Mac does not burn DVDs

Not sure if this is the right forum but I am trying to burn backup DVDs with my Mac (10.6 .8, SL) using the two original optical drives installed on my Mac Pro.  My method is to highlight the folder with my images, right click, and highlight Burn folder – ie, I am not using software like iDVD (never used this, though I presume you should be able to burn a disk from this app).  Initially this failed with just the top drive, but now has carried over to my bottom drive as well.  The message I get sometimes is:

"The disc can’t be burned because an unexpected error occurred (error code 0x8002006E)."

On other occasions, my desktop appears to refresh, the blank dvd that was originally on my desktop has disappeared, and then I have varying degrees of difficulty getting my disk out.  My disks are somewhat dated, fwiw too.

Any ideas as to what the problem is?  Are my optical drives dying (dead)?  Is this a problem with dated DVDs?  A google search for the error message listed above suggests this is a common error when trying to copy copyrighted material (like music) but these are my own images on my desktop.  Any help is greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

Google of that code reveals this:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/14 ... 5&tstart=0

Hope this fixes it.

E.J. Peiker wrote:Hope this fixes it.

Hi EJ,

Thanks for responding so quickly and the fix worked.  I really should be paying for all your help !

Glad it worked.

You have not stated your purpose of burning to a CD or DVD but if you are trying to archive photos consider this article on the storage life of this device:

www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/initiativ ... a-faq.html

I heard a public radio station discussion a few days ago on using optical storage devices and a lot depends on the manufacturer and what standards they use.

I have resigned myself to the proposition that I will always have to migrate any data files I wish to keep always to a new platform or media.  Remember music on 8-track tapes or 3-1/2 floppy disks for early computers???  Also media may keep for 5 or more years but can you find the hardware or software that can handle the old formats.  Just something to consider.

Ed,

Thanks for your concern.  This is just part of my backup.  I have three redundant copies of my image database on three internal drives, and an additional copy on an off-site external drive.  I have plenty of DVDs and they don't take up much room, so I figured one more backup couldn't hurt.  I am aware that these do not have unlimited lifetimes, but they do get checked from time to time.

Not trying to cause worries or alarms. I was not totally aware about optical discs until recently and thought I'd share what I learned. I do have some old files from a few years ago stored on CDs that I'll need to pull up and backup on another device. I also have redundant TB size external drives for photo storage. As time goes on memory and media prices come down so I will move data and files to devices that are reported to be reliable.