Toshiba RD-XS35 won't recognize DVDs

First, try to clean the lens.

If that does not work, consider replacing the burner.
Here is the thread on the XS32 burner. Other XS series models are discussed in that thread.

Easy thing to try:

1. Reset unit.
2. Set clock manually.
3. Turn DST OFF.

Probably more than you want to read, but here's the story anyway of the "DST Bug" aka "The Y2K7 Problem."

The clock changes are just a really easy thing to try before making major repairs.

DST is the real problem so it's prob. important that you find out how to turn DST off...most DVDRs have that option someplace in the setup menus, usually associated directly with setting the clock.

There are a number of possibilities why it may not be able to read discs. A couple are hardware related. A couple are reset opportunities.

The first would be the DVD drive went bad. This is not unusual in DVD recorders. But typically this happens over time. The drive will be able to read certain types of discs and not others and the slippery slide begins until it can read nothing at all. This would require a DVD burner replacement. You might try cleaning the lens with a DVD lens cleaner.

The second is that the digital PC board went bad. I have seen this personally on the XS35. I purchased an "as is" XS35 that reportedly could not read discs. I thought it probably was a bad burner. Turns out is was a bad digital PC board. The drive worked fine in another XS35. Swapping the digital PC board in the "as is" XS35 fixed the problem. This board is very expensive.

The third is to reset the unit. Using the remote press "zoom 701 zoom". This will reset the unit. After the reset and you turn on the XS35 you will get original set up screens. This is the point where you are able to manually set the time.

The forth is that the XS35 got scrambled in some way. I would suggest unplugging it for a number of hours. Perhaps overnight. Here's an example with a HDD related problem:

http://forum.videohelp.com/topic332450.html

As an aside I have an XS35 and have not experienced any DST bug problems. TVGOS sets the time and everything works fine. But it is worth a try to give the manual time setting a shot.

People living side by side can have the same DVDR and one could be affected by the "DST Bug" (Y2k7 Problem) and one not cause it depends on what their DVDRs are connected to and/or how they get their signal.

I noticed this problem first when several users of STBs of a certain type and service provider had lockup problems. It turned out their provider had uploaded the new DST Rules to their STBs, which conflicted with their Panny DVDRs.

So, it's prob. a good idea for anyone having "nitpicking" or even serious problems, such as lockups, bad or no disc ops, channel loss, etc. to try the clock setting changes before launching into repair or replacement projects.

I think the link I gave above explains all this best I could.

I agree 100%. It is a real problem. And it appears to be random. And symptoms are random as well.

I personally haven't seen the problem on the Toshiba models I have but this could be simply because of how my cable provider handles things. I haven't had to do any manual time setups with Toshiba and also my Polaroid 2001G is still on automatic. The Pannys seem to be the most susceptible. Although I didn't see it with an EH55. Again very random but a real problem.

Yes. It will restore the unit back to factory defaults. Meaning you will lose all TVGOS guide content, timer recordings, personal settings etc. When you power it on it will look just like it did out of the box. It is like starting over. This is the more extreme reset and I should have listed it last.

Unplugging the unit will not lose any settings, TVGOS info etc. I would try this first.

WTF!

This is correct. You can't turn off DST with the XS35 (and other XS series w/TVGOS) because you can't turn it on. It is not an option with manual time setting. Call it DST agnostic. Manual means manual with Toshiba in this case so when a time change occurs you must address it manually - like an analog wrist watch.

For TVGOS users with this unit the time is sent with the guide info - no problems. And with the way Toshiba has approached manual time setting there are no internal DST tables built in to cause a conflict - with manual time setting being DST agnostic. Perhaps this is why the DST bug discussion has not popped up in the XS series threads? Not sure.

But it appears to be a good thing. Maybe the Toshiba developers were actually thinking about the impending change. And how these dates might become fluid again in the future.

So the OP is back to the original two options: 1) try a lens cleaner and if that does not solve the problem 2) consider replacing the burner. If those two options fail, maybe its a bad board.

Have you tried cleaning the lens yet?

I picked up a used XS32 from ebay. The unit would not read the first disc I put into the burner, an original pressed dvd. I put a radio shack lens cleaner disc in the XS32. The burner read this disc and I proceeded to run the lens cleaner program on it. Next, I popped back in the pressed dvd the burner did not read, and it read it. I put in a dvd-r that I burned on another recorder, and it read that disc also. I put in a dvd-ram disc that had a tv episode on it, and it read that disc. I formated the ram disc and burned a file from the hard drive to the ram disc, and that worked.

Please try to clean the lens if you haven't done so already.

If the lens clearner does not work. Consider purchasing one of the burners that have been reported to work on other XS series machines. I tried an LG LSA H54 burner on the XS32, and it worked without any problems. I sent the jumper on the new drive to CS (cable select) since this is what the jumper on the original burner was set to. The LG burner was not expensive at all.

It looks like you have a mechanical problem but try pressing the Setup button. Look for the icon with the keys - second from right. There is an option labeled "DVD Drive speed setting". Your choices are high speed or low speed. Try toggling between the two and see what happens.

I can confirm that these two suggestions are worth trying. My XS35 was burning a bit hit or miss, but I put in a lens cleaning disc a couple of times, the last time with a small amount of isopropyl alcohol - not too much - on the little bristles, then toggled the burning speed to low. Now it burns better. I only use Taiyo Yudens, by the way.

Still, if things go bad eventually, I'd be interested in which replacement burners work in an XS35.

See my post #3 above. It links to the XS32 Burner thread. It appears that the LG burners work the best with the XS series recorders. If you don't want to fit a new burner in your unit, you can attach it externally. This thread discusses attaching a burner and hard drive externally.

Bingolong, thanks for the links. I've started perusing that voluminous thread with interest, though it does pertain chiefly to the XS32. Ideally, however, the collective wisdom and experiences regarding burner swaps for all Toshiba XS models should be summarized and updated in one central location, for example like rickc5 does in the first post of the Toshiba XS32, XS54, XS35, (all XS models) - HDD swap info!!! thread.

Exposed.film, I use a Fellowes, but I think any decent name-brand lens cleaner disc ought to do the trick. It's just little bristles on a CD, essentially.

[quote=plplplpl] Ideally, however, the collective wisdom and experiences regarding burner swaps for all Toshiba XS models should be summarized and updated in one central location, for example like rickc5 does in the first post of the Toshiba XS32, XS54, XS35, (all XS models) - HDD swap info!!! thread.

I agree.

rickc5, would you consider chaning the title to the post to "Toshiba XS Models - HDD and DVD Burner swap info?"

My contribution to the burner swap section is that I swapped a LG GSA H54 externally on a XS32. The H54 was able to read a dvd-r (TY 8X) burned on a different recorder and read a dvd-ram disc (Panny) recorded on a XS34 unit. I was able to format the dvd-ram disc on the XS32 and high speed dub both ways between the HDD and the ram disc. I did not try to fit it into the XS32 because I am going to use an extenal case to house the burner and hdd a la Nextoo's setup.

[quote=bingolong]
I've been planning a separate Toshiba burner thread for quite a while and was finally going to do it on the 4th. Unfortunately, my "holiday project scheduler" had other plans, and I felt it was in my best interests to go along with her recommendations.

I'll get to it this weekend.

Exposed.film - I've had burners in two XS32s and one XS54 die. The first XS32 burner gradually gave can't read disc errors when burning, but could still play prerecorded DVDs for a little while. My second XS32 burner died like yours, but will work for a disk or two if I hook it back up after swapping in a new burner. My XS54 burner died while burning, and won't work, period.

If the lens cleaner and resets don't work, I'd call Toshiba and see if they'll offer a flat fee repair. A poster in another thread said Toshiba would fix their XS for $140, not including the hard drive.

The burner swap in an XS35 is a little trickier than some of the other models, as it doesn't use a standard IDE interface.