Problem writeing DVD+RW / upgrading PX708 DVD Writer firmware

Hi,


I'm trying to burn a DVD+RW. The media, in case you know it, is a
Verbatim "DataLifePlus 4x Certified DVD+RW 1-4x Compatible", the top of
it is silver and the bottom is some kind of grayed blue, while the front
of case has blue background and some yellow spirals on it; since we're
in an digital era, I'm sure this completely identifies the media in
question ;-)

First I've tried to format the DVD, using k3b's quick format DWD-+RW option
which seems to be (from console):
k3b: ***** dvd+rw-format parameters:
k3b: /usr/local/bin/dvd+rw-format -gui -force /dev/cd0
and yield no error, although it lasted for only a few seconds.

However when I try to write something on it it fails with
:-[ WRITE_at_LBA=0h failed with SK=3h/ASC=73h/ACQ=03h]: Input/output error
which means POWER CALIBRATION AREA ERROR according with 
http://fy.chalmers.se/~appro/linux/DVD+RW/keys.txt

The "debugging" output of k3b is:

System
-----------------------
K3b Version: 0.11.9
KDE Version: 3.2.2
QT Version:  3.3.2

growisofs
-----------------------
/usr/local/bin/mkisofs: Warning: -follow-links does not always work correctly; be careful.
Warning: creating filesystem that does not conform to ISO-9660.
Warning: ISO-9660 filenames longer than 31 may cause buffer overflows in the OS.
/dev/pass0: restarting DVD+RW format...
/dev/pass0: "Current Write Speed" is 4.1x1385KBps.
:-[ WRITE_at_LBA=0h failed with SK=3h/ASC=73h/ACQ=03h]: Input/output error
:-( write failed: Input/output error

growisofs comand:
-----------------------
/usr/local/bin/growisofs -Z /dev/cd0 -use-the-force-luke=notray -use-the-force-luke=tty -use-the-force-luke=dao -speed=4 -gui -graft-points -V M.A.S.H. Season 5 -volset M.A.S.H. -A K3B THE CD KREATOR VERSION 0.11.6 (C) 2003 SEBASTIAN TRUEG AND THE K3B TEAM -P itetcu -p K3b - Version 0.11.6 -sysid FREEBSD -volset-size 1 -volset-seqno 1 -sort /tmp/kde-itetcu/k3bSNhsE3.tmp -r -hide-list /tmp/kde-itetcu/k3bzIVeM2.tmp -J -joliet-long -hide-joliet-list /tmp/kde-itetcu/k3bZIaw2O.tmp -L -l -allow-lowercase -no-iso-translate -allow-multidot -max-iso9660-filenames -f -iso-level 2 -path-list /tmp/kde-itetcu/k3bt82Wjp.tmp 


>From console it seems that growisofs tries to reformat the media:

..........................
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::CdDevice) readTocPmaAtip started,  format:1, time: false, track: 0
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::ScsiCommand) open device /dev/pass0 succeeded.
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::ScsiCommand) transport command 43, length: 9
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::ScsiCommand) transport command 43, length: 9
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::ScsiCommand) device /dev/pass0 closed.
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::ScsiCommand) open device /dev/pass0 succeeded.
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::ScsiCommand) transport command 25, length: 1
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::ScsiCommand) device /dev/pass0 closed.
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::CdDevice) READ CAPACITY: 510:01:28 other capacity: 00:00:00
k3b: (K3bThreadJob) waiting for the thread to finish.
k3b: (K3bThreadJob) thread finished.
k3b: (K3bEmptyDiscWaiter) slotDeviceHandlerFinished()
k3b: (K3bEmptyDiscWaiter) ------ found DVD+RW as wanted.
k3b: K3bIso9660::openArchive no volume descriptors
k3b: (K3bEmptyDiscWaiter) finishWaiting()
k3b: (K3bEmptyDiscWaiter) exitLoop
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::DeviceHandler) thread emitted finished. Waiting for thread actually finishing
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::DeviceHandler) success: true
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::DeviceHandler) deleting thread.
k3b: (K3bEmptyDiscWaiter) waitForEmptyDisc() finished
k3b: ***** growisofs parameters:
k3b: /usr/local/bin/growisofs -Z /dev/cd0 -use-the-force-luke=notray -use-the-force-luke=tty -use-the-force-luke=dao -speed=1 -gui -graft-points -V M.A.S.H. Season 5 -volset M.A.S.H. -A K3B THE CD KREATOR VERSION 0.11.6 (C) 2003 SEBASTIAN TRUEG AND THE K3B TEAM -P itetcu -p K3b - Version 0.11.6 -sysid FREEBSD -volset-size 1 -volset-seqno 1 -sort /tmp/kde-itetcu/k3bc3A9p6.tmp -r -hide-list /tmp/kde-itetcu/k3brKXNRB.tmp -J -joliet-long -hide-joliet-list /tmp/kde-itetcu/k3bFYdmkn.tmp -L -l -allow-lowercase -no-iso-translate -allow-multidot -max-iso9660-filenames -f -iso-level 2 -path-list /tmp/kde-itetcu/k3bKvGCj3.tmp
k3b: (growisofs) /usr/local/bin/mkisofs: Warning: -follow-links does not always work correctly; be careful.
k3b: (growisofs) Warning: creating filesystem that does not conform to ISO-9660.
k3b: (growisofs) Warning: ISO-9660 filenames longer than 31 may cause buffer overflows in the OS.
k3b: (growisofs) /dev/pass0: restarting DVD+RW format...
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::DeviceHandler) starting command: 13
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::ScsiCommand) open device /dev/pass0 succeeded.
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::ScsiCommand) transport command 1e, length: 5
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::ScsiCommand) transport failed (4): 132100
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::ScsiCommand) failed:
k3b:                            command:    PREVENT ALLOW MEDIUM REMOVAL (1e)
k3b:                            errorcode:  70
k3b:                            sense key:  NOT READY (2)
k3b:                            asc:        4
k3b:                            ascq:       4
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::CdDevice) MMC ALLOW MEDIA REMOVAL failed.
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::ScsiCommand) device /dev/pass0 closed.
k3b: (K3bCdDevice::ScsiCommand) open device /dev/pass0 succeeded.
............


As it could be an incompatibility between the media and the burner (am I
right here ?) I want to update the firmware on my Plextor PX708A unit
with Jörg Schilling's PXUpdate from:
ftp://ftp.berlios.de/pub/cdrecord/firmware/plextor/pxupdate-1.36-i386-unknown-freebsd5.2

As this dates from January (2004.01.27 14:47:00) I'm wondering if
someone has use it with success with more recent sources, as my system
is: FreeBSD 5.2-CURRENT #0: Wed May 26 02:08:58 EEST 2004
and I really don't want to spend an other 350$ on a DVD writer.


 % file pxupdate-1.36-i386-unknown-freebsd5.2
pxupdate-1.36-i386-unknown-freebsd5.2: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1 (FreeBSD), for FreeBSD 5.0.2, dynamically linked (uses shared libs), stripped

 # ident pxupdate-1.36-i386-unknown-freebsd5.2
pxupdate-1.36-i386-unknown-freebsd5.2:
     $FreeBSD: src/lib/csu/i386-elf/crti.S,v 1.6 2002/05/15 04:19:49 obrien Exp $
     $FreeBSD: src/lib/csu/i386-elf/crtn.S,v 1.5 2002/05/15 04:19:49 obrien Exp $
     $FreeBSD: src/lib/csu/common/crtbrand.c,v 1.4 2003/10/17 15:43:13 peter Exp $
     $FreeBSD: src/lib/csu/i386-elf/crt1.c,v 1.12 2003/01/26 23:14:47 markm Exp $

 # ./pxupdate-1.36-i386-unknown-freebsd5.2  -l
 ___________________________________________________________________________
|    PXUpdate V1.36      Jörg Schilling                       04/01/25      |
|    Based on V1.12      (c) PLEXTOR SA/NV (EUROPE)           99/11/9       |
|    Port to UNIX        (c) Jörg Schilling                   99/11/15      |
|    Plextor Firmware Update program                                        |
 ___________________________________________________________________________
PLEXTOR DVDR   PX-708A   V1.06 (HA:1 ID:0)


Many thanks,


-- 
IOnut
Unregistered ;) FreeBSD "user"