FAQ, tips and tricks - PlexTools Professional

• PlexTools Professional does not save all the settings I made.
• After installation of the PlexTools Pro software a warning appears and advices me to update the ASPI layer.
• The MP3 lame function is greyed out
• Can I update PlexTools to PlexTools Professional?
• The 'VariRec' setting is limited to -2 and +2.
• PlexTools Professional cannot download the music album information from 'Freedb'.
• I retrieved the CD names via FreeDB but the DAE player still displays 'Track 01'.
• PlexTools Professional shows little information for devices other than the PlexWriter and Plextor CD/DVD - ROM.
• PlexTools Professional reports 'source disc too large' when starting the write process.
• The drive doesn't achieve his maximum performance when writing and reading a CD.
• The highest speed I achieve for the 'Read Transfer Rate Test' is 18-40X CAV.
• The 'Write Transfer Rate Test' does not achieve the 52 X writing speed.
• The 'SecuRec' disc I created will only play back in my Plextor Premium.
• I lost the password of my 'SecuRec' created disc, can Plextor recover my data?
• The maximum selectable speed for the 'Q-check C1/C2 Test' is '10-24X CAV'.
• The 'Q-Check C1/C2 Test' detects many CU errors.
• I have copied my 'SecuRec' created disc but the password protection stays on the disc.
• The burned disc is not protected even thought 'SecuRec' was activated.
• My 'GigaRec' created audio CD does not play on my computer.
• The 'GigaRec' CD-R disc I created is s test. by my CD player, CD-ROM, CD-RW drive.
• Cannot record at 52X write speed, even on a disc which passed the Q-check FE/TE Test.
• When starting the 'Q-check FE/TE Test' immediately an error message comes up.
• What does the PI-PO test check?

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  PlexTools Professional does not save all the settings I made.
  • The PlexTools software will only save the standard setting like Read Speed, Buffer Underrun,... the expert settings which allow you to change the format of the disc will always be set to default on reboot of the system.
  • The SecuRec function will be enabled as long as the PlexTools Professional program is active.
  • The silentmode settings of the drive will remain when they are "saved to the drive" and this even when PlexTools Professional is not active or installed.

  After installation of the PlexTools Pro software a warning appears and advices me to update the ASPI layer.

  • On a Windows 95/98/ME based Computer and after rebooting, a message may appear and recommend you to update the ASPI layer. This ASPI layer is to become "direct access" to the hardware devices such as CD-rom drivers and CD-writers.
  • The ASPI layer can be updated from the internet. More info about how to update your ASPI layer can be found on our ASPI FAQ page.

  The MP3 lame function is greyed out:

  • The MP3 lame function is not standard installed with PlexTools, however it is a free utility and can be downloaded from http://www.mp3-tech.org
  • Ensure the Lame encoder is correctly installed; this means the "lame_enc.dll" is copied into the PlexTools folder.

  Can I update PlexTools to PlexTools Professional?

  • Yes, you can update your PlexTools version to PlexTools Professional. First uninstall the PlexTools software in "add remove programs" then run the PlexTools Professional upgrade you downloaded from the internet.

  The 'VariRec' setting is limited to -2 and +2:

  • The extended "VariRec" setting of +4 and -4 is only available with the Plextor Premium drive and used with the PlexTools Professional AudioCD Maker. Other PlexWriter's which support the VariRec function are limited to +2/-2
  • Nero and most other recording software packages will only support +2/-2 at 4X recording speed on audio CD's

  PlexTools Professional cannot download the music album information from 'Freedb':

  • Verify the E-mail address you filled in is correct.
  • Check the settings you made in [options]-[preference]-[freedb]
  • When you are using a Proxy server for your ISP, ensure it is correctly set in [Proxy settings]

  I retrieved the CD names via FreeDB but the DAE player still displays 'Track 01':

  • Ensure the correct "filename construction" is set in the Preferences of the DAE player. The %T should be mentioned here to show the Track titles you imported.
  • Other options are %A : Artist, %C : Disc title and %I ISRC code

  PlexTools Professional shows little information for devices other than the PlexWriter and Plextor CD/DVD - ROM:

  • PlexTools Professional is exclusively designed for Plextor CD/DVD products. Other branded devices may work as source for the PlexTools Professional CD-ROM and CD-Copy functions.

  PlexTools Professional reports 'source disc too large' when starting the write process:

  • This warning message may be caused by a CD-recording program that has a "Hide CD-R" option (e.g. CloneCD, Alcohol 120%). Please deactivate this option in the recording software or remove the program. Note; this function can remain active even after you have closed the program.

  The drive doesn't achieve his maximum performance when writing and reading a CD:

  • Ensure you disable the silent mode function and enabled the SpeedRead function.
  • Depending on the features (Overburn, VariRec, GigaRec) and the media you use (PoweRec) the writing speed will be limited. The maximum possible speed limitation is 4x or 8x when the GigaRec function is enabled.
  • Disable the "Audio error detection" or check the setting you made for "DAE Error Recovery"
  • Ensure you enabled UDMA mode and installed the latest IDE drivers for your mainbord.
  • Depending on the disc quality the PoweRec feature will decrease the writing speed to guarantee the best quality.

  • Overview for the Plextor Premium.

    Function	Overburn	VariRec	GigaRec	SecuRec
    Max. Writing speed	40X	8X	4X 8X	No Limit
    Track At Once	OK	OK	-	-
    Disc At Once	OK	OK	OK	OK
    CD-R media	OK	OK	OK	OK
    CD-RW media	>	-	-	-

  The highest speed I achieve for the 'Read Transfer Rate Test' is 18-40X CAV:

  • To exceed the 40X reading speed the "SpeedRead" function should be enabled
  • Ensure the "Silent Mode" function is disabled or correctly set to reach the full performance.
  • Make sure your disc is free of dust and scratches

  The 'Write Transfer Rate Test' does not achieve the 52 X writing speed:

  • Ensure the media you are using is 52X speed certified.
  • Ensure the "Silent Mode" function is disabled or correctly set to reach the full performance
  • Disable Overburn, GigaRec and VariRec, these functions will limit the write speed.

  The 'SecuRec' disc I created will only play back in my Plextor Premium:

  • To read a "SecuRec" created disc in a different CD-ROM station you should install the "Secu viewer" software. This software is free for download from the Software Downloads page.

  I lost the password of my 'SecuRec' created disc, can Plextor recover my data?

  • The data written on a "SecuRec" disc can ONLY be read and recovered with the correct password. Without password the disc and data will become unusable, Plextor has no way to recover any data from the disc.

  The maximum selectable speed for the 'Q-check C1/C2 Test' is '10-24X CAV':

  • The available speed settings for this test are 4X CLV, 8X CLV and 10-24X CAV maximum.

  The 'Q-Check C1/C2 Test' detects many CU errors:

  • Only Disc at Once recorded discs are applicable for this test. If you are using a Track at Once or Packet-written disc the test result may indicate CU errors. These errors occur because there is session information and link-blocks on the disc which are reported as CU error data. The data on these discs is actually not faulty.

  I have copied my 'SecuRec' created disc but the password protection stays on the disc:

  • The "SecuRec" protection is integrated in the disc, when copying the disc the protection and password will be copied to the new disc. (same password)
  • To copy a "SecuRec" protected disc without the password protection you should first copy the contents to your HDD and create a new data CD.

  The burned disc is not protected even thought 'SecuRec' was activated:

  • The "SecuRec" function is only functional in "Disc At Once mode". Ensure the writing preferences of your CD recording software are set to this mode. To create a "SecuRec" protected data disc we advice to use the PlexTools Professional "CD-ROM Maker" function which will automatically create the disc in the correct mode.

My 'GigaRec' created audio CD does not play on my computer:

• The native Windows CD player (Windows 98) software cannot play an audio disc that is greater than 99 minutes long.

The 'GigaRec' CD-R disc I created is refused by my CD player, CD-ROM, CD-RW drive:

• The GigaRec function will minimize the space between the "pits" and "lands" to create the extra disc space, some CD players cannot work with such narrow space and will report read errors.
• Depending on the "GigaRec" rate used, other devices will be able to read the disc or not.
• Plextor guarantees that every Plextor Premium can read a GigaRec created disc.

Cannot record at 52X write speed, even on a disc which passed the Q-check FE/TE Test:

• The Q-Check FE/TE Test checks the performance of a disc based on the physical characteristics of its material, so if the conditions of the disc appears fine the test may certify that the disc is capable for 52X writing. On the other hand, a blank disc contains encoded information which includes the write speed capability of the disc. When the disc is inserted the drive will read this information and set the corresponding write speeds. Because of this, the drive writes at the speed encoded in the disc information and not according to the Q-Check FE/TE Test result.
• Although the "Q-check FE/TE Test" checks the physical characteristics of the disc material, the drive will continuously monitor the quality of the disc during the writing process. When the quality is not sufficient the drive will automatically reduce the writing speed. This function is called PoweRec.

When starting the 'Q-check FE/TE Test' immediately an error message comes up:

• The "Q-check FE/TE Test" can only work on blank CD-R discs. Stamped, recorded or CD-RW disc cannot be used for this test.

What does the PI-PO test check?

• This test will measure the quality of the written or pressed media by counting the number of raw data errors.
  This is only possible with the PX-712A/SA/UF drive.
  Most of these errors are correctable by the drive.
  A good result should show maximum PI-error rate below 280 and no PO errors.
  PIE: indicates the number of Parity inner errors.
  PIF: (Parity inner fail) indicates the number of uncorrectable PI Errors.
  POF: (Parity outer fail) indicates the number of uncorrectable blocks.
  For more detailed information check the PlexTools help files.