Okay let me start by saying I'm purdy much computer illiterate. I bought my eldest son a Dell Dimension E 510 with a DVD burner and when attempting to burn one it gives the following message once the blank disc is inserted- "Please insert a blank or rewritable DVD 9." It will copy CDs, no problem but fails to burn DVDs. Of course Dell will charge for their help since he waited to try burning until past the 30 or 90 or what the hell ever days of free tech support. I do know the type of drives though if that is any help as follows:
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RWGWA 4164B
TSST corp DVD-ROM TS-H352C
Any ideas?

 

You need a particular type of media, DVD-9. I found this definition.

DVD-9
DVD-9 is a single sided dual layer DVD which can fit up to 8.5 GB or 7.95 computer GB which many commercial video DVDs are using today (a DVD-9 is basicly two pressed plastic DVD-5s pressed together, they are not burned). Video DVD supports this format but DVD-R/W and DVD+R/W does not support this format.

Here is some more info

http://www.afterdawn.com/glossary/terms/dvd-9.cfm

Good luck finding one. A quick search on Bestbuy.com and Compusa.com came up emtpy.

 

Yep, DVD-9 is just a dual layer dvd. The movie industry uses these on about 85% of the movies you see made on DVD. They're expensive however, about $20 for a pack of 5. I've bought several.

As for purchasing this media....you can pick it up at Meijer, Wal-mart, Best Buy, and several other places....it's often referred to as DVD-+R DL

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1095432941148

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1134696712820

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1110264240277

Also, never purchase any kind of CD-RW or DVD-+RW media. They're crap and they are very easily damaged or messed up.

You need to check the settings on your burning software. It shouldnt be trying to burn a DVD-9 dvd at all, unless you are trying to copy a movie. Chances are something isnt set correctly or you are possibly doing something wrong. That by no means implies that you are at fault, you could just be missing a step you were unaware of needing to do.

I'm a certified Dell technician so I'll be a bit more familiar with their software your using if you want me to try and help you.

 

Wow you guys are great! The program is Sonic that came already loaded with the computer and seems pretty straightforward (simple) as far as usage. What I didn't realize when I ordered the computer though was that with a dual layer burner that you need a different or dual layer disc, I just ordered what sounded like the best features... (remember the computer illiterate part). I have been to Wal- Mart looking for something that said DVD 9 but gave up a while back. Maybe I should check again or just shop around some more. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, you guys rock!

 

Your burner is a multiple format burner. It will burn CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, and DVD+R DL. You can still use normal cds and dvd's. You dont have to use only DVD-9 format DVD's.

Why its asking you to use DVD-9 DVD's I have no idea, but if you ordered the re-install disc when you purchased the PC, you can always uninstall it and reinstall it.

 

Well it seems the problem is something other than the disc. I went to STAPLES and got the DVD 9 discs and after an hour thought we had finally burned a disc only to find out there was nothing there. The program said that the project was running and after 47 minutes or so a message came up that it was writing to the blank disc. Approximately 15 minutes later the disc ejected and it informed us that the project was complete. Completely blank I guess as the DVD player said the disc had no playback feature. I didn't order a re-install disc for the sonic program, but I did get a system restore disc is this what you're talking about? The program itself seems too simple to use to mess it up. When you start it prompts you to install the discs then just push copy. It took right off like it was copying. Should I attempt a restore or am I just missing something here?

OK, I brought the DVD home and tried it on my player here and with a little prompting got it to play and it looks as if it did burn after all. I guess his player is too old to recognize this format or something along those lines although I have tried DVD-RWs we have tried to burn and could not get them to read on my own player either. I don't know now if it is just a compatibility problem with the players or what. Im going to have my son try everything on his computer DVD drive and see if any past DVDs we've tried burning will play on it. Should've thought of that before huh? But the DVD double layers look as if they are the answer, just a little pricey. Thanks again guys!