It always fails, saying I've got a "power calibration error" in the Nero messages.

I'm using the latest version of Nero and I'm trying to burn a normal CD on my BENQ 4012A 40x12. It always fails, saying I've got a "power calibration error" in the Nero messages. This has only happened after I formated my hard drive and reinstalled Windows XP. I've got a second hard drive that has a FAT 32 partition while my main hard drive is running on a NTFS partition. And I don't really want to get another power supply (as it is new already!). Any suggestions?

This question was answered on March 1, 2003. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

---

The Power Calibration Area is a special section near the center of a recordable CD (CD-R) disc Before writing a track to the CD, your CD recorder must adjust the amount of power applied to the writing laser to an optimum level for each individual CD The Power Calibration Area is reserved for this purpose

The error indicates that your CD-R drive is having trouble calibrating the power setting It's possible that your recorder isn't getting along with the media you're using, so you should try a few different brands of media

If that doesn't make a difference, there are several things you can do to mitigate the problem First, you can try recording at a slower speed The recorder will use a different "write strategy", which usually means a lower power level Second, if you're storing the discs in a cold place, you may want to try heating them up to slightly above room temperature (placing them near a heating vent works)

If all else fails, and the drive is still in warranty, you should have the drive checked by a repair facility If it's out of warranty, or there's no easy way to have it checked out, you can try cleaning it

It's also good to verifyâ??if your CD recorder is an internal unitâ??that your power supply has enough capacity to run everything CD-Rs and CD-RWs need more power when writing than when reading or test-writing Recent high-speed systems should have a 300W power supply

About the author

Posted by Felix of Katharine Gibbs School - New York on March 1, 2003

Need Help with this Issue?

We help people with technology! It's what we do.
Contact or Schedule an Appointment with a location for help!