Toyota map DVD can't be read.

[micky]

DVD can't be read, what to do?

Toyota Solara with Navigation, which means map DVD. Two or 3 years ago,
occasionally I'd get an error message when car first started so radio
first tries to read the map. I would either stop and start the car, or
later I realized I could eject the DVD and reinsert it and it always
worked the 2nd time. (There is a separate CD drive for playing music.)

Bought a DVD cleaning DVD, which is a disk with a brush! Used 2 or 3
times. Didn't help.

Changed from the 2005 edition of the map, that came with the car when
new, to the 2008 edition, the last year they made one. Didn't help.

Both map DVDs look pristine. No fingerprints, not even old ones that
have been wiped away.

In the last month, problem's gotten more frequent, but still worked the
2nd time every time. Yesterday, didn't work until the 3rd time. And
today, right after I bought tires for a car trip tomorrow, wouldn't work
right at all.

I restarted the map, and the map restarted itself 2 or 3 times** for
each time I restarted, and never completely displayed the map, and
always insufficent for moving my location while I drive***.

A couple strange things, never happened before today: 1) Start of the
day, changing stations, which is usually instantaneous, took 5 or 10
seconds every time. Changing volume, for which there is a knob
(although it's not a direct rheostat control) also took 5 or 10 seconds.
Changing from FM band 1 to 2 (6 memories each) also took 5 or 10
seconds. Saving presets took 5 or 10 seconds. This delay phenomenon
never happened before and I don't see how it's related to not reading
the map DVD, but otoh, it's not a coincidence, is it? (Once the radio
was on a station, the radio worked fine.)
2) Sometimes**** much of the map showed, but a quadrilateral
to the left of center, using about 1/5th of the screen, was dark and
blank. But driving didn't move the map. ****Or maybe all the time. Sun
was very bright.

How do I fix this?

Is there a better way to clean the head? A more expensive DVD head
cleaning CD? Maybe the one I bought didn't know how to work because it
was not a general purpose DVD or CD slot, but a dedicated map DVD??? So
the radio software was incompatible with, or didn't try to execute, the
cleaning DVD software. Maybe NO cleaning CD knows how to work with a
Map DVD slot?
Or should I disassemble the radio and clean the head directly?
(Previous car had a 5-CD changer that broke. Major effort just to get
the CDs out, had to destroy the changer mechanism. Never did see the
head.)

Should I try cleaning the head again, even if it didn't seem to help the
first few times, because clearly now it's worse, so maybe even a partial
cleaning will be enough?

Should I use a liquid or solvent on the brush. I think it didn't say to
and I didn't last time.

There are junkyard radios, but would they be fully tested? How can they
fully test a map that is meant to move when the junkyard car has no
engine or tires? And no GPS antennna. I presume the radio is tested,
but seriously, do they, can they test the map?

***I've only used navigation twice in 5 years, once in the dark in
Charlston, S. Carolina, but I use location all the time.

**Convertible, top down, lots of sun, so hard to see the screen, but I
could see between attempts, in the center of the screen was a little
clock symbol, and the time on the clock was different each time!!!
Curious if there's a pattern, but had to pay attention to the road.


BTW, I just bought two new used tires today, so that I could go on a
4-day car trip tomorrow, and as I was leaving the tire place, or maybe
first thing this morning, that's when the map broke! I love my map,
especially when wandering around places I've never been before, which
was the exact plan for the next 4 days. What irony!

(I've liked maps since I was a little boy, loved them for the last 50
years)

[Ed P]

If you want navigation, buy a Garmin. Cheaper than any service call for
repairing the DVD unit.

[Wade Garrett]

Yeah, I've got one that I bought many years ago for $89 at Sam's Club.
It has lifetime free quarterly downloadable updates from Garmin for
maps, points of interest and operating software.

OTOH, the Nav in my Toyota Avalon Limited runs off a mini SD card and
there hasn't had been an update available for years. The dealer wanted
$170 to install the one released about two years after I bought the car.
But slick talker that I am, I convinced them that the sales deal
included one free update.

In-car Nav, like SiriusXM satellite radio, is on the down-slope because
so many folks now buy unlimited cellular data plans and they just stream
directions and music from their phone through the car's 17-speaker audio
system.

--
Beware the man with a well-worn weapon. He probably knows how to use it.

[Bob F]

Google maps and others can download the latest "offline" maps so you
don't need to use any data on the road, and still have functionality
when no signal is available.

[Ed P]

On 7/14/2023 3:23 PM, Wade Garrett wrote:

>>
>> If you want navigation, buy a Garmin.  Cheaper than any service call
>> for repairing the DVD unit.
>>
> Yeah, I've got one that I bought many years ago for $89 at Sam's Club.
> It has lifetime free quarterly downloadable updates from Garmin for
> maps, points of interest and operating software.
>
> OTOH, the Nav in my Toyota Avalon Limited runs off a mini SD card and
> there hasn't had been an update available for years. The dealer wanted
> $170 to install the one released about two years after I bought the car.
> But slick talker that I am, I convinced them that the sales deal
> included one free update.
>
> In-car Nav, like SiriusXM satellite radio, is on the down-slope because
> so many folks now buy unlimited cellular data plans and they just stream
> directions and music from their phone through the car's 17-speaker audio
> system.
>

I get free updates twice a year from Genesis and Hyundai. They were on
and SD card but new model load from a USB and now OTA.

I've had SiriusXM for the past 12 years. I listen to it in the car and
at home. They always have a deal at renewal time if you call.

Thought of ditching it one day. Went to the store and put on a favorite
FM station. It was commercials all the way. Did some shopping, then
turned it on for the way home. Commercials all the way. Got home and
paid the Sirius bill.

[Jim Joyce]

On Fri, 14 Jul 2023 16:08:54 -0400, Ed P <e...@snet.xxx> wrote:

>I've had SiriusXM for the past 12 years. I listen to it in the car and
>at home. They always have a deal at renewal time if you call.
>
>Thought of ditching it one day. Went to the store and put on a favorite
>FM station. It was commercials all the way. Did some shopping, then
>turned it on for the way home. Commercials all the way. Got home and
>paid the Sirius bill.

I just used free trials until they offered me 2 years at $5/month. I'm
hoping they'll have a similar offer when this term ends next year.

[micky]

In alt.home.repair, on Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:30:28 -0400, micky

<NONONO...@fmguy.com> wrote:

>DVD can't be read, what to do?

Toyota car radio/map.


I appreciate all the suggestions to my open-ended question. Buying a
new GPS unit is a last resort**. Mostly I'm trying to fix the one I
have in the dashboard.

One poster on the web thinks that having a map DVD in one's car for
years damages the DVD. Do you think that's true? I park outside and
it goes from 10F in the winter to 97 in the summer, but usually under
90. The car is white and the top is tan, but it does get several
degrees hotter in the car than outside. I think I bougbt the DVD new 4
yars ago, even though it was made in 2008.

Maybe I could have made a copy when I got it but it's too late for that
now. :-(

**For one thing, all the Amazon pictures either show the right half of
the screen devoted to text etc, and only the left half devoted to map,
OR they don't show as much detail as google maps or my current toyota
map does.

[Carlos E.R.]

On 2023-07-14 23:31, micky wrote:
> In alt.home.repair, on Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:30:28 -0400, micky
> <NONONO...@fmguy.com> wrote:
>
>> DVD can't be read, what to do?
>
> Toyota car radio/map.
>
>
> I appreciate all the suggestions to my open-ended question. Buying a
> new GPS unit is a last resort**. Mostly I'm trying to fix the one I
> have in the dashboard.
>
> One poster on the web thinks that having a map DVD in one's car for
> years damages the DVD. Do you think that's true?

A mechanical system in a car for reading data (or music) in the XXI
century is an amazing idea. It is bound to fail sooner or later.

--
Cheers, Carlos.

[Wade Garrett]

One of my gripes with their ads is the fine print line that says "taxes
and fees additional."

My $4.99 a month plan had $2.28 added for T&F. That's 46% more than the
advertised "price."

A little Truth in Advertising please guys!

--
I know things and I fix stuff

[Jim Joyce]

On Sat, 15 Jul 2023 09:11:28 -0400, Wade Garrett <wa...@cooler.net>
wrote:

My $4.99 plan bills at $6.28. Not as bad as yours but still a big chunk.

[Jim Joyce]

On Fri, 14 Jul 2023 17:31:51 -0400, micky <NONONO...@fmguy.com>
wrote:

>In alt.home.repair, on Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:30:28 -0400, micky
><NONONO...@fmguy.com> wrote:
>
>>DVD can't be read, what to do?
>
>Toyota car radio/map.
>
>
>I appreciate all the suggestions to my open-ended question. Buying a
>new GPS unit is a last resort**. Mostly I'm trying to fix the one I
>have in the dashboard.
>
>One poster on the web thinks that having a map DVD in one's car for
>years damages the DVD. Do you think that's true? I park outside and
>it goes from 10F in the winter to 97 in the summer, but usually under
>90. The car is white and the top is tan, but it does get several
>degrees hotter in the car than outside. I think I bougbt the DVD new 4
>yars ago, even though it was made in 2008.
>
>Maybe I could have made a copy when I got it but it's too late for that
>now. :-(

Why is it too late? Is the DVD stuck inside the unit somehow? If not,
remove it, take it to your computer and attempt to create an image from
it. Keep an eye on the read speed during the operation, but more
importantly, check the log at the end. If the disc was unreadable, the
image creation will fail and you'll have your answer, but if the read
speed drops dramatically at one or more places or the log file shows
repeated attempts to read certain sections, then you know the disc is on
its last legs. If the image creation completes successfully and the read
speed stays relatively constant, the disc is fine and the problem is
with the Nav unit.

One option I haven't seen mentioned is to replace the in-dash unit with
an aftermarket unit. They've long ago moved away from DVD-based maps so
the new units are much more reliable. You'd also get USB input,
Bluetooth, SiriusXM, and more. Crutchfield.com is a decent place to
explore and compare units that are guaranteed to fit and be direct
replacements.

>>BTW, I just bought two new used tires today

I don't think I can see a scenario where I would buy used tires. I guess
it would have to be some kind of emergency and that was all that's
available, but that seems unlikely.

[micky]

In alt.home.repair, on Sat, 15 Jul 2023 14:02:53 -0500, Jim Joyce

<no...@none.invalid> wrote:

>On Fri, 14 Jul 2023 17:31:51 -0400, micky <NONONO...@fmguy.com>
>wrote:
>
>>In alt.home.repair, on Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:30:28 -0400, micky
>><NONONO...@fmguy.com> wrote:
>>
>>>DVD can't be read, what to do?
>>
>>Toyota car radio/map.
>>
>>
>>I appreciate all the suggestions to my open-ended question. Buying a
>>new GPS unit is a last resort**. Mostly I'm trying to fix the one I
>>have in the dashboard.
>>
>>One poster on the web thinks that having a map DVD in one's car for
>>years damages the DVD. Do you think that's true? I park outside and
>>it goes from 10F in the winter to 97 in the summer, but usually under
>>90. The car is white and the top is tan, but it does get several
>>degrees hotter in the car than outside. I think I bougbt the DVD new 4
>>yars ago, even though it was made in 2008.
>>
>>Maybe I could have made a copy when I got it but it's too late for that
>>now. :-(
>
>Why is it too late? Is the DVD stuck inside the unit somehow? If not,

I was thinking that, if the current problem is that age or heat had
damaged the DVD already. But last night I went out and tried it
somemore and the GPS works, it just keeps flashing that message ever 3
or 4 minutes, but in between it does keep track of where I am and what
direction I'm going. In fact that clock I post about that changed time
was actually the arrow showing which direction the car was pointed.

So I will copy the DVD.

I ordered a DVD cleaning disk. They don't sell them at Target, and they
don't have any in the store at Walmart, and even Bestbuy's closest
in-store one is in Annapolis, 40 miles away. That's the reason I've
been dubious about how well they work. But Amazon sell8 or 10 different
models all with quite a few 4 and 5 ratings. So we will see.

It's also possible that becausea this is the Map DVD, with dedicated
software, that last time I did this, it didn't spin nearly as much as it
would have. So even if I have to turn the car on and off over and over,
I'll spin it for 5 or 10 minutes instead of 30 seconds it might have
been if it didn't work right last time.

>remove it, take it to your computer and attempt to create an image from
>it. Keep an eye on the read speed during the operation, but more
>importantly, check the log at the end. If the disc was unreadable, the
>image creation will fail and you'll have your answer, but if the read
>speed drops dramatically at one or more places or the log file shows
>repeated attempts to read certain sections, then you know the disc is on
>its last legs. If the image creation completes successfully and the read
>speed stays relatively constant, the disc is fine and the problem is
>with the Nav unit.

Good to know.

There were 3 videos about broken Nav units, 2 of them about toyotas, but
one was about feeding the disk and and out. In another he cleaned the
head with a Q-tip and compressed air. (There was a rubber faceplate that
pulled off starting at one side, and the opening was much bigger after
that, but I don't thimk my slot is big enough to get a q-tip in there.
I only found one hit out of many that referred, vaguely, to Map DVDs.

One guy asked someone if he drove with the windows open, more dirt gets
in. Heck I drive with the windows open 9 month a year and with the top
down 7 months a year. If his question had any basis, I'm lucky it works
at all.

I looked at Crutchfield but didn't look for direct replacments.

What I did find somewhere was a GPS with FM radio but no AM. How much
more would it cost to include AM circuity? Can't they use the antennal
that came with the car? There's not much AM radio here at all but
still, I don't want to abandone it.

>
>>>BTW, I just bought two new used tires today
>
>I don't think I can see a scenario where I would buy used tires. I guess
>it would have to be some kind of emergency and that was all that's
>available, but that seems unlikely.

When I was in college, my 85 year old cousin gave me his car. My uncle
said he'd get two tires for me. I didnt' know much, and all I knew was
to say to him "Nn recaps". On the way to school only 20 miles along,
the recap started flappoing off the tire. But since then I've bought a
lot of used tires and never had a problem. Never a recap (do they still
have recaps for passenger car tires?), they sell probably from cars that
were wrecked. I bought two on Friday, price for my size had gone from
40 and 50 seven years ago to 65 and 75 this year. That might not be so
cheap anymore??, but in and out in 12 minutes. That alone keeps me
coming back but I doubt many used tire stores anywhere can match it for
speed.

[Bob F]

This is one of Biden pet peeves.

[rbowman]

On Sat, 15 Jul 2023 09:11:28 -0400, Wade Garrett wrote:

> One of my gripes with their ads is the fine print line that says "taxes
> and fees additional."
>
> My $4.99 a month plan had $2.28 added for T&F. That's 46% more than the
> advertised "price."
>
> A little Truth in Advertising please guys!

I still have a landline through Century. The bill I got today said "Your
Federal Universal Service Fund Surcharge rate has changed from 29.00% to
29.20%. I don't know how much more Bidenomics I can stand/

[Peeler]

On 16 Jul 2023 05:43:15 GMT, lowbrowwoman, the endlessly driveling,
troll-feeding, senile idiot, blabbered again:

> I still have a landline through Century. The bill I got today said "Your
> Federal Universal Service Fund Surcharge rate has changed from 29.00% to
> 29.20%. I don't know how much more Bidenomics I can stand/

I, for one, really don't know how much of your ridiculous grandiloquent
self-admiring senile bullshit I still can stand! LOL

--
More of the resident bigmouth's usual idiotic babble and gossip:
I'm not saying my father and uncle wouldn't have drank Genesee beer
without Miss Genny but it certainly didn't hurt. Stanton's was the
hometown brewery but it closed in '50. There was a Schaefer brewery in
Albany but their product was considered a step up from cat piss.

My preference was Rheingold on tap"

MID: <k9mnmm...@mid.individual.net>

[Frank]

I have an old Garmin that still works fine and gets lifetime map
updates. Years ago a son had a BMW and when nav system went down it was
repaired under warranty and if not for warranty would have cost a couple
of thousand dollars to repair.

I understand GPS sales took a big dip with most people now just using
their cell phones.

[Carlos E.R.]

On 2023-07-16 01:37, micky wrote:
> In alt.home.repair, on Sat, 15 Jul 2023 14:02:53 -0500, Jim Joyce
> <no...@none.invalid> wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 14 Jul 2023 17:31:51 -0400, micky <NONONO...@fmguy.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> In alt.home.repair, on Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:30:28 -0400, micky
>>> <NONONO...@fmguy.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> DVD can't be read, what to do?
>>>
>>> Toyota car radio/map.

...

>>> Maybe I could have made a copy when I got it but it's too late for that
>>> now. :-(
>>
>> Why is it too late? Is the DVD stuck inside the unit somehow? If not,
>
> I was thinking that, if the current problem is that age or heat had
> damaged the DVD already. But last night I went out and tried it
> somemore and the GPS works, it just keeps flashing that message ever 3
> or 4 minutes, but in between it does keep track of where I am and what
> direction I'm going. In fact that clock I post about that changed time
> was actually the arrow showing which direction the car was pointed.
>
> So I will copy the DVD.
>
> I ordered a DVD cleaning disk.

Don't.

Just try to read, or better image, the thing on a computer.


--
Cheers, Carlos.

[Ed P]

Long before Biden

Do I have to pay the federal universal service fee?
The FCC does not require this charge to be passed on, but service
providers are allowed to do so. These charges usually appear as a
percentage of the consumer's phone bill. Companies cannot collect an
amount that exceeds the percentage of their contribution to the USF.

This contribution is known as the Universal Service Fund Fee. It is
calculated as a percentage of a company's end-user telecommunications
revenues. The rate varies but typically ranges from 15.5% to 33%. FUSF
surcharges may be passed through to the final user of the
telecommunications services.

[micky]

In alt.home.repair, on Sun, 16 Jul 2023 14:17:53 +0200, "Carlos E.R."

Do you think the cleaning disk can make the situation worse?

>Just try to read, or better image, the thing on a computer.

Do you think the problem is in the DVD disk and not the laser sensor?

[Mark Lloyd]

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us/

"Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for
every noble enterprise, every expanded prospect." -- James Madison
(1751-1836), letter to William Bradford, Jr., January 24, 1774

[rbowman]

On Sun, 16 Jul 2023 09:25:32 -0400, Ed P wrote:

> On 7/16/2023 1:43 AM, rbowman wrote:
>> On Sat, 15 Jul 2023 09:11:28 -0400, Wade Garrett wrote:
>>
>>> One of my gripes with their ads is the fine print line that says
>>> "taxes and fees additional."
>>>
>>> My $4.99 a month plan had $2.28 added for T&F. That's 46% more than
>>> the advertised "price."
>>>
>>> A little Truth in Advertising please guys!
>>
>> I still have a landline through Century. The bill I got today said
>> "Your Federal Universal Service Fund Surcharge rate has changed from
>> 29.00% to 29.20%. I don't know how much more Bidenomics I can stand/
>
> Long before Biden

The .20% increase wasn't long before Biden although that pales compared to
the rest of the inflation. Note: a lower than expected increase in the CPI
does not equate to a lower CPI despite the media trying to wrestle
lipstick on a pig.

But Trump... Yeah, he fell for the covid boondoogle hook, line, and
sinker but Slow Joe is trying to claim credit for fixing the problem.

[Peeler]

On 16 Jul 2023 17:46:18 GMT, lowbrowwoman, the endlessly driveling,

troll-feeding, senile idiot, blabbered again:

> The .20% increase wasn't long before Biden although that pales compared to
> the rest of the inflation. Note: a lower than expected increase in the CPI
> does not equate to a lower CPI despite the media trying to wrestle
> lipstick on a pig.
>
> But Trump... Yeah, he fell for the covid boondoogle hook, line, and
> sinker but Slow Joe is trying to claim credit for fixing the problem.

LMAO Baffling everyone with your notorious verbose bullshit again, Trumper?

--
More of the resident senile gossip's absolutely idiotic endless blather
about herself:
"My family and I traveled cross country in '52, going out on the northern
route and returning mostly on Rt 66. We also traveled quite a bit as the
interstates were being built. It might have been slower but it was a lot
more interesting. Even now I prefer what William Least Heat-Moon called
the blue highways but it's difficult. Around here there are remnants of
the Mullan Road as frontage roads but I-90 was laid over most of it so
there is no continuous route. So far 93 hasn't been destroyed."
MID: <kae9iv...@mid.individual.net>

[Dave Platt]

In article <q608bi9rp35a67gus...@4ax.com>,

micky <NONONO...@fmguy.com> wrote:
>>Don't.
>
>Do you think the cleaning disk can make the situation worse?

They can. I've heard of cases where the brushes on the disk knocked
the lens assembly out of alignment, completely ruining the drive.

Also, if there's a layer of persistent dust or other gunk built up on
the lens, then the brushes on the cleaning disk may abrade the lens
surface when brushing it off. Scratches like this cannot be repaired,
and once again you're likely to have a ruined drive if this happens.

Some forms of lens contamination simply can't be removed by a cleaning
disk. For example, if anyone has ever smoked (tobacco or cannabis or
...) in your car, then there's a good chance that the lens has been
coated with smoke particles and tar. Tobacco-smoke tar is extremely
difficult to remove, even with proper cleaning fluids (the Consumer
Reports magazine uses it as its exemplar of a "hard to remove" surface
film). I have no reason to believe that cannabis tar is any less
damaging to an optical drive.

>>Just try to read, or better image, the thing on a computer.
>
>Do you think the problem is in the DVD disk and not the laser sensor?

Entirely possible.

Equally importantly: imaging the DVD in a computer drive is a non-
destructive operation. It won't alter the DVD or drive in any way.
If it works, great - burn yourself a copy on a high-quality DVD-R
blank and see if it works in the car. If not, you haven't lost
anything other than time.

Unfortunately, I think that other people have likely pointed you in
the direction of the real cause: the DVD drive mechanism (likely the
laser assembly) in the car is failing due to old age. If this is
the case, replacement is the only real solution.

Frankly I'd suggest a different solution. A cheap, outdated
cell-phone, running Android, with a navigation package like
OSMand, will provide you with the same functionality (maybe
better), with maps that are updated on a regular basis, and
no moving-parts mechanism to fail. OSMand is free to try out
(unlimited time of use, but only a fixed number of map downloads
or updates available) and cheap to buy (possibly the best $5 I
have ever spent).

[Carlos E.R.]

Yes. The lenses could be scratched, a hair could be let loose..

>
>> Just try to read, or better image, the thing on a computer.
>
> Do you think the problem is in the DVD disk and not the laser sensor?

It is a very simple test.

--
Cheers, Carlos.

[Bob F]

On 7/16/2023 11:34 AM, Dave Platt wrote:
> In article <q608bi9rp35a67gus...@4ax.com>,
> micky <NONONO...@fmguy.com> wrote:
>>> Don't.
>>
>> Do you think the cleaning disk can make the situation worse?
>
> They can. I've heard of cases where the brushes on the disk knocked
> the lens assembly out of alignment, completely ruining the drive.
>
> Also, if there's a layer of persistent dust or other gunk built up on
> the lens, then the brushes on the cleaning disk may abrade the lens
> surface when brushing it off. Scratches like this cannot be repaired,
> and once again you're likely to have a ruined drive if this happens.
>
> Some forms of lens contamination simply can't be removed by a cleaning
> disk. For example, if anyone has ever smoked (tobacco or cannabis or
> ...) in your car, then there's a good chance that the lens has been
> coated with smoke particles and tar. Tobacco-smoke tar is extremely
> difficult to remove, even with proper cleaning fluids (the Consumer
> Reports magazine uses it as its exemplar of a "hard to remove" surface
> film). I have no reason to believe that cannabis tar is any less
> damaging to an optical drive.

I once read that mechanics on commercial airliners would find cracks in
the skin of the airplane by looking for the resulting nicotine stains on
the outside.

[micky]

In alt.home.repair, on Sun, 16 Jul 2023 15:37:49 -0700, Bob F

Well, I googled "mechanics on commercial airliners would find cracks in

the skin of the airplane by looking for the resulting nicotine stains on

the outside." and didn't find anything,

So I took out extra words and googled "airplane cracks in the skin
nicotine stains on the outside." and found .. not an authority, just a
guy, but...
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/6siaya/til_that_when_smoking_was_allowed_on_aircraft/
TIL that when smoking was allowed on aircraft, engineers used nicotine
stains on the outside of planes to detect microscopic cracks in the
fuselage. Now that smoking is banned, these cracks have become much more
difficult to detect.

Reply: No problem these days. Smoke from lithium battery fires will
take its place.

---Didn't know what TIL means.... Today I learned./

Background news article from when smoking was banned.
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/05/27/The-recently-imposed-smoking-ban-on-many-commercial-flights/6624580708800/

[micky]

In alt.home.repair, on Sun, 16 Jul 2023 09:25:32 -0400, Ed P

<e...@snet.xxx> wrote:

>On 7/16/2023 1:43 AM, rbowman wrote:
>> On Sat, 15 Jul 2023 09:11:28 -0400, Wade Garrett wrote:
>>
>>> One of my gripes with their ads is the fine print line that says "taxes
>>> and fees additional."
>>>
>>> My $4.99 a month plan had $2.28 added for T&F. That's 46% more than the
>>> advertised "price."
>>>
>>> A little Truth in Advertising please guys!
>>
>> I still have a landline through Century. The bill I got today said "Your
>> Federal Universal Service Fund Surcharge rate has changed from 29.00% to
>> 29.20%. I don't know how much more Bidenomics I can stand/
>
>Long before Biden

Yes indeed. If it was 29% and now it's 29.2%, even if you blame Biden
for 0.2% who's responsible for the 29%, which 145 times the increase?
Yet all Bowman can imagine is that it's Biden's fault.

[micky]

In alt.home.repair, on Sat, 15 Jul 2023 14:02:53 -0500, Jim Joyce
<no...@none.invalid> wrote:

>On Fri, 14 Jul 2023 17:31:51 -0400, micky <NONONO...@fmguy.com>
>wrote:
>
>>In alt.home.repair, on Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:30:28 -0400, micky
>><NONONO...@fmguy.com> wrote:
>>
>>>DVD can't be read, what to do?
>>
>>Toyota car radio/map.
>>
>>
>>I appreciate all the suggestions to my open-ended question. Buying a
>>new GPS unit is a last resort**. Mostly I'm trying to fix the one I
>>have in the dashboard.
>>
>>One poster on the web thinks that having a map DVD in one's car for
>>years damages the DVD. Do you think that's true? I park outside and
>>it goes from 10F in the winter to 97 in the summer, but usually under
>>90. The car is white and the top is tan, but it does get several
>>degrees hotter in the car than outside. I think I bougbt the DVD new 4
>>yars ago, even though it was made in 2008.
>>
>>Maybe I could have made a copy when I got it but it's too late for that
>>now. :-(
>
>Why is it too late? Is the DVD stuck inside the unit somehow? If not,

I just meant that if it was already damaged from years in the car, it's
too late, I guess.

>remove it, take it to your computer and attempt to create an image from
>it. Keep an eye on the read speed during the operation, but more
>importantly, check the log at the end. If the disc was unreadable, the
>image creation will fail and you'll have your answer, but if the read
>speed drops dramatically at one or more places or the log file shows
>repeated attempts to read certain sections, then you know the disc is on
>its last legs. If the image creation completes successfully and the read
>speed stays relatively constant, the disc is fine and the problem is
>with the Nav unit.

Didn't even get that far. Imgburn says "Incompatible Medium".

And when I try to look at the DVD files with a file manager, I get
"Insert a disc" and the drive door opens.

So I tried the laptop, and it said and did the same thing.

Both win10, fully updated.

Is there any point to looking for different software, that maybe can
copy what imgburn won't copy? Or I just can't copy it?

[micky]

In alt.home.repair, on Sun, 16 Jul 2023 11:34:28 -0700,

dpl...@coop.radagast.org (Dave Platt) wrote:

>In article <q608bi9rp35a67gus...@4ax.com>,
>micky <NONONO...@fmguy.com> wrote:
>>>Don't.
>>
>>Do you think the cleaning disk can make the situation worse?
>
>They can. I've heard of cases where the brushes on the disk knocked
>the lens assembly out of alignment, completely ruining the drive.
>
>Also, if there's a layer of persistent dust or other gunk built up on
>the lens, then the brushes on the cleaning disk may abrade the lens
>surface when brushing it off. Scratches like this cannot be repaired,
>and once again you're likely to have a ruined drive if this happens.
>
>Some forms of lens contamination simply can't be removed by a cleaning
>disk. For example, if anyone has ever smoked (tobacco or cannabis or
>...) in your car, then there's a good chance that the lens has been
>coated with smoke particles and tar. Tobacco-smoke tar is extremely
>difficult to remove, even with proper cleaning fluids (the Consumer
>Reports magazine uses it as its exemplar of a "hard to remove" surface
>film). I have no reason to believe that cannabis tar is any less
>damaging to an optical drive.

I don't smoke anything and the only previous owner didn't leave hints
behind that she smoked. :-)

>
>>>Just try to read, or better image, the thing on a computer.
>>
>>Do you think the problem is in the DVD disk and not the laser sensor?
>
>Entirely possible.
>
>Equally importantly: imaging the DVD in a computer drive is a non-
>destructive operation. It won't alter the DVD or drive in any way.
>If it works, great - burn yourself a copy on a high-quality DVD-R
>blank and see if it works in the car. If not, you haven't lost
>anything other than time.

I tried that. Imgburn says "Incompatible Medium".

And when I try to look at the DVD files with a file manager, I get
"Insert a disc" and the drive door opens.

So I tried the laptop, and it said and did the same thing.

Is there a more powerful or less persnickity DVD copy program that might
work?

>
>Unfortunately, I think that other people have likely pointed you in
>the direction of the real cause: the DVD drive mechanism (likely the
>laser assembly) in the car is failing due to old age. If this is
>the case, replacement is the only real solution.
>
>Frankly I'd suggest a different solution. A cheap, outdated
>cell-phone, running Android, with a navigation package like
>OSMand, will provide you with the same functionality (maybe
>better), with maps that are updated on a regular basis, and
>no moving-parts mechanism to fail. OSMand is free to try out
>(unlimited time of use, but only a fixed number of map downloads
>or updates available) and cheap to buy (possibly the best $5 I
>have ever spent).

I have a good phone with google maps, osmand, herewego, and the other
one whose name I always forget, and the phone is on. But I also want
something big and easy to read. In fact, though google maps is better
in many ways, when driving, when I had a rental car, I did like OSMand.
It seemed easier to read quickly without interfering with my driving.
And I kept google maps on the phone for details if needed.

>
>

[Jim Joyce]

On Mon, 17 Jul 2023 10:15:05 -0400, micky <NONONO...@fmguy.com>
wrote:

To me, that doesn't say 'bad disc', but rather 'incompatible disc', but
of course I could be wrong. Imgburn is about as good as it gets, so if
that's choking, it could be a non-standard (proprietary) disc format.

It'd be nice if you had a way of troubleshooting by substitution, but
where are you going to find another nav unit or another disc?

[micky]

In alt.home.repair, on Mon, 17 Jul 2023 12:30:35 -0500, Jim Joyce

It's easy to get another disc. The car is a 2005 and when I bought it
in 2017 it had the original disc. I don't really care about recently
built roads and streets -- there aren't that many of them -- but I also
realized the excess supply of discs would run out, so I bought a 2008
version about 3 years ago. (2008 is the latest year Solaras were made.
Although a 2009 disc for other Toyotas might work fine, I didn't want
the risk. By 2010 or a little later, they were no longer making new
DVDs because, as someone said, they use the Net, not DVDs, to supply
data.)

Until 2 or 3 years ago I could still find anything I owned but now I
can't guess where the 2005 DVD is. I paid about $15 for the 2008 and
now it's $25 for another new one. on ebay. New, never used.


But the cleaning disc came yesterday after I asked about its risks and
before anyone answered telling me there really are risks, and I used it.
It appears to have worked. The instructions say it can take 20 - 30
minutes, but I was right, because it's a Map DVD, it can't actually run,
and it spins only a couple minutes before it gives up. 3 or 4 minutes
later, it tries again, I'm pretty sure, every 3 or 4 minutes. But I
only put in about 20 minutes of my time, which would be 7 minutes or
less of cleaning time, not 20 or 30 like they said.

It seemed to get better in stages and I've only started the radio 3
times since it worked completely, and today I sent away for an entire
unit, off-brand, for $69, just in case I go on this trip and it fails
while I'm away from home.

[micky]

In alt.home.repair, on Mon, 17 Jul 2023 14:19:04 -0400, micky

<NONONO...@fmguy.com> wrote:

>
>
>But the cleaning disc came yesterday after I asked about its risks and
>before anyone answered telling me there really are risks, and I used it.
>It appears to have worked. The instructions say it can take 20 - 30
>minutes, but I was right, because it's a Map DVD, it can't actually run,
>and it spins only a couple minutes before it gives up. 3 or 4 minutes
>later, it tries again, I'm pretty sure, every 3 or 4 minutes. But I
>only put in about 20 minutes of my time, which would be 7 minutes or
>less of cleaning time, not 20 or 30 like they said.

The cleaning disk seems to have worked, but I'm still disappointed in
it. Instead of a full-size plastic jewel case, it came in a semi-hard,
very thin jewel case that didn't have room for the brushes, even though
they are short. The lid is crushing them. One brush is bent over 35^
or so, and 2/3 of the other is bent even more while 1/3 of it is bend in
the opposite direction.

Since the brushes have been bent over since they were packed, I don't
see how they will ever straighten out, and after 24 hours, they haven't
made any noticeable change. Anyhow, most people want to use the disc as
soon as they get it.

They have an email address just for complaints. Should I complain?

This is what I bought but it's the most promoted brand on Amazon. They
have 4 versions in all.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PTZV382?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
One is the disk and a cloth $9
One is the disk and a cloth and one little bottle of disk cleaner $10
One is the disk and a cloth and two little bottles of disk cleaner $11
One is the disk and a cloth, two little bottles of disk cleaner (not
drive cleaner) and a disappointing "powder puff" for disk cleaning.
$12


BTW, in my defense, I had read a bunch of reviews for various brands and
some complained it didn't work, but I don't remember any complaining
that it made things worse.

[Chuck]

On Mon, 17 Jul 2023 10:15:05 -0400, micky <NONONO...@fmguy.com>

Try CDburnerxp. I've had it work where other programs failed.

[Hiram T Schwantz]

On Fri, 14 Jul 2023 14:38:27 -0400, Ed P posted for all of us to digest...

>
> On 7/14/2023 2:30 PM, micky wrote:
> > DVD can't be read, what to do?
> >

Get a Garmin unit that ends with LT - Means lifetime maps & traffic or use
Waze.

--
Hiram