look at this:

Calling: /usr/lib/xcdroast-0.98/bin/xcdrwrap CDRECORD dev= "0,0,0" gracetime=2 fs=4096k driveropts=burnfree -v -useinfo speed=5 -dao -eject -pad -data "/miranda1/xcdroast/photo-01.iso" ...

scsidev: '0,0,0'
scsibus: 0 target: 0 lun: 0
Linux sg driver version: 3.1.24
pregap1: -1
Cdrecord 2.0 (i686-pc-linux-gnu) Copyright (C) 1995-2002 J�rg Schilling
TOC Type: 1 = CD-ROM
Using libscg version 'schily-0.7'
Driveropts: 'burnfree'
atapi: 1
Device type : Removable CD-ROM
Version : 0
Response Format: 1
Vendor_info : 'PLEXTOR '
Identifikation : 'CD-R PX-W4012A'
Revision : '1.02'
Device seems to be: Generic mmc CD-RW.
Using generic SCSI-3/mmc CD-R driver (mmc_cdr).
Driver flags : MMC-3 SWABAUDIO BURNFREE VARIREC
Supported modes: TAO PACKET SAO SAO/R96P SAO/R96R RAW/R16 RAW/R96P RAW/R96R
Drive buf size : 2394336 = 2338 KB
FIFO size : 4194304 = 4096 KB
Track 01: data 49 MB padsize: 30 KB
Total size: 56 MB (05:35.77) = 25183 sectors
Lout start: 56 MB (05:37/58) = 25183 sectors
Current Secsize: 2048
ATIP info from disk:
Indicated writing power: 5
Reference speed: 2
Is not unrestricted
Is erasable
ATIP start of lead in: -11745 (97:25/30)
ATIP start of lead out: 359849 (79:59/74)
1T speed low: 0 (reserved val 0) 1T speed high: 4
2T speed low: 0 (reserved val 5) 2T speed high: 0 (reserved val 12)
power mult factor: 4 6
recommended erase/write power: 3
A1 values: 02 4C B0
A2 values: 5C D8 36
Disk type: Phase change
Manuf. index: 40
Manufacturer: INFODISC Technology Co., Ltd.
Blocks total: 359849 Blocks current: 359849 Blocks remaining: 334666
Starting to write CD/DVD at speed 4 in real SAO mode for single session.
Waiting for reader process to fill input buffer ... input buffer ready.
BURN-Free is OFF.
Turning BURN-Free on
Performing OPC...
cdrecord: faio_wait_on_buffer for writer timed out.

How do I correct this problem?
My cd to burn max speed is 4x.
Thank You.

Jast a possibility: Hsve you tried this as root? You might not have the neccessary permissions as user.

I don't know what distribution of Linux, or kernel, you're running. And I don't know where you got that long, complicated line to burn an iso image to CD. Why not try this, as root:

"cdrecord -v -eject driveropts=burnfree dev=/dev/hdc /path/to/file.iso"

You'll need to issue "dmesg | grep -i PLEXTOR" to find out which device is yours.

From your example, I think that would be:

"cdrecord -v -eject driveropts=burnfree dev=/dev/hdc /miranda1/xcdroast/photo-01.iso"
and of course replace hdc with the location of your burner.

If you have at least a 2.4.27 kernel, there is no need to use generic SCSI for burning CDs. Use the device name instead.

here is a new output that I have no idea what it is telling me, i have red hat 9.0, and run Linux 2.4.20-31.9

Calling: /usr/lib/xcdroast-0.98/bin/xcdrwrap CDRECORD dev= "0,0,0" gracetime=2 fs=4096k driveropts=burnfree -v -useinfo speed=5 -dao -eject -pad -data "/miranda1/xcdroast/photo-01.iso" ...

scsidev: '0,0,0'
scsibus: 0 target: 0 lun: 0
Linux sg driver version: 3.1.24
pregap1: -1
Cdrecord 2.0 (i686-pc-linux-gnu) Copyright (C) 1995-2002 Jörg Schilling
TOC Type: 1 = CD-ROM
Using libscg version 'schily-0.7'
Driveropts: 'burnfree'
atapi: 1
Device type : Removable CD-ROM
Version : 0
Response Format: 1
Vendor_info : 'PLEXTOR '
Identifikation : 'CD-R PX-W4012A'
Revision : '1.02'
Device seems to be: Generic mmc CD-RW.
Using generic SCSI-3/mmc CD-R driver (mmc_cdr).
Driver flags : MMC-3 SWABAUDIO BURNFREE VARIREC
Supported modes: TAO PACKET SAO SAO/R96P SAO/R96R RAW/R16 RAW/R96P RAW/R96R
Drive buf size : 2394336 = 2338 KB
FIFO size : 4194304 = 4096 KB
Track 01: data 49 MB padsize: 30 KB
Total size: 56 MB (05:35.77) = 25183 sectors
Lout start: 56 MB (05:37/58) = 25183 sectors
Current Secsize: 2048
ATIP info from disk:
Indicated writing power: 5
Reference speed: 2
Is not unrestricted
Is erasable
ATIP start of lead in: -11745 (97:25/30)
ATIP start of lead out: 359849 (79:59/74)
1T speed low: 0 (reserved val 0) 1T speed high: 4
2T speed low: 0 (reserved val 5) 2T speed high: 0 (reserved val 12)
power mult factor: 4 6
recommended erase/write power: 3
A1 values: 02 4C B0
A2 values: 5C D8 36
Disk type: Phase change
Manuf. index: 40
Manufacturer: INFODISC Technology Co., Ltd.
Blocks total: 359849 Blocks current: 359849 Blocks remaining: 334666
Starting to write CD/DVD at speed 4 in real SAO mode for single session.
Waiting for reader process to fill input buffer ... input buffer ready.
BURN-Free is ON.
Performing OPC...
cdrecord: Input/output error. send opc: scsi sendcmd: no error
CDB: 54 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
status: 0x2 (CHECK CONDITION)
Sense Bytes: 70 00 03 00 00 00 00 0A 00 00 00 00 02 00 00 00
Sense Key: 0x3 Medium Error, Segment 0
Sense Code: 0x02 Qual 0x00 (no seek complete) Fru 0x0
Sense flags: Blk 0 (not valid)
cmd finished after 77.722s timeout 200s
cdrecord: OPC failed.
Writing time: 83.060s
cdrecord: fifo had 64 puts and 0 gets.
cdrecord: fifo was 0 times empty and 0 times full, min fill was 100%.

Thank You.

I'm no expert, but this is something I notice from your two posts.
In your first post it failed afterand in your second postwhich is a short description for the SCSI command that fails.

Issue "man cdrecord" and especially read the section DIAGNOSTICS.

If you have a valid reason for giving all those options, then use them.
If you don't, I would suggest you try to change to the directory which
has photo-01.iso, which I assume is /miranda1/xcdroast/photo-01.iso
and then issue your command (as root) like this:

cdrecord -v -dummy speed=4 dev=0,0,0 photo-01.iso

The dummy option will let you do a trial run to see if cdrecord would have
actually burned the CD properly. It will go through all steps of the recording
process, but the laser is turned off. If it succeeds, then remove -dummy
from the command and run it again and burn your CD.

Otherwise, do you understand why you're giving all those options?
They are explained in "man cdrecord" if you're not sure, and some of
the ones you're using seem to conflict to me, but like I said, I'm not
an expert, just a guy trying to get along with Linux.

maybe i don't understand correctly, but in the output what does the "cdrecord: faio_wait_on_buffer for writer timed out." mean? I beleive this is memory problems. what does this mean exactly?

I believe you are correct, I have the same problem IMHO the kernel scsi layer has been broken in this area since about 2.6.6. OR cdrecord has been broken since about the same time take your pick. There have been several posts in several forums on similar lines but no one, not the kernel developers or the Distro producers have done anything about and they must know about it.