Alcohol 120% burning help

[_MemphiS_]

Hey everyone, I got a rather irritating problem. Every disc I burn with Alc fails to play on my Dreamcast. I have followed ALL burning tutorials and suggestions possible, however all to no avail. Here are the step-by-step instructions I have taken:

1 - Installed trial of Alc, followed all on screen steps to install, and chose final option to use Virtual Drive option

2 - Successfully retrieved MDS or CDI files needed.

3 - Opened Alc

4 - Selected "Image Burning Wizard"

5 - From the "Browse" option, I selected the MDS or CDI file in question. On this same screen I made sure "Delete Image File after recording" was not checked, then finally selected "Next" to proceed to the next screen

6 - For this screen a Screen Shot would really help, but as explained before this is not possible. Basically here are all the options, and the settings I have

- "CD/DVD Recorder" - My Sony CD-RW Drive
- "Write Speed" - Whatever speed is recommended by the person who posted the files (usually 4x or 8x)
- "Write Method - "RAW DAO"
- "Write Box - Checked
- Simulation Box - Unchecked
- "Enable buffer underrun technology" - Checked
- "Don't close the last session of current disc" - Unchecked
- "Datatype" drop down - "Customize"

Then I click "Start". The discs always burn just fine and no errors appear. I always find the specific instructions listed with the Dreamcast files, but nothing works. Due to the fact that others have confirmed that certain files I have failed to get to play properly do work, I can only assume the the problem is with one of the settings listed above. So far I have tried uncheck the buffer underrun box, and I have used CDI and MDS/MDF files, but nothing has worked. I know this post should prob go to the Alc forums, but I thought this might be the best spot.

Thank you for all your help.

PS - If it helps, the Discs I'm using are the same ones that I have used to burn DC games on my Mac, its just that I have some files that are best burned on my Windows boxen.

[Jemsic]

Sorry man, I've been thinking of your problem for awhile now and I can't think of any solutions.

Maybe it won't work with a trial version of Alcohol. 
Here's a recent full version Kevlar posted at Universal Gamer:
http://www.mediafire.com/?8oxn00hhtmz

It also could be the discs you're using.

There is a high likelihood of neither of these truly solving your problem, but they're all I can think of.
I've burned over 100 DC games, and never had a problem like yours, sorry.

[_MemphiS_]

Np, thanks for even trying to assist. I was actually using a retail version of Alc, and just tonite after many a smashed keyboards, I downgraded to the trial version thinking it would help. Of course nothing did help. Are the settings I mentioned above exactly the same as the ones you use? What about the drop-down box "Datatype"?

[Jemsic]

I wish I could tell you what my settings were, but it's been ages since I've actually burned a DC game. 
I've gotten just about every game out there, so the burning dropped off...

Not only that, but I was burning them with an older version of Alcohol, and the newer version I have looks different. 
I have not yet burned any DC games with this new version, and I don't have any DC images to test-burn. 
So even if I could view my new settings I couldn't verify that they would work. 

All I remember was that I changed it to RAW DAO, burn speed at 8x, and never touched the default settings.

[Elite Evil]

Have you tried using a different program? Such as disk juggler?

Also if you explore the disk in windows does it come up with the files?

[darkNiGHTS]

What brand of CDs are you using?  Try using Maxell or Memorax. 

[_MemphiS_]

I'm using Memorax.

Exploring the disc does bring up the files.

I have successfully burned with DJ, but the CDs that burned with Alc but failed to work, also failed on DJ.

[darkNiGHTS]

Are they CDI files?  Chances are that the CD image is full of errors.  Download the original RARs for the game, those are error free.