PHILIPS DVD+-RW DVD8631

i have been burning cd's great for the past 2 months but now the drive won't even open. i've contacted dell and they've sent me a list of things to try but after reading this forum i'm wondering if there's any point. has everyone whose had a philips 8631 ended up replacing it.

 

Annette....... my philips works just fine........ got my new computer 4/30/05 and I burned over 20 DVDs already!!!! and I hold a record of 4 DVDs in ONE HOUR! dvdXcopy plat and dvdxplat are great! sooooooo is my philips 8631!!! Glad that everyone is solving their probs by replacement. I must be the lucky one.

 

If you are here reading this forum, chances are that you have problems with your Philips DVD8631 drive.

I may not be a power user as described by IHoe over here but I can advice you to change your Philips drive for another make in order to solve all your burning problems.

No one need to be an experimented user to burn dvd & cds and this is not the point of this technology. Personally, I bought this Dell computer for my daughter. I own two HP DVD burners in the past and never had problem with them while burning CDs or DVDs. However, with this Philips drive, no TECH STAFF (not power users) at Dell could not figure out why my supposedly tested drive made freeze the computer or could not burn DVD properly and scrap 12 DVDs consecutively from the two first days we had this computer. Power user or not, soon we changed the drive…we did not have one single problem again.

 

tieone...... I'm no power user but I love my DVDs.......ohhh by the way..... I had HP DVD drives, too and I did have probs with them. So far I found out that it's the programs used with the drive that causes problems.... I have no probs with my Philips8631!! Sorry to disappoint you but I just recorded another DVD...... stuff I downloaded and now it's on DVD! I love my new computer and my drive is working just fine. I'm aware of others having problems....... but I'm not one of them. And I'm no power user.

 

Thanks for your comments. It's really annoying when you've juet paid a lot of money for something and it won't work. I'm only copying photo's on to cd so it doesn't bother me about the downloading aspect i just want the thing to open.
Please don't think i'm really thick but one thing dell told me to do is something i've never heard of and that was to 'flash the firmware'??
In my old computer, which we still use, i had a 'PIKAONE' RW which always worked perfectly even in a tired old PENTIUM II.

 

Flashing the CD-Rom is easy, basically you just goto Dells download page for your computer then look in the firmware section and find your CD-Rom and download the little program and run it. But very carefull that you dont get the wrong firmware.I did try this on my philips drive but it didnt fix it, tell dell you want a NEC drive if the person wont send one find a different tech to talk to.

 

Glad I took a minute to google Philips DVD8631. Mine was non-working when I set up my new Dell 4700. Although I'm supposed to have on-site service, I instead ended up waiting for Dell to process an order for a replacement. The customer service rep said it would go out the same day, but I'm closing in on a week with my order for a replacement still in "Preproduction" Guess they're having trouble keeping up with the demand for replacements. I've now emailed them and requested that they credit me for the drive, since they say they can't replace it except with the same piece of crap that they originally sent me. They've offered a credit of $102.31 although the replacement order would have been billed at $172.00.

I'll go down to Fry's this afternoon and pick up something else.

Have to say that I've been really disappointed with the Dell experience.

 

Also, when Dell had me flash this drive from their website, the firmware was older than the firmware in the drive they sent me.
Found that pretty interesting.

 

I'm just amazed at how many people are having trouble with the same drive that I have! I don't know why I'm having no trouble and you guys are!!! I'm really NOT a lucky person. I found that it is usually the programs that give the drive problems and not the drive itself. But I must concied that if so many are having problems and I am not that I MUST be the lucky one that is burning to my hearts content! Sorry, and I hope all will solve their problems fast! I am now ending this thread cause I have not problems with my Philips 8631 for the last 3 weeks(since I bought my DELL)and about 15 DVDS and 6 CDs recorded nicely the first time and every time! I hope I don't sound obnoxious or conceeded and you won't hear from me again. Good luck to all.

 

Hi IHoe,

If you received your Philips DVD8631 not long ago (Manufactor Date: March 2005) yes, you should be ok !

Seems the new batch IS working. (Firmware CD21).

I was one of the unlucky bunch !

And NO it was not the software...

Removed the Philips DVD8631 and installed my old LG-4040B and all the problems went away.

Installed the Philips in an other computer with a FRESH copy of XP, all the same problems !

Dell replaced it with a NEC-3450A after arguing on the phone for 2 hours that it was the drive and asking firmly to get the NEC and not an other Philips !

 

update from me....i had problems using RIDATA DVD-Rs and switched over to Verbatim DVD+Rs and it started working. i burned a few discs but then last night i burned 2 coasters. Granted, it was 2 attempts at copying the same disc. Each time dvdshrink said it was complete but you can see by looking at the bottom of the dvds after they completed that they were completely different in size. This is the first problem i've encountered with Verbatim discs so far. I dunno if it's a sign of things to come or just a bad disc im copying.

Oh, and i got my computer end of March 05 as well.

 

[bold]Seems the new batch IS working. (Firmware CD21). [/bold]

I had that one the CD21 and it was not working at all.
Dell even provided me a firmware, which was older than the one loaded at the manufacturer's plan.

I got my drive changed for a NEC 10 days ago and I am burning Cds and DVDs every day since without a single problem yet using different burning apps.

I mean the problem has been found and the solution has been post.
If you run in all kind of problems with your Philips DVD8631 drive, ask Dell to provide you another make and be insisting. You'll get one.

 

I have the Phillips 8631 and am having nothing but problems with it.I can only burn on DVD+R.I was using DVD-R and couldnt play them on my DVD player.I gave my friend A few of my blanks and he made A copy for me using the same software (DVD SHRINK) and it worked.I also called Dell and was on the phone with them for about 4 hours getting really aggravated with them saying they can only replace my phillips with the same one not the NEC 3450A.How do all of you persway them to get the NEC.Any help on what to do would be great.
Thanks..........

 

Talk to a different tech. Instead of calling them try useing there online chat support, dont have to wait aslong like on the phone. i think i went through 2 or 3 techs before i found one that would send me the NEC.

 

Is this just mainly a dell issue? Is the frimware different for the dell pc's or did dell just get a big batch of bad burners or something. Every other complaint is about a dell issued burner. I personally have the phillips burner that came with my hp a810n pc and have never had any problems with it. as a matter of fact i had a pioneer a06 burner previously and i like this burner better.

 

I'm backkkkkkkkkk ........ sorry but my brother is buying a new Dell computer and I convinced him to get your NEC 3450A instead of the philips 8631 like I have and am NOT having any probs like everyone else has! I use all the programs, DVDShrink,DVD X Copy Platinum, 1Click DVD, CopytoDVD, DVD X Utilities, DVD Decrypter, Nero6.6 ultra, DVDXPlatinum ....... shall I go on! NO PROBLEMS WITH MY PHILIPS 8631 ----- RUNNING ON FIRMWARE CD21. But, because of you guys I talked my brother into the NEC. OK......I must say again..... I'm burning to my hearts content! No coasters and no problems. the only prob I have is a Decrypting prob with Sony picture Disks..but it's not a drive prob it's a software prob! Sooooooo I'm happy and I'm burning! I'm the lucky one!

 

Hey Joker thanks for the advice about chating online with dell to resolve the problem.There sending me out the NEC-3450A within 2 business days and on top of that there sending A technician as well to install it for me too(Even though I can do it myself).They were great to deal with online.Ill let you know when I got it.Thanks to everyone for all the support.

 

No problem nyjetfan. I wasnt expecting this thread to last so long, im glad i made it or else i woulda prolly never figured out to ask for the NEC.

 

Thanks to everyone for all your imput. I didn't bother doing all the things dell recommended just told them nothing worked so my next e-mail from them was to say they were sending a new one out . I haven't actually spoken to any-one at dell so i don't know which one they are sending.
My computer is new and has firmware cd21 but still didn't work.
When i flashed it at dell the firmware on offer was older the one i had already got.Fingers crossed for a good replacement.

 

Hi everyone,

we have the PHILIPS DVD+-RW DVD8631. Our problem was getting Windows XP media center to create a DVD. It would go to about 90% and then eject the DVD with error msg "Insert writable media. Media in the cd/dvd drive is not writable by media center. Please insert a writable CD/DVD. I have Sony dvd-+ rw discs. Already formatted. We were on the phone 2 hours with Dell 2 weeks ago, no help whatsoever. I have since then burned to DVD-rw using the Sonic program. No problem there. Just can't get media center to work.
Any advice? Haven't tried videos, tv shows, or movies yet. Should we request the NEC one everyone is talking about?