Problems Burning 3DO Games To CD-Rs

[PsychicWarhead777]

Hi! I have a Goldstar 3DO and have been burning games on CD-Rs for a while using ImgBurn on 10x write speed. My go-to CD-R brand has always been Maxell. Just recently I burned a couple more games using the last of the discs from one of two packs I bought a few months ago. The last few discs of the old pack worked just fine. However, the discs in this brand new pack I had just opened do not work at all!

 

First off, the console works just fine. Official discs and all the discs I had burned prior to opening this new package have worked great! It just isn't able to read these new discs I’m burning the files onto. I tried burning multiple games, including ones I have burned before, and those haven't worked. I did notice the shiny side of the older discs show where data was burned, and the data on these new ones are barely visible. So that led me to think either I got a bad batch of discs, or my burner was going bad.

 

My first test was to try another pack of discs, so I bought a pack of Verbatim CD-Rs. Those gave the exact same results as this new pack of Maxell discs. The second test was to try an external writer. I found the best reviewed external CD/DVD writer on Newegg, and that brand new burner was giving me the same exact results! My final test was to try copying the old burns onto the new blank discs, and that didn't work either!

 

I really am not sure if this is a CD-R problem or a burner problem. Like I stated earlier, nothing is wrong with my 3DO as it plays everything else I’ve burned without issues. If anyone could point me in the right direction, I would very much appreciate it! Thanks!

 

[Rugar]

The Goldstar is most problematic 3DO version for reading burning games, and certainly the worst for that purpose. I had one that read the original games without any problem but I tried about 5-6 types of different media, some very rare and quality like Metal Azo and Taiyo Yuden, and I had no luck with any of them. I even tried it on 3 different burner (one was even old and support speed 4x) and on different speeds, without success. I read that many other people have same problems with Goldstar so I decided to sell it and buy Japanese FZ10 version because it is a much cheaper option than buy USB ODE.

If you still can load your old burned games, then the problem is probably in the quality of the new Maxwell discs you bought. This is nothing strange, I have now two FZ10, first one can read Taiyo Yuden but Verbatim Crystal Azo not work. On second console, Taiyo Yuden not work but Verbatim works. The laser is a very sensitive thing and it all depends on how it is set up and and how deep the track is on burned CDr. There are tons of articles on the internet about it. There is one point on the laser that can be adjusted, but I DO NOT RECOMMEND it at all, only in cases where the console will not read anything at all, as some kind of desperate attempt.

[PsychicWarhead777]

1 hour ago, Rugar said:

The Goldstar is most problematic 3DO version for reading burning games, and certainly the worst for that purpose. I had one that read the original games without any problem but I tried about 5-6 types of different media, some very rare and quality like Metal Azo and Taiyo Yuden, and I had no luck with any of them. I even tried it on 3 different burner (one was even old and support speed 4x) and on different speeds, without success. I read that many other people have same problems with Goldstar so I decided to sell it and buy Japanese FZ10 version because it is a much cheaper option than buy USB ODE.

If you still can load your old burned games, then the problem is probably in the quality of the new Maxwell discs you bought. This is nothing strange, I have now two FZ10, first one can read Taiyo Yuden but Verbatim Crystal Azo not work. On second console, Taiyo Yuden not work but Verbatim works. The laser is a very sensitive thing and it all depends on how it is set up and and how deep the track is on burned CDr. There are tons of articles on the internet about it. There is one point on the laser that can be adjusted, but I DO NOT RECOMMEND it at all, only in cases where the console will not read anything at all, as some kind of desperate attempt.

A part of me was thinking it was just a bad batch of discs, but I wasn't 100% sure since I've had tons of luck with Maxell in the past. I think my best bet is to simply try another brand, because I do not plan on tinkering with the laser at all, nor do I plan on selling the Goldstar and getting a different model 3DO as it the one I have has tons of sentimental value. I did find some Staples brand discs that I've had for years, and a couple of my first burns were on those discs, and those burns still work. I doubt they'll work now, but it's worth a shot. I really appreciate the guidance!

[Austin]

It's possible the caps in the console are going bad. These things aren't getting any younger.

 

I get you're sentimental about that model, but if you want to actually play the games, it might be worth investing in a FZ-10. Pick up a loose system or something, Japanese units might even be cheaper. Just put it on top of the Goldstar and pretend you're playing that instead. 🥴

 

Or, pay the money and have your Goldstar sent to have someone look at it. Getting it recapped regardless is not a bad idea on its own. May fix the CDr issue, it may not, but at least you'll know the system will be trucking for a good while longer.

Edited March 8, 2023 by Austin

[Silanda]

FWIW, my FZ-1 never liked CD-Rs much. The brand of media and the model of drive made some difference, and lowering burn speed actually made things worse, but it was always a little flaky despite working just fine with pressed discs. As best as I can tell, 3DOs in general seem to be pickier with CD-Rs than most consoles.

Edited March 13, 2023 by Silanda

[PsychicWarhead777]

Wanted to give an update:

I decided to research a 3DO external ODE and I think I'm just going to eventually get the external ODE after I get the console recapped. Thanks for the help!