x0015 (DVD-R/DL sequential recording)
Profile: 0x0014 (DVD-RW sequential recording)
Profile: 0x0013 (DVD-RW restricted overwrite)
Profile: 0x0011 (DVD-R sequential recording)
Profile: 0x0010 (DVD-ROM)
Profile: 0x000A (CD-RW)
Profile: 0x0009 (CD-R)
Profile: 0x0008 (CD-ROM)
Profile: 0x0002 (Removable disk)
Using generic SCSI-3/mmc CD-R/CD-RW driver (mmc_cdr).
Driver flags : MMC-3 SWABAUDIO BURNFREE
Supported modes:
Beginning DMA speed test. Set CDR_NODMATEST environment variable if device
communication breaks or freezes immediately after that.

Notice that the

Supported modes:

is blank. I got a replacement drive and it exhibited the exact same behavior. The drive works fine under XP with Nero. I have an external USB drive that I bought as a quick fix and it works without issue.

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

Thanks for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Unfortunately we can't fix it, because your description doesn't yet have enough information.
Please include the following additional information, if you have not already done so (please pay attention to lspci's additional options), as required by the Ubuntu Kernel Team:
1. Please include the output of the command 'uname -a' in your next response. It should be one, long line of text which includes the exact kernel version you're running, as well as the CPU architecture.
2. Please run the command 'dmesg > dmesg.log' and attach the resulting file 'dmesg.log' to this bug report.
3. Please run the command 'sudo lspci -vvnn > lspci-vvnn.log' and attach the resulting file 'lspci-vvnn.log' to this bug report.
For your reference, the full description of procedures for kernel-related bug reports is available at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeamBugPolicies . Thanks in advance!

[chemist109 (chemist109)]

Here is the additional information that you asked for:

uname -a output:

Linux myhostname 2.6.20-15-generic #2 SMP Sun Apr 15 07:36:31 UTC 2007 i686 GNU/Linux

also, attached is the dmesg.log file.

[chemist109 (chemist109)]

Attached is the lspci output

Additionally, I booted this machine with a Knoppix disc using a 2.6.19 kernel and experienced exactly the same problems (missing supported modes in wodim -v -checkdrive). Here is the uname output from the knoppix disc:

Linux Knoppix 2.6.19 #7 SMP PREEMPT Sun Dec 17 22:01:07 CET 2006 i686 GNU/Linux

I also ran lspci and dmesg in Knoppix and can attach their output if you want.

[gmeier (gabriel-meier)]

I may confirm this bug.

Additionally, I may add, that the supported modes are usually blank, but randomly take another value, if repeated several times.

Tell me, if you need any of my output.

[gmeier (gabriel-meier)]

I updated cdrkit today (compiled the newest version)
now i get the following message in gnome-baker, when I try to burn, using Auto write mode:

Unable to open this SCSI ID. Trying to map to old ATA syntax.This workaround will disappear in the near future. Fix your configuration.

[chemist109 (chemist109)]

Found someone else with the same issue (same drive). Here:

http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/debburn-devel/2007-February/000308.html

[davidm (dmiller-judcom)]

I was having the exact same issue. feisty on the same hardware.
Just tried compiling some vanilla kernel.org kernels.
problem exists with 2.6.20.15
but using 2.6.22.1 (with .config from the ubuntu 2.6.20 kernel) I can burn CD's and DVD's without any problems.

[Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara)]

This bug report was marked "Fix Committed" a while ago but there hasn't been any recent activity. Can you please verify this bug has been resolved and we'll go ahead and mark this bug report as "Fix Released". Thanks in advance.

[Christoph Roeder (brightdroid)]

I think I've the same problem with my drive, but using Gutsy...

$ uname -a
Linux chris 2.6.22-14-generic #1 SMP Tue Feb 12 07:42:25 UTC 2008 i686 GNU/Linux

$ wodim -v -checkdrive dev=/dev/scd0
TOC Type: 1 = CD-ROM
scsidev: '/dev/scd0'
devname: '/dev/scd0'
scsibus: -2 target: -2 lun: -2
Linux sg driver version: 3.5.27
Wodim version: 1.1.6
SCSI buffer size: 64512
Device type : Removable CD-ROM
Version : 5
Response Format: 2
Capabilities : RELADR WBUS32 WBUS16 SYNC
Vendor_info : 'HL-DT-ST'
Identification : 'DVD-RAM GSA-H30N'
Revision : '1.02'
Device seems to be: Generic mmc2 DVD-R/DVD-RW.
Current: 0x0014 (DVD-RW sequential recording)
Profile: 0x0012 (DVD-RAM)
Profile: 0x002B (DVD+R/DL)
Profile: 0x001B (DVD+R)
Profile: 0x001A (DVD+RW)
Profile: 0x0016 (DVD-R/DL layer jump recording)
Profile: 0x0015 (DVD-R/DL sequential recording)
Profile: 0x0014 (DVD-RW sequential recording) (current)
Profile: 0x0013 (DVD-RW restricted overwrite) (current)
Profile: 0x0011 (DVD-R sequential recording)
Profile: 0x0010 (DVD-ROM)
Profile: 0x000A (CD-RW)
Profile: 0x0009 (CD-R)
Profile: 0x0008 (CD-ROM)
Profile: 0x0002 (Removable disk)
Using generic SCSI-3/mmc DVD-R(W) driver (mmc_mdvd).
Driver flags : SWABAUDIO BURNFREE
Supported modes: PACKET SAO
Drive buf size : 1409024 = 1376 KB
Beginning DMA speed test. Set CDR_NODMATEST environment variable if device
communication breaks or freezes immediately after that.
Drive DMA Speed: 83781 kB/s 476x CD 60x DVD

$ dmesg | tail
[95300.952000] sr 1:0:0:0: [sr0] Add. Sense: Unable to recover table-of-contents
[95300.952000] end_request: I/O error, dev sr0, sector 24
[95300.952000] sr 1:0:0:0: [sr0] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[95300.952000] sr 1:0:0:0: [sr0] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[95300.952000] sr 1:0:0:0: [sr0] Add. Sense: Unable to recover table-of-contents
[95300.952000] end_request: I/O error, dev sr0, sector 0
[95300.956000] sr 1:0:0:0: [sr0] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
[95300.956000] sr 1:0:0:0: [sr0] Sense Key : Medium Error [current]
[95300.956000] sr 1:0:0:0: [sr0] Add. Sense: Unable to recover table-of-contents
[95300.956000] end_request: I/O error, dev sr0, sector 0

[chemist109 (chemist109)]

The new kernel fixed my problems. Sorry to take so long in responding. I'm using 2.6.22-14-generic and burning with no problems.

[Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara)]

Thanks for the update chemist109. I'm going to go ahead and mark this "Fix Released". If anyone is still experiencing problems, please test the latest Hardy Alpha release and open a new report. Thanks.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Per a decision made by the Ubuntu Kernel Team, bugs will longer be assigned to the ubuntu-kernel-team in Launchpad as part of the bug triage process. The ubuntu-kernel-team is being unassigned from this bug report. Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeamBugPolicies for more information. Thanks.