Dreamcast Having issues with burning CDi on Linux

[KenaiPhoenix]

Hello, a while ago I burned some DC games using Dcdib on some Sony CD-R Cds. Some games required more than one try, but overall it worked.

Recently I try to get some new games burned but my Dreamcast (V1 from march 2000) refused to read them:

- It would get stuck on the splash game screen
- Pass the DC Logo, the Sega logo, and then reboot endlessly
- Just not boot at all

I try my old burned disc and some original ones and they all worked fine, so I thought it probably was the quality of the CD, so i decided to get some Verbatim CD-R. The burn is successful again, but the games just refused to work.

What can it be? Any Linux Dreamcast gamer here that can give me hand on how do you burn your games?

Thanks

 

[RETRO-VETRO RETRO-VETRO]

The issue likely stems from burn quality, media compatibility, or subtle changes in your burning setup, not just the brand of CD-R. Even though Verbatim is usually reliable, recent batches may vary in quality, and Dreamcast drives are notoriously picky.

Several Linux users have reported similar problems when burning .CDI images for Dreamcast. You mentioned using Dcdib, which is a solid tool, but success often depends on a few critical factors. First, burn speed matters. Try burning at the lowest possible speed, such as 4x or 8x, to improve disc readability. Some drives default to higher speeds even when you specify lower ones, so double-check your burner’s actual output. Second, not all Verbatim CD-Rs are created equal. Older “AZO” dye variants tend to work better than newer ones, which may use cheaper materials. If you can find “Made in Taiwan” Verbatim discs, they’re generally more reliable than “Made in India” ones.

Also, check the .CDI image itself. If it boots fine in an emulator but fails on hardware, it might still be a bad rip or incompatible with your Dreamcast’s laser calibration. Try testing with a known-good image from a trusted source. Some users recommend using cdrtools or cdrecord directly instead of wrappers like Dcdib for more control over burn parameters.

Lastly, your Dreamcast’s laser may be aging, even if it reads older burns. Some newer discs require stronger calibration. Cleaning the lens or adjusting the potentiometer carefully has helped others in similar cases.

 

[aquova]

Lastly, your Dreamcast’s laser may be aging, even if it reads older burns. Some newer discs require stronger calibration. Cleaning the lens or adjusting the potentiometer carefully has helped others in similar cases.

This is the exact problem I had. I was burning Dreamcast games using DCDIB and I was getting about a 50% success rate for no rhyme or reason. It turned out that my Dreamcast's laser had aged somewhat. I had to increase the power on the potentiometer (which you need to be very careful not to overdo it), but after that I never had any disc read issues again, even with CD-Rs that hadn't worked previously.

 

[diapered]

The burn is successful again, but the games just refused to work.

You can't go by if the software says the burn was successful. Doing other "burn checks" is also a waste of time, it's not like you can fix anything anyway. It is either going to work or not.

First, burn speed matters. Try burning at the lowest possible speed, such as 4x or 8x, to improve disc readability. Some drives default to higher speeds even when you specify lower ones, so double-check your burner’s actual output.

This is outdated information. Others in the linux thread (and I think elsewhere here) have talked about this. And I personally can attest that it is bullshit advice from back in the day, and it is unfortunate you will still find it everywhere. Nowadays, you want to burn at the MAX your drive will do. Forcing lower speeds will give a higher failure rate. Disks today NEED to spin fast I guess lol I don't know the technical details, but that is how optical media are designed for today.

@KenaiPhoenix If you want to burn dc cdi on linux. Run imgBurn under wine. On their site, there is another file you need for dreamcast games (it is clear you need it for cdi files), dl that as well and put it in the wine folder it tells you to. You will have to fiddle with something else to get it to work depending on your drive (iirc it is under I/O tab). And set to MAX speed.

That is the most reliable way I have found on linux. I would give the user that helped me with this a shoutout, but they are no longer here

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 11:33 PM

And yea, you will still get some failures, it is frustrating. Your verbatim disks (which I have used successfully many times) should be fine. Even random "low" brand disks I got to work with this method. Contrary to what you read, I don't think the quality of the medium matters that much. Again, I think that was an issue years ago?

That's something that was frustrating for me. I was burning at low speeds and thought I needed higher quality disks like I saw online about this topic, then finally a user here set me straight.