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Archive-name: cdrom/cd-recordable/part4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Subject: [6] Software On the PC, DOS and all versions of Windows (from 3.1) work just fine. On the Macintosh, you should use System 7.x or later. UNIX variants, such as FreeBSD and Linux, work, but can be more difficult Subject: [6-1] Which software should I use? Generally speaking, you get what you pay for: the more expensive software There's little standardization among CD-R drive manufacturers, so not On the PC, if you're new to CD-R, start with Ahead's Nero (6-1-28) or On the Mac, go with Toast (6-1-4) or Discribe (6-1-29). UNIX users probably ought to start with cdrecord (6-1-20) or CDRDAO Most of the software listed below is for PC running Windows. Use the Subject: [6-1-1] Adaptec - Easy-CD, Easy-CD Pro, and Easy-CD Pro MM ("ECD") Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT) [ These have been superseded by Easy CD Creator Deluxe (6-1-26). ] The software was developed by a company called Incat, which was purchased Easy-CD Pro 95 v1.2 seems to have trouble writing umlauts and other Subject: [6-1-2] Adaptec - CD-Creator ("CDC") Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT3.x) [ This has been superseded by Easy CD Creator Deluxe (6-1-26). ] The software was developed by Corel, and published by them until it was The package includes drivers that allow several popular CD-R drives to Version 2.x is a considerable improvement over version 1.x. Versions Subject: [6-1-3] Gear Software - GEAR Pro Platforms supported: DOS, Windows (95, NT, 2K), UNIX GEAR Software was Elektroson until early 1999. It was a subsidiary Full-featured CD recording. Includes unattended CD copying and batch Subject: [6-1-4] Roxio - Toast Platforms supported: Mac The software was developed by Miles GmbH and published by Astarte until This program is recommended for making Mac/PC hybrids, and is the most The "Toast DVD" upgrade enables creation of DVD-Video and DVD-ROM. Software updates are available on the web site. Subject: [6-1-5] CeQuadrat - WinOnCD Platforms supported: Windows (CeQuadrat was purchased by Adaptec in July 1999, and became part of Roxio.) WinOnCD is the full version. WinOnCD ToGo is a "lite" version that comes Can create VideoCD discs and bootable CD-ROMs. Subject: [6-1-6] Young Minds, Inc. - CD Studio+ Platforms supported: Windows (NT), UNIX (Linux, others) CD recording system with a Java interface. The web site has information Subject: [6-1-7] Golden Hawk Technology (Jeff Arnold) - CDRWIN Platforms supported: DOS, Windows (95, NT) (CDRWIN is the name of the Win95 version. I don't believe the DOS versions Contains sophisticated CD-ROM duplication programs, track-at-once and This comes highly recommended for creating audio CDs, because it gives you The "vcache" tweak from section (4-1-2) is strongly recommended for users If you use a Yamaha 200/400 and get "Logical Unit Not Ready" errors, try Independent cue sheet editors are available from http://www.dcsoft.com/ Subject: [6-1-8] Optical Media International - QuickTOPiX CD Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT), Mac [ product has been discontinued ] Subject: [6-1-9] Creative Digital Research - CDR Publisher Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT), UNIX Can create Mac/PC/UNIX hybrid CDs (i.e. CDs that work on all three The Solaris version should be available through Sun's Catalyst program; see Subject: [6-1-10] mkisofs Platforms supported: Windows, UNIX (many) This allows creation of an ISO-9660 filesystem on disk or tape, which can This can be used in conjunction with "cdrecord" (6-1-20) to write discs See http://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/CD-Writing-HOWTO for a Subject: [6-1-11] Asimware Innovations - MasterISO Platforms supported: Amiga [ product discontinued ] (Asimware was purchased by Iomega in March 2001.) Full-featured CD-R mastering package for the Amiga. Subject: [6-1-12] Newtech Infosystems, Inc. (NTI) - CD-Maker Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP) Full-featured CD creation and duplication software. If you get "illegal request, invalid block address" complaints reading Subject: [6-1-13] Cirrus Technology/Unite - CDMaker Platforms supported: OS/2 Drag-and-drop CD creation, written specifically for OS/2. Allows creation [ product has been discontinued? ] Subject: [6-1-14] Hohner Midia - Red Roaster Platforms supported: Windows Windows-based CD-R software that has some nice features for creating The "rrdemo.zip" on the web site is actually a demo of Samplitude Master Subject: [6-1-15] Dataware Technologies - CD Author Platforms supported: DOS CD creation software aimed at the corporate user. Comes with libraries Subject: [6-1-16] CreamWare - Triple DAT Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95) A hardware and software combo for professional-quality sound editing, this Subject: [6-1-17] MicroTech - MasterMaker Platforms supported: DOS [ product discontinued ] Subject: [6-1-18] Angela Schmidt & Patrick Ohly - MakeCD Platforms supported: Amiga CD-R creation software that supports the "AS" extensions (which preserve You need AmiCDFS, CacheCDFS, AsimCDFS, or something similar Subject: [6-1-19] Liquid Audio Inc. - Liquid Player Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K), Mac A music player that includes the ability to record CDs. You can preview Subject: [6-1-20] Jörg Schilling - cdrecord Platforms supported: UNIX (several), Windows (95, NT), Mac, OS/2, BeOS, VMS, ... A collection of freeware software and drivers for burning CDs under an Supports DVD-R as well. There are a variety of front-ends for cdrecord. One of them, X-CD-Roast, This is commonly used with "mkisofs" (6-1-10) for creating ISO images. Subject: [6-1-21] Prassi Software - CD Rep and CD Right Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT) [ product has been discontinued ] CD mastering bundled with SCSI Rep, which allows you to write to more than Subject: [6-1-22] Zittware - CDMaster32 Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K) Specializes in recording audio CDs from MP3s. Subject: [6-1-23] Dieter Baron and Armin Obersteiner - CD Tools Platforms supported: Amiga Free CD writing tools, with source code. Subject: [6-1-24] PoINT - CDwrite Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95) Full-featured CD recording. Subject: [6-1-25] PoINT - CDaudio Plus Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95) Creates audio CDs, with full control over P/Q subcodes. Subject: [6-1-26] Roxio - Easy Media Creator (was Easy CD Creator Deluxe "ECDC") Platforms supported: Windows [ Adaptec spun off Roxio as a subsidiary in 2000. All of Adaptec's CD This was created in the 1996 as Adaptec/Roxio's all-singing, all-dancing Some notes on older versions: ECDC up to v3.5a has a "two-second truncation" problem, where extracted CD Copier Deluxe in ECDC v3.x does *not* do disc-at-once recording when Versions 3.x and later of ECDC can be used to write to 80-minute discs. Uninstalling ECDC v4.02c up to and including v5.01 may disrupt access to Subject: [6-1-27] Padus - DiscJuggler Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT) Allows you to write to more than one SCSI CD-R at a time. See also Subject: [6-1-28] Ahead Software - Nero Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT, 2K) Full-featured CD creation and duplication. Fairly popular among the Supports the "variable-gap track-at-once" feature of drives like the Sony NOTE: Nero may not work correctly if DirectCD is installed. You may need NOTE: Some shrink-wrapped copies of Nero that were originally bundled with Subject: [6-1-29] CharisMac Engineering - Discribe Platforms supported: Mac CD creation for the Mac. Supports creation of hybrid CDs and disc-at-once Subject: [6-1-30] István Dósa - DFY$VMSCD Platform supported: VMS (VAX, Alpha) Construct CD-ROMs under VMS. Subject: [6-1-31] RSJ Software - RSJ CD Writer Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, OS/2) CD writing with support for ISO-9660, Joliet, and Rock Ridge extensions. Subject: [6-1-32] James Pearson - mkhybrid Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT), UNIX This is a mkisofs variant that creates discs in ISO-9660 format with [ This has been merged with "mkisofs" and "cdrecord", section (6-1-20). ] Subject: [6-1-33] JVC - Personal Archiver Plus Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT), Mac JVC's CD-R software, frequently bundled with JVC recorders. Includes "CD-R Extensions" packet-writing software for Win31/Win95 (also Subject: [6-1-34] Roxio - Jam Platforms supported: Mac An updated version of Astarte's "CD-DA" package, intended for creating Subject: [6-1-35] Pinnacle Systems - InstantCD/DVD (was VOB) Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K) [ VOB was purchased by Pinnacle Systems, Inc. in October 2002. Previous A package that includes: Subject: [6-1-36] Sony - CD Architect Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP) Fancy audio CD creation, including PQ editing and cross-fades. The The product was discontinued in 1998 or so, but returned to the market in Subject: [6-1-37] Eberhard Heuser-Hofmann - CDWRITE Platforms supported: VMS (VAX, Alpha) Construct and write CD-ROMs from VMS. Subject: [6-1-38] CeQuadrat - JustAudio! Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT) (CeQuadrat was purchased by Adaptec in July 1999, and is now part of Roxio.) Audio CD creation. Includes de-noise program for data digitized from Subject: [6-1-39] Digidesign - MasterList CD Platforms supported: Mac Full-featured audio CD creation. Subject: [6-1-40] Thomas Niederreiter - X-CD-Roast Platforms supported: UNIX (Linux) This is a Tcl/Tk/Tix front-end for mkisofs and cdrecord. Subject: [6-1-41] Jesper Pedersen - BurnIT Platforms supported: UNIX This is a Java front-end for cdrecord, mkisofs and cdda2wav. Subject: [6-1-42] Jens Fangmeier - Feurio! Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP) Audio CD creation. (As of mid-2002, Feurio! was also being sold on the Ahead web site.) Subject: [6-1-43] Iomega - HotBurn Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT4, 2K, XP), Mac (Asimware Innovations was purchased by Iomega in March 2001.) Looks to be a solid data and audio recording program. Subject: [6-1-44] DARTECH, Inc - DART CD-Recorder Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT) Audio CD creation with wide support for both analog and digital sources. Subject: [6-1-45] Interactive Information R&D - CDEveryWhere Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT), Mac, UNIX (Linux, Solaris) This is a Java application that creates hybrid disc images with Rock Ridge, Subject: [6-1-46] DnS Development - BurnIt Platforms supported: Amiga Simple but powerful recording for the Amiga. [ no longer listed on their web site? ] Subject: [6-1-47] Andreas Müller - CDRDAO Platforms supported: UNIX (several), Windows (cygwin), OS/2 Linux application that does disc-at-once audio recording. Good for See http://users.forthnet.gr/ath/axatis/XDuplicator/ for a GUI front-end. Subject: [6-1-48] Tracer Technologies - (various) Platforms supported: UNIX (several) Business-oriented CD-recordable applications, ranging from single user Subject: [6-1-49] SlySoft - CloneCD Platforms supported: Windows (95, ME, NT4, 2K, XP) [ Originally developed by Elaborate Bytes in Germany (formerly CD copier that can copy just about anything. Check the web site for a There are some "unofficial" CloneCD discussion forums that may be of CD-Freaks.com (english & dutch) Subject: [6-1-50] IgD - FireBurner Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, Linux) Simple disc recording software that takes image files (BIN/CUE, ISO, WAV) Subject: [6-1-51] Jodian Systems & Software - CDWRITE Platforms supported: Windows (NT, NT-Alpha), UNIX (several) Somewhat limited recording software available for a broad range of Subject: [6-1-52] Erik Deppe - CD+G Creator Platforms supported: Windows (95) Create your own CD+G discs. Subject: [6-1-53] Micro-Magic - CD Composer Platforms supported: Windows Audio CD creation. Extracts audio from CDs, MP3s, LPs (via a sound card), Subject: [6-1-54] Earjam, Inc. - Earjam IMP Platforms supported: Windows An "Internet Music Player" that can record to CD-R. Subject: [6-1-55] Emagic - Waveburner Platforms supported: Mac Full-featured audio CD creation for the Mac. Can do cross-fades and other Subject: [6-1-56] Zy2000 - MP3 CD Maker Platforms supported: Windows (95) Recording application dedicated to writing MP3 songs onto CD-R. Subject: [6-1-57] Integral Research - Speedy-CD Platforms supported: PC Fast CD-R duplication, with support for up to 6 CD recorders running Subject: [6-1-58] Desernet Broadband Media - Net-Burner and MP3-Burner Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K) Net-Burner lets you wrap up data into a self-extracting -- and MP3-Burner creates audio CDs from MP3 files. Subject: [6-1-59] Stomp, Inc. - Click 'N Burn Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K) Full-featured CD recording. Creates CDs and CD-ROMs, with all the Subject: [6-1-60] Steinberg Media Technologies - Clean! plus Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT) Audio restoration and CD recording. Designed specifically for transferring Subject: [6-1-61] Enreach - I-Author for VCD/SVCD Platforms supported: Windows? Authoring tools for VCD and SVCD. Subject: [6-1-62] VSO Software - Blindread/Blindwrite Platforms supported: Windows Disc copier; does "raw" reads and writes. Can be useful for analyzing Subject: [6-1-63] Microsoft - Windows XP Platforms supported: Windows (XP) Windows XP has built-in support for recording to CD-R and CD-RW. See Subject: [6-1-64] An Chen Computers - CD Mate Platforms supported: Windows (95, ME, NT, 2K, XP) Full-featured data and audio CD recording software. Competes with Subject: [6-1-65] E-Soft - Alcohol Platforms supported: Windows Disc copying and drive emulation software. Often recommended for difficult Subject: [6-1-66] Stomp Inc. - RecordNow MAX Platforms supported: Windows (95, ME, NT4, 2K, XP) Fancy CD recording intended to compete directly against Easy CD Creator. Subject: [6-1-67] James Mieczkowski - Cheetah CD Burner Platforms supported: Winodws (95, ME, NT4, 2K, XP) Straightforward CD recording. Subject: [6-1-68] Blaze Audio - RipEditBurn Platforms supported: Windows (98, ME, 2K, XP) Audio CD extraction and recording software, designed for people moving Subject: [6-1-69] Acoustica, Inc. - MP3 CD Burner Platforms supported: Windows (98, NT, 2K, XP) Burns music and MP3 CDs/DVDs from MP3 and WMA files. Includes a music Subject: [6-1-70] MagicISO, Inc. - MagicISO Platforms supported: Windows Creates, manipulates, and records disc images in a variety of formats. Subject: [6-1-71] Simone Tasselli - Burn4Free Platforms supported: Windows Create audio and data CDs. Subject: [6-1-72] Sonic Solutions - Record Now! Platforms supported: Windows (98, 2K, XP) CD copying and mastering. Packet-writing tools and DVD software are also available; check the web site. Subject: [6-1-73] Freeridecoding - BurnAgain Platforms supported: Mac (OS X) Writes files to CD-R or CD-RW, specializing in multi-session recording Subject: [6-1-74] PowerKaraoke - Power CD+G Burner, PowerKaraoke Platforms supported: Windows Create CD+G and karaoke discs. A number of tools for creating and playing discs are available on the site. Subject: [6-2] What other useful software is there? Software related to CD-Rs that isn't a direct part of the premastering Subject: [6-2-1] Optical Media International - Disc-to-Disk Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT), Mac [ product has been discontinued ] Subject: [6-2-2] Gilles Vollant - WinImage Platforms supported: Windows Among other things, this lets you list and extract the contents of an Subject: [6-2-3] Asimware Innovations - AsimCDFS Platforms supported: Amiga (Asimware was purchased by Iomega in March 2001.) Allows the Amiga to read High Sierra, Mac HFS, and ISO-9660 (including Rock [ product has been discontinued? ] Subject: [6-2-4] Steven Grimm - WorkMan Platforms supported: UNIX In addition to its primary role as an audio CD player for UNIX workstations, Subject: [6-2-5] Cyberdyne Software - CD Worx Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT) Full-featured extraction and manipulation of audio data from CDs. Subject: [6-2-6] Arrowkey - CD-R Diagnostic Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP) [ products formerly published under "Paul Crowley CD-ROM Productions" ] Does a number of useful things, such as displaying the contents of the TOC, This software is widely recommended for recovering data from otherwise Subject: [6-2-7] DC Software Design - CDRCue Cuesheet Editor Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT) Cue sheet editor for CDRWIN. Subject: [6-2-8] Astarte - CD-Copy Platforms supported: Mac Half of a CD copier. CD-Copy has a lot of features for reading CDs as [ Doesn't appear to be published by www.astarte.de anymore. Doesn't Subject: [6-2-9] Frank Wolf - CDR Media Code Identifier Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT) Attempts to identify the manufacturer of a CD-R disc. Reports the code from This information may or may not be accurate; see section (2-33) for an Development has been discontinued. It can still be found available for Subject: [6-2-10] Logiciels & Services Duhem - MacImage Platforms supported: Windows Allows you to build CD-ROM images on a PC that are compatible with The virtual HFS partition feature allows you to create Macintosh volumes in Subject: [6-2-11] Erik Deppe - CD Speed 2000 Platforms supported: Windows Tests various facets of CD-ROM drive performance, including DAE ability. [ There are references to "Nero CD Speed 2000" on the web site, suggesting Subject: [6-2-12] Andre Wiethoff - Exact Audio Copy (EAC) Platforms supported: Windows There are many programs for extracting digital audio, but EAC has become Subject: [6-2-13] Earle F. Philhower, III - cdrLabel Platforms supported: Windows Generates and maintains catalogs of CD and CD-ROM data, including song Subject: [6-2-14] Adobe - Audition (formerly Cool Edit) Platforms supported: Windows [ In May 2003, Syntrillium Software's assets were purchased by Adobe Corp. High-end, fairly expensive audio editing software. Subject: [6-2-15] Elwin Oost - Burn to the Brim Platforms supported: Windows Given a large collection of files, BTTB finds the arrangement that gets Subject: [6-2-16] Mike Looijmans - CDWave Platforms supported: Windows Useful utility for breaking a large WAV file into several smaller ones. Subject: [6-2-17] ECI - DriveEasy Platforms supported: Windows System diagnostic program, useful for making sure that your system and CD Subject: [6-2-18] Jackie Franck - Audiograbber Platforms supported: Windows Fancy audio extraction application. Can rip to MP3 and normalize sound Subject: [6-2-19] High Criteria - Total Recorder Platforms supported: Windows An audio capture program that looks like a sound card. After you install Subject: [6-2-20] Smart Projects - IsoBuster Platforms supported: Windows CD and DVD data recovery software. Works with all CD/DVD formats. Can create and manipulate disc images in a wide variety of formats Many features are available without the shareware registration. Subject: [6-2-21] GoldWave Inc. - GoldWave Platforms supported: Windows Full-featured audio editor, suitable for manipulating CD audio data. Subject: [6-2-22] Naltech - CD Data Rescue Platforms supported: Windows (98/ME/NT/2K/XP) Recovers data from damaged CD-ROMs. Can retrieve data from "deleted" Subject: [6-2-23] Jufsoft - BadCopy Pro Platforms supported: Windows Recovers data from damaged CD-ROMs, floppy disks, and more. Subject: [6-2-24] CDRoller Soft Co. - CDRoller Platforms supported: Windows (95/ME/2K/XP) Recovers data from damaged CD-ROMs, floppy disks, and more. Subject: [6-2-25] FlexiMusic - Wave Editor Platforms supported: Windows Inexpensive sound editor with a good set of features. Subject: [6-2-26] Nic Wilson - DVD Info Pro Platforms supported: Windows (95/ME/NT/2K/XP) Provides information on CD and DVD recorders and media. Subject: [6-2-27] Audacity Platforms supported: Windows (98/ME/2K/XP), Mac OS X, Linux Free sound editor with lots of fancy features. Subject: [6-3] What is packet writing (a/k/a DLA - Drive Letter Access)? Packet writing is an alternative to writing entire tracks or discs. There are some problems with packet writing, mostly due to the inability of There are two basic "philosophies" behind packet writing, fixed-size and With variable-sized packets, the CD-ROM drive can't tell ahead of Files on packet-written discs are typically stored in a UDF filesystem. DirectCD for Mac OS leaves the disc in UDF format, so reading the discs Writing to a CD-R with packets will be slower than writing with standard Audio CDs can't be written with packets. You really don't want to defragment a CD-RW written with fixed packets. Some early CD recorders were only be able to write to a disc the first 99 Information on packet-writing software follows. It is in general a bad Subject: [6-3-1] What's UDF? UDF is an acronym for the humbly-named "Universal Disk Format". It's a There have been four important releases of the specification: - 1.02: first release; primarily useful for read-only media like DVD-ROM. - 1.5: includes defect management, useful for CD-R and CD-RW. - 2.0: adds support for Stream Files, Access Control Lists, and - 2.01: adds support for Real Time Files. - 2.5: adds Metadata Partition. MacOS 8.1 and Win98 support UDF v1.02. Windows XP supports 1.02, 1.5, Download free UDF 1.5 drivers for MacOS and Win95/Win98/WinNT4 from (The Windows driver appears to have moved; look at the bottom of The technical specifications for the UDF filesystem can be found at UDF is based on the ISO/IEC 13346 standard, now ECMA-167, available from You can find Linux source code under development at Philips has made UDF verification software available (source and binaries) at Subject: [6-3-2] Do I want to do packet writing? It depends. If your primary interests are writing audio CDs, duplicating Discs written by programs like Roxio DirectCD aren't usable in a CD-ROM On the other hand, if you want to be able to add small amounts of data over Most backup software (by which I mean backing up your system, not "backing As with CD-RW, it doesn't hurt to buy a recorder that supports it, but Now, a reality check: sometimes packet-written discs "go funny". This could The format that has proven the least reliable of all CD formats is Having had our reality check, I can point out that a HUGE number of people Subject: [6-4] What packet writing software should I use? There is no clear winner, but most current offerings are pretty good. Subject: [6-4-1] Roxio - Drag-to-Disc (a/k/a DirectCD) Platforms supported: Windows, Mac This used to be sold as a separate product. As of November 2005 it wasn't UDF-based packet writing software. Check the compatibility list on the web DirectCD for Windows versions older than 1.01 conflicted with some NOTE: There seems to be a great deal of misinformation about how to disable One other note about DirectCD for Windows: in some situations you may have Uninstalling DirectCD v3.01 or v3.01c may disable access to CD-ROM drives Subject: [6-4-2] CeQuadrat - PacketCD Platforms supported: Windows (CeQuadrat was purchased by Adaptec in July 1999, and is now part of Roxio.) UDF-based packet writing software. Recent versions offer transparent Subject: [6-4-3] SmartStorage - SmartCD for Recording Platforms supported: Windows (NT) [ product has been discontinued ] Packet writing software intended for shared environments. Subject: [6-4-4] Gutenberg Systems - FloppyCD Platforms supported: Windows (95) [ product has been discontinued ] Originally released by JVC as "CD-R Extensions". Does variable-sized packet writing that leaves you with an ISO-9660 Subject: [6-4-5] Pinnacle Systems - InstantWrite (was VOB) Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K) UDF packet-writing software. Supports DVD-RAM and drag-and-drop audio CD Comes with a backup package called InstantBackup. Subject: [6-4-6] Prassi - abCD Platforms supported: Windows (95) [ product has been discontinued ] Packet writing for CD-RW. Appears to be less ambitious but far simpler Read-compatible with Roxio DirectCD (i.e. you can read DirectCD discs Also sold under the Sony label. Subject: [6-4-7] Ahead - InCD Platforms supported: Windows (95, 2K) UDF packet-writing software. Only works with CD-RW discs. Subject: [6-4-8] Oak Technologies - SimpliCD ReWrite Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP) Part of the SimpliCD package. UDF packet-writing for CD-RW discs. [ Unclear if this is related to the SimpliCD product formerly published Subject: [6-4-9] NewTech Infosystems, Inc. (NTI) - File CD Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP) UDF packet-writing software. Uses Windows-Explorer-style interface. Subject: [6-4-10] Veritas - DLA (Drive Letter Access) Platforms supported: Windows (98, 2K) Most users will encounter this as HP DLA, sold with a Hewlett-Packard Subject: [6-4-11] BHA - B's CLiP Platforms supported: Windows UDF packet writing software for rewritable CDs and DVDs. Subject: [6-5] Can I intermix different packet-writing programs? In general, no. Do not assume that two packet-writing programs will coexist peacefully on Do not assume that discs written by one program will be readable by another. Subject: [6-6] I want to write my own CD recording software Source code and ready-to-link libraries are available, but the more useful Source code for some of the packages (notably Joerg Schilling's "CD Record" ASPI developer documentation and SDKs used to be available from Visit http://www.gentle.it/alvise/cd-r.htm for a nice introduction to The basic idea is to issue SCSI commands directly to the drive, via some Some useful samples can be found here: Subject: [6-6-1] PoINT - CDarchive SDK Platforms supported: Windows, OS/2 API and SCSI device drivers. Subject: [6-6-2] Golden Hawk Technology (Jeff Arnold) Platforms supported: PC C++ class libraries. See the web site for licensing information. Subject: [6-6-3] Gear Software - GEAR.wrks Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP), UNIX (Linux, others) 16-bit and 32-bit APIs for CD-R/CD-RW, DVD, tape drives, and SCSI hard disks. Subject: [6-6-4] VOB - CD-Wizard SDK Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT) [ It looks like this may have gone away when Pinnacle Systems purchased COM/ActiveX interface to CD writing functions. Not cheap. Subject: [6-6-5] Dialog Medien - ACDwrite.OCX Platforms supported: Windows ActiveX/OCX interface for writing audio CDs. Develop audio CD recording Subject: [6-6-6] ECI - The Engine Platforms supported: Windows A utility that can be integrated into other software to provide "one-click" Subject: [6-6-7] NUGROOVZ - CDWriterXP Platforms supported: Windows (95, ME, XP, NT, 2K) [ This product line was taken over by NuMedia Soft in January 2003. It Subject: [6-6-8] Ashampoo - DiscForge Plug & Burn Platforms supported: Windows (95, ME, 2K, XP) C library for adding recording features to applications. Supports audio Subject: [6-6-9] NuMedia Soft - NMSDVD Burning SDK Platforms supported: Windows (95, ME, NT, 2K+) CD/DVD recording SDK available in three forms: ActiveX, .NET, and C++. Subject: [6-6-10] Sonic Solutions - AuthorScript Platforms supported: Windows A collection of APIs for CD and DVD authoring. Subject: [6-7] What software is available for doing backups? See section (3-20) for commentary. Remember, if you're backing up less For fast, occasional backups of a disk partition or an entire disk, Norton Subject: [6-7-1] Adaptec - Easy-CD Backup Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95) [ no longer available ] Backup software designed to store data on CD-Rs. Allows incremental Subject: [6-7-2] D.J. Murdoch - DOSLFNBK Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT) Saves the long filenames, so that you can use backup software that only Old versions are free, new versions are inexpensive. Subject: [6-7-3] Dantz - Retrospect Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT), Mac Dantz's Retrospect 4.0 can make use of CD-R and CD-RW by using packet Subject: [6-7-4] Veritas - Backup Exec Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT) This was originally adapted for use with CD-R by Seagate Software, who The consumer "Backup Exec Desktop 98" version works with Win95 and Win98. Subject: [6-7-5] Symantec - Norton Ghost Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP), OS/2 (Looks like Ghost Software got purchased by Symantec.) Ghost was created as a way to create boilerplate software installations and Subject: [6-7-6] PowerQuest - Drive Image Special Edition for CD-R Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT4, 2K), DOS Drive Image 4.0 is a hard drive cloning program that includes CD-R/CD-RW Subject: [6-7-7] Centered Systems - Second Copy Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT) Second Copy maintains a duplicate of your files on a different system Subject: [6-7-8] FileWare - FileSync Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT) Similar to Second Copy, but with a different feature set. Subject: [6-7-9] Novastor - NovaDISK Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT) Backup software that is "CD-R aware". Requires drive-letter access to Subject: [6-7-10] Roxio - Take Two Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT) Image-based backup software. Included with Easy CD Creator 4. Subject: [6-7-11] NTI - Backup NOW! Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP) Full backup software for CD-R/CD-RW. Includes data compression and Subject: [6-7-12] CeQuadrat - BackMeUp LT Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT) (CeQuadrat was purchased by Adaptec in July 1999, and is now part of Roxio.) Backup software, included as part of WinOnCD v3.7. Subject: [6-7-13] Duncan Amplification - disk2disk Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K) Inexpensive backup software for Windows. Requires drive-letter access to Subject: [6-7-14] Pinnacle Systems - InstantBackup (was VOB) Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K) Packet-based backup software, included with VOB's InstantCD (6-1-35). Subject: [6-7-15] Microsoft - Backup Platforms supported: Windows Right click on a hard drive icon, select "Properties", click on the "Tools" Subject: [6-7-15] Portlock Software - Storage Manager Platforms supported: Novell Supports access to various formats (CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+RW) via Novell NetWare. Subject: [6-7-16] Willow Creek Software - Backup To CD-RW Platforms supported: Windows Easy-to-use software for backing up data files. Supports file compression You must have packet-writing software already installed in your system. Subject: [6-7-17] TeraByte Unlimited - Image for Windows Platforms supported: Windows (98, NT, 2K, XP) Hard drive partition imaging software. Creates block-by-block image Subject: [6-8] How do I get customer support for bundled recording software? When you buy retail software, you are paying for a license to use the program. When you buy a drive with bundled software, you are buying a version of the If you go to the store and buy the latest version of Fubar Software's Disc --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Subject: [7] Media This section covers recordable CD media. Subject: [7-1] What kinds of media are there? The basic building blocks of CD-R media are organic dye and a reflective - cyanine dye, which is cyan blue in color (hence the name); In addition, Kodak has patented a "formazan" dye, which is light green. The reflective layer is either a silver alloy, the exact composition of Discs come in many different colors. The color you see is determined by Many people have jumped to the conclusion that "silver" discs are made with Taiyo Yuden produced the original gold/green CDs, which were used during the One reason why there are multiple formulations is that the materials and Some CDs have an extra coating (e.g. Kodak's "Infoguard") that makes the CD An EMedia Professional article discussing the composition of the newer CD-RW discs have an entirely different composition. The data side Subject: [7-2] Does the media matter? Yes. There are four factors to consider: (1) Does it work with your recorder? Some audio CD players (like the ones you'd find in a car stereo) have Some people have found brand X CD-R units work well with media type Y, To top it all off, someone observed that discs burned with one brand of A number of specific discoveries have been posted to Usenet, but none of Some users have found that the *quality* of audio recordings can vary If you want to see what media test results look like, take a look at One final comment: while there are clearly defined standards for CD-R Subject: [7-3] Who manufactures CD-R media? Taiyo Yuden made the first "green" CDs. They are now manufactured by TDK, Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals (MTC) made the first "gold" CDs. They are now Verbatim made the first "silver/blue" CDs. Most CD-R brands (e.g. Yamaha and Sony) are actually made by a handful of Subject: [7-4] Which kind of media should I use? There is no "best" media for all recorders. You can't tell how well a disc It's probably a good idea to start by selecting media that is certified Speed considerations are more important for CD-RW than CD-R. Many drives The Orange Book standard was written based on the original "green" cyanine Manufacturers of phthalocyanine-based media claim it has a longer lifespan There is no advantage to using expensive "audio CD-Rs" or "music blanks". Trying samples of blanks is strongly recommended before you make a major Maxell's CD-R media earned a miserable reputation on Usenet. In April Some good technical information is available from http://www.mscience.com/. BLER measurements for a variety of recorders and media is in a big table See also "Is There a CD-R Media Problem?" by Katherine Cochrane, originally Subject: [7-4-1] What's the best brand of media? As noted in (7-4), there is no guarantee that brand X will be the absolute Brands most often recommended: Mitsui, Kodak, Taiyo Yuden, and TDK. Brands that are often trashed: Maxell, Verbatim, Memorex, Ritek, Hotan, Sometimes a particular line of discs from a particular manufacturer or Sometimes company names change. For example, in June 2003 Mitsui Advanced The country of manufacture may also be significant. Some manufacturers In humid tropical climates, care must be taken to find discs that stand up Subject: [7-5] How long do CD-Rs and CD-RWs last? CD-RWs are expected to last about 25 years under ideal conditions (i.e. you The rest of this section applies to CD-R. The manufacturers claim 75 years (cyanine dye, used in "green" discs), 100 Exposing the disc to excessive heat, humidity, or to direct sunlight will Keep them in a cool, dark, dry place, and they will probably live longer One user reported that very inexpensive CD-Rs deteriorated in a mere six An interesting article by Fred Langa (of http://www.langa.com/) on By some estimates, pressed CD-ROMs may only last for 10 to 25 years, One user was told by Blaupunkt that CD-R discs shouldn't be left in car CD See also http://www.cd-info.com/CDIC/Technology/CD-R/Media/Longevity.html, See "Do gold CD-R discs have better longevity than green discs?" on There's a very readable discussion of CD-R media error testing on An interesting document entitled "Care and Handling of CDs and DVDs - Another good NIST article, "Stability Comparison of Recordable Optical Kodak has some interesting information about their "Ultima" media. t = A * exp(E/kT) where 'exp()' indicates exponentiation. 't' is disc lifetime, 'A' is a The trouble with the equation is that you have to know either 'A' or 'E'. Subject: [7-6] How much data can they hold? 650MB? 680MB? There are 21-minute (80mm/3-inch), 74-minute, 80-minute, 90-minute, and Typical 74-minute CD-Rs are advertised as holding 650MB, 680MB, or even Folks interested in "doing the math" should note that only 2048 bytes of It should also be noted that hard drive manufacturers don't measure megabytes Spelled out simply: 21 minutes == 94,500 sectors == 184.6MB CD-ROM == 212.0MB CD-DA The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has approved alternate Many CD recording programs will tell you the exact number of 2K sectors An informal survey conducted by one user found that the deviation between the http://www.cdmediaworld.com/ has a fairly detailed listing of how much The PCA (Power Calibration Area), PMA (Program Memory Area), TOC (Table On a multisession disc, you lose about 23MB of space when the first session (If you want the details: the first additional session requires 4500 sectors Pressed aluminum CDs are also supposed to hold no more than 74 minutes of Some packet-writing solutions will take a large bite out of your available Subject: [7-7] Is it okay to write on or stick a label on a disc? It depends. Use the right kind of pen and you shouldn't have a problem. Keep in mind that the data is essentially stored on the top (label side) of Subject: [7-7-1] Can I write on them? What kind of pen should I use? The ink in some permanent markers can eat away the lacquer coat, which Never write on a disc with a ball-point pen. Pressing down on the label Examples of pens for CD-Rs include the Dixon Ticonderoga "Redi Sharp Many people have had no problems with the popular Sanford "Sharpie" pens, "Sanford has used Sharpie Markers on CDs for years and we have never [...] Sanford Consumer Affairs" In any event, the Ultra Fine Sharpie pen looks almost sharp enough to So long as you use the right kind of pen, it's okay to write directly on Subject: [7-7-2] Are labels okay? The adhesives on some labels can dissolve the protective lacquer coating There is evidence that labels can shorten CD-R lifetime, so it might be The best way to feel confident about labeling your discs is to try it Whatever you do, don't try to peel a label off once it's on. You will It may not be a good idea to put labels on discs that will be fed into a A number of companies make labels for CDs, and some sell complete kits If you want a label that also covers up the clear plastic part at the For information about printing directly onto the surface of a disc, Some information on CD-R labeling options can be found here: Sony's http://www.sonydadc.com/ web site has a "Downloads & Templates" Mike Richter's CD-R primer has a very nice page on labeling discs. See It is important to keep the CD balanced, or high-speed drives may have Avery's CD-R labels became quietly unavailable in October 1997. The rumor Subject: [7-8] How do CD-Rs behave when microwaved? Disclaimer: I'm not recommending you put a CD into a microwave. CDs may The basic process is, take a disc that you don't want anymore, and put Performing this operation on replicated CDs results in blue sparks that Trying this with a green/gold CD-R gives you a similar light show, but the On a different note, CD-Rs seem to smell worse, or at least they start to For the curious, here's a note about why they behave like they do: "The aluminum layer in a CD-ROM is very thin. The microwave oven induces I suspect that if you leave the oven going much longer, the CD-ROM will Dreamcast GD-R discs come out just like CD-R, but DVD-R is a whole Combining a microwaved CD-R with a tesla coil produces interesting results. Subject: [7-9] What can I do with CD-R discs that failed during writing? If the disc wasn't closed, you can write more data in a new session. If However, that doesn't mean it's useless. Here are a few ideas: - Fill in the center hole to avoid leaks, and use them as drink coasters. If you've given up hope of doing something "useful" with it, do something In one carefully controlled experiment it was determined that CD-Rs behave On a different tack, some CD-Rs don't hold up well when immersed in water. One comment about snapping discs in half with your fingers: use caution. If you have far more coasters than you want to play with, consider recycling Subject: [7-10] Where can I find jewel cases and CD sleeves? There are many vendors. A few are listed below. Incidentally, you have a lot of choices when it comes to CD packaging.
Posting-Frequency: monthly
Last-modified: 2008/05/21
Version: 2.70
(2005/07/24)
to use for neophytes. The support in recent versions of Linux is pretty
good.
(2002/01/04)
has more features. However, this isn't always the case, and the software
with more features isn't necessarily more useful or more reliable.
all devices are supported by all programs. This has changed somewhat
with the development of the MMC specification, but deviations from the
standard are not uncommon.
Roxio's Easy CD Creator Deluxe (6-1-26). If you just want to "back up"
CD-ROMs try CloneCD, and if you want good "backups" and lots of flexbility
when creating audio CDs go with CDRWIN. If you want to write to a disc as
if it were a floppy, try Roxio's DirectCD (included with ECDC; see section
(6-4-1)) or Nero InCD (6-4-7).
(6-1-47).
search feature of your newsreader or web browser to look for "Mac" or
"Linux" if that's what you're interested in.
(1998/04/06)
by Adaptec in 1995.
non-ASCII characters in Joliet mode. Romeo format will work, but the files
will only be accessible from Windows.
(1998/04/06)
purchased by Adaptec in mid-1996. It was combined with Easy-CD Pro to
form Easy CD Creator.
be used as general-purpose CD readers under Win95. It can also create
VideoCD and PhotoCD discs.
older than 2.01.079 had some problems inserting "knacks" into audio CDs.
(2001/12/18)
See http://www.gearsoftware.com/
of Command Software Systems, Inc. until May 2001, when it became a
free-standing company.
file support.
(2005/05/31)
See http://www.roxio.com/
Miles was purchased by Adaptec in early 1997. In 2000 Adaptec spun
the CD recording software group off into Roxio. In August 2004 Roxio's
consumer software division was purchased by Sonic Solutions.
popular package for the Mac. It supports HFS, ISO-9660, and Joliet.
At one time it was sold by an OEM as "CD-It All".
(1999/09/12)
See http://www.cequadrat.com/
bundled with some drives.
(2001/12/18)
See http://www.ymi.com/
about specialized solutions for things like recording over Novell networks
and working with CD-R jukeboxes.
(2000/05/25)
See http://www.goldenhawk.com/
See http://www.cd-brennen.de/ (german distributor)
have an official name.)
disc-at-once utilities for sound and data, and other goodies. Some of the
DOS-based software is free, the rest is relatively inexpensive.
a great deal of control over the creation process. Updates for the
software are available on the net.
of CDRWIN to avoid buffer underruns.
disabling the data caching.
and http://www.crosswinds.net/~cueed2000/.
(1998/04/06)
See http://www.microtest.com/
(1998/04/06)
See http://www.cdr1.com/ (a/k/a http://www.hycd.com/)
platforms), as well as bootable CDs for PCs and UNIX. If you need a
CD that works (and looks good) on Win95, MacOS, and UNIX, this is the
program for you.
http://www.sun.com/sunsoft/catlink/cdr/cdrpub.htm.
(2000/09/10)
Sources (in "cdrtools" package) at ftp://ftp.berlios.de/pub/cdrecord/
then be copied to a CD-R. It can create discs with Joliet, Rock Ridge,
and HFS filenames, and can be configured to ignore certain facets of the
ISO standard (like maximum directory depth). Recent versions support
multisession and several kinds of bootable discs.
under UNIX. For other platforms, chances are good that your favorite CD
recording application is able to write ISO-9660 images. (If not, there's
probably a "cdrecord" port for your platform of choice.)
"HOWTO" guide on writing CDs under Linux.
(2002/04/07)
See http://www.asimware.com/
(2002/02/27)
See http://www.ntius.com/ (demo available)
from an ATAPI CD-ROM drive, your ASPI layer may be corrupted. See the
instructions in http://www.fadden.com/doc/ntius-aspi.txt.
(1998/09/05)
See http://www.cirunite.com/ (demo available)
of CDs with an HPFS (OS/2) filesystem.
(1998/04/06)
See http://hohnermidia.com/proaudio.html [web site gone?]
audio discs, including the ability to edit the P-Q subcode data.
from SEK´D Software. Samplitude Master is a fancy audio editing program
that - among other things - allows you to create ISO-9660 images suitable
for writing to a CD-R, but the demo package doesn't include software to do
the actual writing (the full package includes PoINT CDaudio).
(1998/04/06)
See http://www.dataware.com/site/prodserv/cd_rom.htm
See http://www.dataware.de/untern/index.html
for creating custom applications.
(1998/04/06)
See http://www.creamware.com/
now includes an audio CD creation tool.
(2004/07/07)
See http://www.microtech.com/product/mmaker/
(1998/04/06)
See http://makecd.core.de/
the Amiga protection bits and file comments).
to make use of the "AS" extensions. AmiCDFS is (was?) available from
http://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/aminet/dirs/disk_cdrom.html. Look for
amicdfs*.lha, where '*' is a version number.
(2000/08/05)
See http://www.liquidaudio.com/
music and purchase it over the Internet.
(2005/07/10)
See ftp://ftp.berlios.de/pub/cdrecord/
impressive variety of operating systems. Source code is available. See
the web site for an up-to-date list of features and supported systems.
(Note the package is now called "cdrtools".)
is listed in section (6-1-40).
(2003/07/08)
one SCSI CD-R at once. See also section (3-17).
(2000/08/05)
See http://www.zittware.com/Products/CDMaster32/cdmaster32.html (shareware)
(1998/04/06)
See http://www.giga.or.at/nih/cdtools.html
(1998/04/06)
See http://www.pointsoft.de/
(1998/04/06)
See http://www.pointsoft.de/
(2005/11/15)
See http://www.roxio.com/
recording software products were moved to the Roxio label. In August
2004, Roxio's consumer software division was purchased by Sonic Solutions. ]
combination of Adaptec Easy-CD Pro and Corel CD Creator. It combined
the best features of both and cost less. Recent versions were renamed
to Easy Media Creator to reflect an emphasis shift toward managing music,
photos, and video.
audio tracks end up missing two seconds. This doesn't happen for every
system or every disc, but is 100% reproducible in situations where it
arises. Version 3.01d fixed the problem for some users but not others.
copying from disc-to-disc (the web site is right, the manual is wrong),
but ECDC itself does. If you want to make a disc-to-disc copy with
disc-at-once recording, you should set up ECDC to copy the disc without
buffering to the hard drive. ECDC will refuse to use DAO if your writer
doesn't support it reliably or the source drive is too slow.
For v4.x and earlier, don't use the "wizard", and ignore any complaints
about being over the maximum time.
CD-ROM drives under WinXP and Win2K. See section (4-49) for details.
See http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/23448.html for an opinionated
piece about the trials and tribulations of ECDC and WinXP/Win2K.
(1998/04/06)
See http://www.padus.com/ (demo available)
section (3-17).
(2002/03/18)
See http://www.ahead.de/ (demo available)
See http://www.nero.com/
Internet community.
926S and Mitsumi CR-2801TE when creating CDs (but not when copying them?).
Comes with "MultiMounter", which appears to be similar to Roxio's
"Session Selector".
to uninstall DirectCD to get Nero to work. (This was especially true with
older versions of the software back in 1999, but may still be the case now.)
CD recorders have been turning up at flea markets and computer shows.
These may only support the device that they were initially sold with,
but there is no such indication on the disc or packaging.
(1999/02/26)
See http://www.charismac.com/Products/Discribe/index.html
recording. This is a popular alternative to Toast for the Mac.
(1998/04/06)
See http://www.cd-info.com/CDIC/Technology/CD-R/vms.html
(2001/05/10)
See http://www.rsj.de/
Uses a buffering scheme to allow drive-letter access without packet
writing.
(2000/05/05)
See http://www.ge.ucl.ac.uk/~jcpearso/mkhybrid.html
Joliet, Rock Ridge, and HFS extensions. HFS files can be encoded as an HFS
"hybrid" or using Apple's ISO-9660 extensions.
(1998/04/06)
See http://www.jvcinfo.com/archiver.html
See http://www.jvc-victor.co.jp/english/cdr/cdrext-e.html
known as "FloppyCD"?).
(2001/01/04)
See http://www.roxio.com/
professional audio CDs.
(2002/12/02)
See http://www.pinnaclesys.com/
sites were http://www.vob.de/ and http://www.vobinc.com/ ]
- InstantCD Wizard: full-featured CD recording software
- MultiCopy: fancy disc copier that can skip ranges and patch on the fly
- InstantWrite: packet writing, see (6-4-5)
- InstantBackup: backup software based on InstantWrite
- InstantVideo: VideoCD and DVD creation
- InstantMusic: arrange and record audio CDs
- InstantDrive: CD-ROM drive emulator
- WebXtension: save Internet data on CD
(2003/10/14)
See http://www.sonicfoundry.com/
original product was popular among people who regularly pre-master discs
for mass production.
late 2002. Sonic Foundry's product line was purchased by Sony Pictures
Digital in August 2003.
(1998/05/10)
See http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/9999/vmscdwri.html
Get ftp://v36.chemie.uni-konstanz.de/cdwrite/
(1998/06/14)
See http://www.cequadrat.com/
tapes or records, and a layout tool for creating booklets, inlay cards,
or labels.
(1998/08/16)
See http://www.digidesign.com/prod/mlcd/
(1998/10/18)
See http://www.xcdroast.org/
(1998/10/12)
See http://sunsite.auc.dk/BurnIT/
(2002/06/24)
See http://www.feurio.de/
(2001/06/25)
See http://www.iomega.com/software/hotburn/
See http://www.asimware.com/
(1998/11/18)
See http://www.dartpro.com/ (demo available)
(1999/02/07)
See http://www.cdeverywhere.com/
Joliet, and HFS support. The image can be written with any application
that can handle ISO-9660 disc images.
(1999/04/11)
See http://www.titancomputer.de/
(2002/12/02)
See http://cdrdao.sourceforge.net/
copying many types of discs. Source code is available.
(1999/06/30)
See http://www.tracertech.com/
CD recording to data migration and archiving with CD and DVD jukeboxes.
(2003/10/02)
See http://www.slysoft.com/ (demo available)
http://www.elby.de/, now http://www.elby.ch/), the software was sold to
SlySoft in September 2003. Apparently the folks at Elaborate Bytes were
concerned about legal action after the EU started moving toward laws
similar to the USA's DMCA. ]
list of supported hardware.
interest when trying to copy something tricky:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=18
CDR-Info.com (english)
http://www.cdrinfo.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=16
Brennmeister.com (german)
http://www.brennmeister.de/forum/viewforum.php?forum=4
(2001/12/08)
See http://www.fireburner.com/ (shareware)
as input and writes a disc. The "binchunker" program, which converts to
and from BIN/CUE files, is incorporated. Can record audio CDs from MP3s.
(1999/12/19)
See http://www.jodian.com/
platforms.
(1999/12/31)
See http://users.pandora.be/erik.deppe/cdgcreator.htm
(2000/01/24)
See http://www.cdcomposer.com/
and allows you to construct custom CDs. Also copies CD-ROMs and writes
ISO images.
(2000/02/07)
See http://www.earjam.com/
(2000/03/06)
See http://www.emagic.de/
fancy tricks.
(2000/05/25)
See http://www.zy2000.com/ (shareware)
(2000/08/05)
See http://www.speedy-cd.com/
simultaneously.
(2000/08/05)
See http://www.net-burner.com/ (demo available)
self-recording -- downloadable file. For example, Music Net-Burner lets
you wrap up MP3s, jewel case art, and a track listing into a single
executable file. When run, the program unpacks itself and writes to
a CD recorder. It does on-the-fly MP3 decoding, supports overburning,
and can do disc-at-once recording. Data Net-Burner does the same sort
of thing for CD-ROMs.
(2000/09/21)
See http://www.clicknburn.com/
trimmings.
(2000/11/10)
See http://www.steinberg.net/products/
music from analog sources such as cassette tapes and vinyl records.
(2000/11/13)
See http://www.enreach.com/Products/products/etv1/iauthvcd.htm
See http://www.enreach.com/Products/products/etv1/iauthsvcd.htm
(2002/11/12)
See http://www.blindwrite.com/
copy-protected discs.
(2001/08/16)
See http://www.microsoft.com/
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/bridgman/august...
for an overview.
(2001/12/19)
See http://www.cd-mate.com/ (demo available)
See http://cdmate.copystar.com.tw/
CloneCD and Nero.
(2005/01/11)
See http://www.alcohol-software.com/
copy-protected discs.
(2002/10/15)
See http://www.stompinc.com/recordnowmax/
Supports DVD+R. Includes "Drive Letter Access" packet writing software
for CD-RW drives.
(2003/03/25)
See http://www.cheetahburner.com/
(2003/07/08)
See http://www.blazeaudio.com/
music between CDs and MP3 files.
(2003/11/29)
See http://www.acoustica.com/ (demo available)
library manager and a CD label maker.
(2004/04/15)
See http://www.magiciso.com/ (demo available)
Can create DVDs and bootable CD-ROMs.
(2004/04/15)
See http://burn4free.com/ (freeware)
(2004/08/10)
See http://www.sonic.com/
(2005/07/23)
See http://freeridecoding.net/ (shareware)
for archiving data.
(2006/02/26)
See http://www.power-karaoke.com/ (demo available)
(1998/04/06)
process.
(1998/04/06)
See http://www.microtest.com/html/optical_media.html
(1998/04/06)
See http://www.winimage.com/
ISO-9660 image.
(2001/06/25)
See http://www.asimware.com/
Ridge extensions).
(1998/04/06)
See http://www.midwinter.com/ftp/WorkMan/
version 1.4 (still in beta) allows SPARC/Solaris2.4+ workstations to extract
digital audio into ".au" files.
(2001/03/03)
See http://www.cyberdyne-software.com/cdworx.html
(2002/08/01)
See http://www.arrowkey.com/ (or http://www.cdrom-prod.com/)
listing the full volume label, analyzing the media, and recovering data from
"lost" sessions and hosed UDF discs.
unusable discs.
(1998/09/14)
See http://www.dcsoft.com/
(2000/09/11)
See ?
images, but is unable to write them (presumably you're supposed to use
Toast for that).
seem to be part of the Roxio lineup, either. I'm told the intellectual
property was purchased by Apple in 1999 or 2000. ]
(2004/08/31)
See ?
the ATIP region, which tells you who made the stamper used to create the
blanks, and what kind of dye is in use. Shows the exact length of a disc.
explanation.
download though. One such location:
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,22912,00.asp
(2002/08/01)
See http://www.macdisk.com/macimgen.php3
the Macintosh. Can create hybrid HFS/ISO-9660 images, ISO-9660 with
Apple extension images, and pure HFS images (using the virtual filesystem
image feature).
a file on the PC, and manipulate files there.
(2002/01/09)
See http://www.cdspeed2000.com/
See http://come.to/cdspeed
Tables of results are available on the web site.
that the software is now related to Ahead? ]
(2000/01/04)
See http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/
the de facto standard application for doing so. On some CD-ROM drives
it can guarantee extraction of 100% perfect audio, and on most others it
does as well or better than anything else available.
(2000/08/19)
See http://www.ziplabel.com/cdrlabel/
lists and file directories. Makes it easy to print label cards.
(2003/09/08)
See http://www.adobe.com/
Three months later, one of the best shareware sound editing programs ever
written -- Cool Edit -- was officially discontinued when Cool Edit Pro
was re-released as Adobe Audition. ]
(2002/04/28)
See http://bttb.sourceforge.net/
the most files onto the fewest discs.
(2001/08/28)
See http://www.cdwave.com/
Comes in handy when you're working with audio recorded from a cassette
or LP and want to insert track markers.
(2001/09/26)
See http://www.eciusa.com/driveeasy.htm
recorder are working correctly. It includes some utilities for getting
technical information on your drive and on CDs.
(2001/10/03)
See http://www.audiograbber.com-us.net/ (demo available)
See http://www.audiograbber.de/
levels across multiple tracks.
(2001/11/01)
See http://www.HighCriteria.com/
this software, you can tell Windows to play sound through it. A copy of
the sound will be recorded to disk, making this an easy way to get perfect
copies of audio from "protected" formats (e.g. encrypted Windows Media
Player files or DVD-ROM).
(2006/09/04)
See http://www.isobuster.com/ (shareware)
(both generic and product-specific). See the web site for a full list.
(2003/11/29)
See http://www.goldwave.com/ (shareware)
Includes CD ripper and click/pop reduction filters.
(2004/01/12)
See http://www.naltech.com/ (trial version available)
files.
(2004/01/12)
See http://www.jufsoft.com/badcopy/ (trial version available)
(2004/01/12)
See http://www.cdroller.com/ (trial version available)
(2004/08/31)
See http://www.fleximusic.com/ (trial version available)
(2004/08/31)
See http://www.dvdinfopro.com/ (adware until registered)
(2004/11/12)
See http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ (freeware)
(2002/05/28)
It allows you to write much smaller chunks, down to the level of individual
files. With track-at-once recording there's a maximum of 99 tracks per
disc, a minimum track length of 300 blocks, and an additional 150 blocks
of overhead for run-in, run-out, pregap, and linking. Packet writing
allows many writes per track, with only 7 blocks of overhead per write (4
for run-in, 2 for run-out, and 1 for link). Since it's possible to write
packets that are small enough to fit entirely in the CD recorder's buffer,
the risk of buffer underruns can be eliminated.
older CD-ROM drives to deal with the gaps between packets. CD-ROM drives
can become confused if they read into the gap, a problem complicated by
read-ahead optimizations on some models.
variable-size. With fixed-size packets, the CD recorder writes data
whenever it has a full packet. All packets in the same track must have the
same size. It's relatively easy for a CD-ROM drive to skip over the
inter-packet gaps if it knows where the gaps are ahead of time, but there's
a large installed base of CD-ROM drives that aren't that smart.
time where the gaps are. The problem can be avoided by laying out the
filesystem in such a way that the drive never tries to read from the gaps.
One approach is to put each file into a single packet, but if the size
of a file exceeds the size of the CD recorder write buffer, the risk of
buffer underruns returns. An alternative is to write the file in several
pieces, but the Level 1 ISO-9660 filesystem supported by most operating
systems doesn't support this. Replacing the "redirector" (e.g. MSCDEX)
with one that supports Level 3 ISO-9660 solves the problem.
When the session is closed -- necessary for the disc to be readable on
anything but a CD recorder -- some implementations will wrap an ISO-9660
filesystem around the disc to make the files accessible on systems without
a UDF reader. When DirectCD for Windows closes a disc in ISO-9660 format,
it uses Level 3 multi-extent files. Support for Level 3 ISO-9660 will
likely be added to future OSs, but for the time being it can be difficult
to share such discs between machines that aren't running Win95/NT.
requires a UDF driver. See section (6-3-1) for more information on UDF,
including a web site where free UDF drivers can be downloaded. (If you
have DirectCD, you don't need to download the drivers separately; you would
only need them if you didn't own packet-writing software and wanted to read
discs created by somebody who did.)
premastering software. Since the expected application for packet writing
is "drive letter access" rather than creating an entire CD, this should not
be an issue for most people.
The disc is deliberately fragmented to avoid "wearing out" sectors on
the disc.
times it was placed in the drive, because the recorder has to calibrate
the laser power before writing, and there are only 99 spaces for doing
the test writes. Sony and Philips have developed ways to work around the
problem, such as remembering the last 10 pieces of media seen, so this
doesn't cause problems on current drives.
idea to have more than one installed at the same time.
(2003/12/21)
specification for a filesystem intended for use on write-once and
rewritable media. It's currently being used for DVD and some of the
CD-R/CD-RW packet writing software (e.g. Roxio DirectCD).
power calibration.
and 2.01. To read UDF-format packet-written CD-R and CD-RW discs, you
need UDF v1.5 support. Roxio has made free UDF 1.5 drivers available for
Mac and Windows on their web site (check there for a list of supported
CD-ROM drives). Also, if you insert a disc formatted with DirectCD v3.0
or later into a Windows machine without a UDF reader, you will be offered
the opportunity to install one.
http://www.roxio.com/en/support/udfwin/index.html
http://www.roxio.com/en/support/udfmac/udfmacreadme.html
http://www.roxio.com/en/support/roxio_support/ecdc/ecdc_software_upda....)
http://www.osta.org/specs/index.htm.
http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/ECMA-167.htm.
http://trylinux.com/projects/udf/.
http://www.extra.research.philips.com/udf/.
(2003/01/13)
CD-ROMs (for backups, right?), or creating CD-ROMs full of files that you
can give to others, packet writing won't help you much.
reader until they're finalized. Finalized discs are in ISO-9660 format,
but it's ISO-9660 Level 3, which not all operating systems can interpret
(Win9x and WinNT can, with appropriate "redirectors" installed).
time, it may be extremely useful. You can read the unfinalized discs on
your system, so the data isn't inaccessible; it just can't be accessed on
other systems that aren't also set up to do packet writing. You can
overwrite files on CD-R media (the old data is still there, but the newer
directory entry points to the new file), something that was very costly
with multisession writes. And, of course, the risk of a buffer underrun
is almost nonexistent.
up" the latest game) uses packet writing. This can affect your ability
to read backups from some operating systems, notably MS-DOS. See section
(4-52).
you're probably not missing much if you have one without it. (As of the
year 2002, nearly all new recorders support both.)
be because the CD-RW media is wearing out, or because the computer locked
up when some data was pending but not yet written, or because the software
has bugs. Whatever the case, DO NOT write your only copy of valuable data
to a packet-written disc and keep adding stuff to it. If you do, there
is a good chance you will be making a contribution to the people listed
in section (6-2-6).
packet-written CD-RW media (which almost always uses fixed-length packets).
Writing to a CD-R with variable-length packets is a big step up, especially
since nothing is ever really erased from a CD-R. If it's important data,
write it to a CD-R (with packet writing or, better yet, conventional
disc-at-once recording) and then close the disc and don't write to it again.
use packet writing every day, for the most part without even realizing it,
and relatively few suffer for doing so. It's important to understand the
risks and act appropriately.
(2003/03/06)
(2005/11/15)
See http://www.roxio.com/
listed on their web site, and it's hard to tell what products, if any, it
is still included with.
site to see if it works with your CD recorder and your firmware revision
level.
scanners. Be sure to check the Roxio web site for the latest version.
Note that DirectCD for Windows 1.x and 2.x may not support the same set of
drives on all operating systems; for example, 2.0 only worked with drives
capable of using CD-RW media. If you're running WinNT, you need 2.x.
DirectCD for Windows. See section (3-45) for more information.
trouble reinstalling it. If so, try removing (or renaming) scsi1hlp.vxd,
usually found in c:\windows\system\iosubsys\.
under WinXP and Win2K. See section (4-49) for details.
(1999/03/07)
See http://www.cequadrat.com/
data compression, potentially increasing the disc capacity.
(2003/07/08)
(2003/07/08)
Level 1 CD-ROM (constrast to the ISO-9660 Level 3 disc produced by some
other packet writing solutions). This should make it possible to read
the finalized CDs on operating systems other than Win95/NT.
(2001/01/04)
See http://www.pinnaclesys.com/
creation. Compatible with discs created by DirectCD.
(2003/07/08)
than its competitors.
if you have this installed).
(2001/07/26)
See http://www.ahead.de/
(2001/12/18)
See http://www.oaktech.com/products/recording_software/simplicd.html
by Young Minds Inc. ]
(2002/02/27)
See http://www.ntius.com/ (demo available)
Only works with CD-RW discs.
(2002/11/15)
See http://www.hp.com/ (for HP DLA)
drive. Some documentation is available from
http://www.benq.com.sg/service/cdr/manuals/veritas/DLA%20User%20Guide....
(2004/12/10)
See http://bhacorp.com/
(2003/03/06)
the same system. Most won't. You may need to disable the CD recording
features built into WinXP to get packet software to work.
Many developers have deviated from the UDF standard when writing discs,
so attempting to start a disc with one program and finish it with another
is likely to end badly. It might work, it might appear to work but quietly
fail, or it might fail outright.
(2004/08/16)
products tend to be more expensive. The library authors are usually CD-R
software publishers themselves, and aren't about to put themselves out of
business. Expect to sign a strict licensing agreement, if they agree to
do business at all.
and "CD Tools" by Dieter Baron and Armin Obersteiner) is available. See
sections (6-1-20) and (6-1-23).
http://www.adaptec.com/adaptec/developers/, but seems to have vanished.
See http://www.hochfeiler.it/alvise/ASPI_1.HTM for an introduction, and
ftp://ftp.adaptec.com/obsolete/adaptec/aspi_w32.txt for what's left of
the Adaptec documentation.
controlling a CD recorder.
standard interface. Windows has ASPI (courtesy Adaptec), WinNT and later
have SPTI, and other platforms have their own approaches. ASPI is well
documented (though you have to search for the docs), SPTI is not (but
it's very straightforward, and some sample code exists). Descriptions of
the SCSI commands can be found in the SCSI-2 and MMC specifications at
ftp://ftp.t10.org/t10/, e.g. ftp://ftp.t10.org/t10/drafts/mmc2/mmc2r10.pdf,
ftp://ftp.t10.org/t10/drafts/mmc3/mmc3r10.pdf, and
ftp://ftp.t10.org/t10/drafts/s2/s2-r10l.pdf.
http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=65147
(1998/04/06)
See http://www.pointsoft.de/earchiv.html
(1998/06/22)
See http://www.goldenhawk.com/
(2001/12/18)
See http://www.gearsoftware.com/
(2003/11/21)
See http://www.vob.de/us/products/professional/WizardSDK/
See http://www.vobinc.com/
VOB in October 2002. ]
(1999/12/19)
See http://www.dialog-medien.de/html/acdwrite.ocx.html (demo available)
applications with Visual Basic or other ActiveX environments.
(2001/09/26)
See http://www.eciusa.com/theengine.htm
recording.
(2007/10/16)
See http://www.nugroovz.com/
continued as CDWriterPro, eventually replaced by NMSDVD Burning SDK (see
section (6-6-9)). ]
(2003/11/29)
See http://tech.ashampoo.com/plugburn.php
See http://www.ashampoo.com/
and data CDs and CD copying. User interface code included.
(2007/10/16)
See http://www.numediasoft.com/
(2004/08/10)
See http://www.sonic.com/
(2002/01/27)
than 650MB of data and don't need fancy features like incremental backups,
you don't *need* special backup software. Just write the files to a CD-R
and put it in a safe place.
Ghost is a good way to go for PCs. If you have a second disk or multiple
partitions it can be a useful way to back up your C: drive before installing
something that could muck up your system (like the drivers for a Creative
Labs sound card). If you want full-featured incremental and remote backups,
Veritas Backup Exec is probably a good place to start.
(1998/06/14)
See http://www.adaptec.com/
backups via multi-session writes, but backups aren't allowed to span
multiple volumes. Doesn't support long filenames.
(1998/06/14)
See http://www8.pair.com/dmurdoch/programs/doslfnbk.htm
knows about short "8.3" filenames. This is an alternative to the LFNBK
program that comes with Win95.
(1999/12/18)
See http://www.dantz.com/
writing. Useful for backing up multiple machines on a network.
(2000/04/23)
See http://www.veritas.com/products/
appeared to have developed it out of Arcada Backup Exec. The Seagate
Network and Storage Management Group was sold to Veritas in June 1999.
Separate versions are available for WinNT Workstation and WinNT Server.
(2002/01/27)
See http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/ghost_personal/
distribute them. It currently works rather well as a way of backing up an
entire disk partition quickly. A "ghosted" image file can be spanned across
multiple CD-Rs, and the backup set can be a bootable CD-ROM. Individual
files can be extracted from the .GHO image files from a Windows application.
(2001/03/03)
See http://www.powerquest.com/
support. Images may span multiple discs. It comes with "DataKeeper"
to make automatic backups easier.
(1999/03/07)
See http://www.centered.com/ (shareware)
or removable media. It runs in the background and constantly updates
the backup. Useful for maintaining an archive of a few files; not
meant for full-system backups.
(1999/03/07)
See http://www.fileware.co.uk/products.htm (shareware)
(1999/06/05)
See http://www.novastor.com/backup/datasheets/cdrw.html
the drive, which has to be provided by another program (e.g. DirectCD).
(2001/01/04)
See http://www.roxio.com/
(2002/02/27)
See http://www.ntibackupnow.com/
automatically spans multiple discs. Supports file-level and image-level
backups.
(2000/04/17)
See http://www.cequadrat.com/
(2000/09/21)
See http://www.duncanamps.com/disk2disk/ (demo available)
backup media, i.e. you need to have DirectCD or PacketCD installed. Does
incremental and differential backups, and handles disc spanning.
(2001/01/04)
See http://www.pinnaclesys.com/
[ I can't see info for it on the Pinnacle Systems page. ]
(2002/01/03)
See http://www.microsoft.com/
tab, and then click on "Backup". With a packet-writing program installed,
this should work for simple tasks.
(2002/05/28)
See http://www.portlocksoftware.com/dvd.htm
Useful for backups and disaster recovery.
(2003/05/23)
See http://www.willowsoft.com/
and spanning of large files across multiple discs.
(2003/06/05)
See http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/ (shareware)
snapshots to recordable CD and DVD formats.
(2000/03/30)
Generally you are also paying for customer support that is provided at
little or no additional charge.
program for which customer support fees have not been paid. The software
was provided to the hardware vendor at a reduced cost, so that the price
of the package you buy is lower than the price of the drive plus the price
of the software.
Writing Thing, you should contact Fubar Software for customer support. If you
buy a new Frobozzco 12X SkyWriter that comes bundled with Disc Writing Thing,
you will most likely be expected to contact Frobozzco with any problems you
may have, because Fubar Software isn't being compensated for support costs.
(1998/04/06)
(2004/02/17)
layer. The dye types currently in use are:
- phthalocyanine and "advanced" phthalocyanine dye, which have
a faint aqua tinge;
- metalized azo, which is dark blue.
This has been reported to be a hybrid of cyanine and phthalocyanine.
which is proprietary, or 24K gold. Aluminum isn't used in CD-R media
because the metal reacts with the dyes.
the color of the reflective layer (gold or silver) and the color of the dye
(light blue, dark blue, green, or colorless). For example, combining a
gold reflective layer with cyanine (blue) dye results in a disc that is
gold on the label side and green on the writing side.
pure silver, and have attempted to speculate on the relative reflectivity
and lifespan of the media based on that assumption. According to one source,
silver is susceptible to corrosion when exposed to sulfur dioxide (a common
air pollutant), so manufacturers use alloys of silver to inhibit corrosion.
development of CD-R standards. Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals invented the process
for gold/gold CDs. Mitsubishi's NCC subsidiary developed the metalized azo
dye. Silver/blue CD-Rs, manufactured with a process patented by Verbatim,
first became widely available in 1996. According to the Ricoh web site,
the silver/silver "Platinum" discs, based on "advanced phthalocyanine dye",
were introduced by them in 1997. They didn't really appear on the market
until mid-1998 though. Kodak Japan holds the patent on formazan dye.
processes for each are patented. If a new vendor wants to get into the
CD-R market, they have to come up with a new combination of materials that
conforms to the Orange Book specifications.
more scratch-resistant, but doesn't affect the way information is stored.
The top (label) side of the CD is the part to be most concerned about,
since that's where the data lives, and it's easy to damage on a CD-R.
Applying a full circular CD label will help prevent scratches.
discs is online at http://www.emediapro.com/EM1998/starrett10.html.
(opposite the label side) is a dark silvery gray that is difficult to
describe.
(2001/07/16)
(2) Which CD readers can use it?
(3) How long does it last before it starts to decay?
(4) What's the typical BLER (BLock Error Rate) for the media?
worked successfully with one brand of media but not another. There's
no "best" kind, other than what works the best for you.
while other people with the same unit have had different results.
Recording a disc at 4x may make it unreadable on some drives, even though
a disc recorded at 2x on the same drive works fine.
CD-R weren't readable in cheap CD-ROM drives, even though the same kind
of media burned in a different device worked fine. The performance of
any piece of media is always a combination of the disc, the drive that
recorded it, and the drive that reads it.
them are conclusive. Many people have reported that Kenwood CD players
don't deal with CD-Rs very well, while Alpine units play nearly
everything. However, things change as product lines evolve over time.
depending on the media. Whatever the case, if you find that CD-Rs don't
sound as good as the originals, it's worthwhile to try a different kind of
media or a different player. See section (4-18) for other ideas.
http://www.digit-life.com/articles/cdrdisktest/index2.html.
media, there are no such standards for CD and CD-ROM drives -- other than
that they be able to read CDs. It is possible for media to be within
allowed tolerances, but be unreadable by a CD-ROM drive that can handle
pressed discs without trouble. All you can do in this sort of situation is
find a better-quality CD or CD-ROM drive, or switch to a brand of media
whose characteristics are on the other side of the tolerance zone.
(2000/09/03)
Ricoh, Kodak, and probably several others as well.
manufactured by Kodak and possibly others as well.
major disc manufacturers. Attempting to keep track of who makes what is
a difficult proposition at best, since new manufacturing plants are being
built, and resellers can switch vendors. See section (2-33) for notes
about identifying the source of a CD-R.
(2003/07/11)
will work just by looking at it; the only way to know is to put it in
*your* recorder, write a disc, then put it in *your* reader and try it.
Statements to the effect that "dark green" is better than "light green" are
absurd. Some discs are more translucent than others, but that doesn't
matter: they only have to reflect light in the 780nm wavelength, not the
entire visible spectrum. See (7-19).
for your recorder's desired write speed. See section (3-31) for some
other remarks about recording speed.
refuse to record at speeds higher than the disc is rated for. On top of
that, there are "ultra speed +" blanks (for 32x recording), "ultra speed"
blanks (for 8x-24x), "high speed" blanks (for 4x-10x) and "standard" blanks
(for 1x-4x). The faster blanks are labeled with a "High Speed CD-RW" or
"Ultra Speed CD-RW" logo, and will not work in older drives.
discs from Taiyo Yuden. Cyanine dye is more forgiving of marginal read/write
power variations than "gold" phthalocyanine dye, making them easier to
read on some drives. On the other hand, phthalocyanine is less sensitive
to sunlight and UV radiation, suggesting that they would last longer under
adverse conditions.
and will work better in higher speed recording than cyanine discs.
See http://www.cd-info.com/CDIC/History/Commentary/Parker/stcroix.html
for some notes on low-level differences between media types.
There is no difference in quality between consumer audio blanks and standard
blanks from a given manufacturer. If you have a consumer audio CD recorder,
you simply have no other choice. There is no way to "convert" a standard
blank into a consumer audio blank. See section (5-12) for notes on how
you can trick certain recorders into accepting standard blanks.
purchase. Remember to try them in your reader as well as your writer; they
may not be so useful if you can't read them in your normal CD-ROM drive.
'97 Maxell announced reformulated media that seemed to work better than
the previous ones. It appears they may no longer make their own media.
In particular, "Are green CD-R discs better than gold or blue ones?" at
http://www.mscience.com/faq52.html.
on http://www.digido.com/meadows.html.
published in the Feb '96 issue of CD-ROM Professional.
(2003/07/08)
best in recorder Y. However, some brands are recommended more often
than others. It does pay to be brand-conscious.
Sometimes Pioneer and Ricoh. It appears that HP, Philips, Sony, Yamaha,
and Fuji use these manufacturers for most of their disks. (Kodak no longer
manufactures media.)
Princo, Gigastorage, Lead Data, Fornet, CMC Magnetics. Many "no-name"
bulk CD-Rs are one of these brands.
reseller will be better than others from the same company. For example,
Verbatim DataLifePlus discs are recognized as pretty good, but Verbatim
ValuLife are seen as being of much lower quality.
Media was purchased from Mitsui Chemicals by Computer Support Italcard
(CSI) of Italy to form MAM-A, Inc.
maintain plants in different countries, and don't always maintain the same
level of quality.
to the weather. One user reported that the data layer on Sony CDQ 74CN
discs began cracking after a couple of months in an otherwise sheltered
environment (e.g. no direct sunlight). Mitsubishi CD-R 700 and Melody 80
Platinum discs fared much better.
(2005/04/14)
write it once and then leave it alone). Repeated rewrites will accelerate
this. In general, CD-RW media isn't recommended for long-term backups or
archives of valuable data.
years (phthalocyanine dye, used in "gold" discs), or even 200 years
("advanced" phthalocyanine dye, used in "platinum" discs) once the disc has
been written. The shelf life of an unrecorded disc has been estimated at
between 5 and 10 years. There is no standard agreed-upon way to test discs
for lifetime viability. Accelerated aging tests have been done, but they
may not provide a meaningful analogue to real-world aging.
greatly reduce the lifetime. In general, CD-Rs are far less tolerant of
environmental conditions than pressed CDs, and should be treated with
greater care. The easiest way to make a CD-R unusable is to scratch the
top surface. Find a CD-R you don't want anymore, and try to scratch the
top (label side) with your fingernail, a ballpoint pen, a paper clip, and
anything else you have handy. The results may surprise you.
than you do (emphasis on "probably"). Some newsgroup reports have
complained of discs becoming unreadable in as little as three years, but
without knowing how the discs were handled and stored such anecdotes are
useless. Try to keep a little perspective on the situation: a disc that
degrades very little over 100 years is useless if it can't be read in your
CD-ROM drive today.
weeks, despite careful storage. Some discs are better than others.
http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=1580...
describes how to detect bad discs, and discusses whether putting an adhesive
label on the disc causes them to fail more quickly.
because the aluminum reflective layer starts to corrode after a while.
players, because if it gets too hot in the car the CD-R will emit a gas that
can blind the laser optics. However, CD-Rs are constructed much the same
way and with mostly the same materials as pressed CDs, and the temperatures
required to cause such an emission from the materials that are exposed would
melt much of the car's interior. The dye layer is sealed into the disc,
and should not present any danger to drive optics even if overheated.
Even so, leaving a CD-R in a hot car isn't good for the disc, and will
probably shorten its useful life.
especially http://www.cd-info.com/CDIC/Industry/news/media-chronology.html
about some inaccurate reporting in the news media.
http://www.mscience.com/faq53.html.
http://web.archive.org/web/20031211151723/http://www.cdpage.com/dstuf...
that leaves you with a numb sense of amazement that CD-Rs work at all.
It also explains the errors that come out of MSCDEX and what the dreaded
E32 error means to a CD stamper.
A Guide for Librarians and Archivists" can be found on the web sites
for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the
Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). View it on the web
at http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub121/contents.html or as a PDF from
http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/carefordisc/CDandDVDCareandHandlingGui....
It has a wealth of information about disc composition and longevity,
as well as recommendations for extending the lifespan of your media.
Discs -- A Study of Error Rates in Harsh Conditions" can be found at
http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/gipwg/StabilityStudy.pdf.
See http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/cdrMedia/index.jhtml,
specifically the "KODAK Ultima Lifetime Discussion" and "KODAK Ultima
Lifetime Calculation" white papers (currently in PDF format). The last page
discusses the Arrhenius equation, which is used in chemistry to calculate
the effect of temperature on reaction rates. The Kodak page defines it as:
time constant, 'E' is activation energy, 'k' is Boltzmann's constant, and
'T' is absolute temperature. The equation allows lifetime determined at
one temperature to be used to establish the lifetime at another. If a
disc breaks down in three months in extreme heat, you can extrapolate the
lifetime at room temperature.
It appears that 'A' can be estimated based on empirical evidence, but see
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/abbey/an/an23/an23-3/an23-308.html
for some cautions about how tricky it can be to choose the right value.
(2004/04/15)
99-minute CD-Rs. These translate into data storage capacities of 184MB,
650MB, 700MB, 790MB, and 870MB respectively (see below for exact figures).
See section (7-14) for more about 80mm CD-Rs, and sections (3-8-1) and
(3-8-2) for notes on 80-, 90-, and 99-minute blanks. There used to be
63-minute CD-Rs, but these have largely vanished.
700MB of data. The reality is that they're all about the same size, and
while you may get as much as an extra minute or two depending on the exact
construction, you're not usually going to get an extra 30MB out of a disc
labeled as 74-minute media. See section (3-8-3) for information on writing
beyond a disc's stated capacity.
each 2352-byte sector is used for data on typical (Mode 1) discs. The rest
is used for error correction and miscellaneous fields. This is why you can
fit 747MB of audio WAV files onto a disc that holds 650MB of data.
in the same way that RAM manufacturers do. The "MB" for RAM means 1024x1024,
but for hard drives it means 1000x1000. A data CD that can hold 650 "RAM"
MB of data holds about 682 "disk" MB of data, which is why many CD-Rs
are mislabeled as having a 680MB capacity. (The notion of "unformatted
capacity" is a nonsensical myth stemming from early hard drives.)
63 minutes == 283,500 sectors == 553.7MB CD-ROM == 635.9MB CD-DA
74 minutes == 333,000 sectors == 650.3MB CD-ROM == 746.9MB CD-DA
80 minutes == 360,000 sectors == 703.1MB CD-ROM == 807.4MB CD-DA
90 minutes == 405,000 sectors == 791.0MB CD-ROM == 908.4MB CD-DA
99 minutes == 445,500 sectors == 870.1MB CD-ROM == 999.3MB CD-DA
prefixes for binary powers of two. Instead of kilobytes and megabytes
we would call them kibibytes and mebibytes, with KiB and MiB replacing
KB and MB. This means an 80-minute CD would be rated as holding 703.1MiB
or 737.3MB. These haven't yet fallen into common usage. Check the NIST
site for full details: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html.
available on the CD. This is the only reliable way to know exactly
how many sectors are available. 99-minute blanks will actually report
incorrect values.
largest and smallest 74-minute CD-R was about 3500 sectors (47 seconds, or
7MB), which while not inconsequential is nowhere near the difference between
650MB and the 680MB or 700MB figures quoted by some manufacturers. All discs
had at least 333,000 sectors, as required by the Red Book specification.
data different brands of media will actually hold. Again, bear in mind
that different batches of the same media may have different capacities.
of Contents), lead-in, and lead-out areas don't count against the time
rating on single-session CDs. You really do get all the storage that the
disc is rated for. On standard MODE 1 discs that aren't using packet
writing, there is no "formatting overhead". Bear in mind, however, that
the "cluster" size is 2K, and that the ISO-9660 filesystem may use more or
less space than an MS-DOS FAT or HFS filesystem, so 650MB of files on a
hard disk may occupy a different amount of space on a CD.
is closed (to pave the way for the 2nd session), and about 14MB for each
subsequent session. A common mistake when writing multisession CDs is to
overestimate the amount of space that will be available for future sessions,
so be sure to take this into account.
for the lead-in and 6750 for the lead-out, for a total of 11250 (22.5MB,
or 2.5 minutes). Each additional session requires 4500 for the lead-in
and 2250 for the lead-out, for a total of 6750 (13.5MB, or 1.5 minutes).
You may also need to factor 2-second pre-gaps into the size calculation
for each session. On a single-session disc, the overhead for lead-in
and lead-out are not counted as part of the user data area, so nothing is
"lost" until you go multisession.)
audio, but are often tweaked to hold more (see section (3-8)). To convert
sectors back to seconds, divide the number of sectors by 75. If your blanks
have 333,000 sectors, they have 4440 seconds, which is exactly 74 minutes.
disc space. For example, if you use Roxio DirectCD 2.x with CD-RW media,
it uses fixed-length packets. This allows random file erase, which means
that when you delete a file you actually get the space back, but you're
reduced to about 493MB after formatting the disc. More recent versions can
get closer to 531MB. See section (4-42) for more info.
(2006/12/10)
With labels the situation is a little less certain.
the disc. If you damage the top, your data or music is permanently gone.
See section (2-1) for a description of the physical makeup of a disc.
(2006/12/10)
will cause your disc to become unreadable very quickly. Some discs are
more vulnerable than other. Unless the disc has some sort of protective
top coat (such as a printable surface), always use pens specifically
designated as safe for CD-R.
side could pierce or deform the reflective layer.
Plus", the Sanford "Powermark", and TDK "CD Writer". Some of these are
relabeled Staedtler Lumocolor transparency markers (#317-9), which are
alcohol-based. Never use a solvent-based "permanent" marker on a CD-R --
it can eat through the lacquer coat and destroy the disc. Memorex sells
water-based color "CD Markers" in four-packs (black, blue, red, green).
which are alcohol-based. Other people say they've damaged discs by writing
on them with a Sharpie, though those discs may have been particularly
susceptible. The official word from Sanford is:
experienced a problem. We do not believe that the Sharpie ink can
affect these CDs, however we have not performed any long-term
laboratory testing to verify this. We have spoken to many major CD
manufacturers about this issue. They use the Sharpie Markers on CDs
internally as well, and do not believe that the Sharpie Ink will cause
any harm to their products.
scratch, so sticking with the Fine Point pen is recommended.
the top surface of the CD, label or no. Use a light touch -- you aren't
filling out a form in triplicate. If the prospect makes you nervous,
just write in the clear plastic area near the hub.
(2006/12/10)
if the adhesive is based on a solvent that the lacquer is susceptible to.
Asymmetric labels can throw the disc out of balance, causing read problems,
and labels not designed for CDs might bubble or peel off when subjected
to long periods of heat inside a CD drive. Always use labels designed
for CD-R media.
best to label data archives and backups with a pen instead (see section
(7-5) for more). Adhesive labels aren't recommended for discs you plan
to keep for more than five years.
yourself. Buy some labels, put them on some discs, leave them someplace
warm, and see if they peel off. If they do, you'll need a different
kind of media or a different kind of label. Some labels don't adhere
very well unless they're attached to a disc with a plain lacquer surface
on top, so combining labels with "inkjet printable surface" media may be
asking for trouble. One note of caution: this only tells you if the label
will peel up right away. It doesn't tell you if the label will still be
nice and flat two or three years from now, especially if you live in the
tropics where the air is always hot and damp.
almost certainly pull part of the recording layer off with the label. If
you're going to label a disc, do it immediately, so you can make another
copy if the label doesn't adhere smoothly. Any air bubbles in the label
that can't be smoothed out immediately are going to cause trouble. Use
a label applicator for best results.
"slot in" CD player, such as those popular in dashboard car CD players.
Sometimes the added thickness will cause the disc to get stuck, or the
edge will peel up when the motor grabs it.
including applicators and software. Two of the biggest are NEATO, at
http://www.neato.com/, and CD Stomper, at http://www.cdstomper.com/.
The software from http://www.surething.com/ includes templates for a
variety of different label layouts. Medea International sells labels and
labeling software; see http://www.medea.co.uk/pressit/. Check section
(8-3) for other sources.
center of the disc, search for "hub labels". There are even labels that
*only* cover the hub section.
see section (7-29).
http://www.cd-info.com/CDIC/Technology/CD-R/Labeling/
section with artwork that my prove useful. You can find most CD-related
logos on the site (try http://www.sonydadc.com/downloads/, scroll
down to "Logos" for common formats). Some are also available from
http://www.licensing.philips.com/cdsystems/cdlogos.html.
http://www.mrichter.com/cdr/primer/labels.htm.
trouble reading the disc. According to one report, a disc that had a
silk-screened image on the left side of a CD-R (leaving the right half of
the disc blank) was unreadable on high-speed drives due to excessive
wobbling. Most label kits come with a label-centering device, usually
something trivial like a stick that's the same width as the hole in the
middle of the CD.
is that the adhesive caused data corruption problems, so Avery recalled
them. There are indications that the adhesive would fail on some discs
and start to lift off within a short period of time. If you have Avery
labels (#5824) purchased before this date, you should avoid using them.
The labels being produced now don't have this problem.
(2001/09/19)
contain metals that will cause your microwave to arc, destroying the
microwave emitter (see cautions about metal objects in the manual for your
microwave). Don't try this at home. Better yet, don't try this at all.
it shiny-side-up on something like a coffee mug so it's nowhere near the
top, bottom, or sides of the microwave. (Actually, you may want to leave
it right-side-up if the disc doesn't have a label, because the foil is
closest to the top of the CD.) I'm told it is important to put something
in the cup to be on the safe side, so fill it most of the way with water.
Try to center it in the microwave. Turn off the lights. Program the
microwave for a 5-second burst on "high", and watch the fireworks.
dance along the CD, leaving fractal-ish patterns etched into the reflective
aluminum. For those of you not with the program, this also renders the CD
unreadable.
destruction patterns are different. While pressed CDs and CD-RWs don't
develop consistent patterns of destruction, CD-Rs tend to form circular
patterns, possibly because of the pre-formed spiral groove.
smell earlier, than pressed CDs. The materials used are non-toxic
("cyanine" comes from the color cyan, not from cyanide), but breathing the
fumes is something best avoided.
large currents in the aluminum. This makes enough heat to vaporize the
aluminum. You then see a very small lightning storm as electric arcs go
through the vaporized aluminum. Within a few seconds there will be many
paths etched through the aluminum, leaving behind little metalic islands.
Some of the islands will be shaped so that they make very good microwave
antennas. These spots will focus the microwave energy, and get very hot.
Now you will see just a few bright spots spewing a lot of smoke. The good
part of the light show is over, turn off the oven.
burst into flame. This will smell very bad and may do bad things to your
oven and house. Don't do it."
-- Paul Haas (pa...@hamjudo.com), on http://hamjudo.com/notes/cdrom.html
different experience.
See http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/cdzap.html.
(2005/01/03)
the disc was closed, or was nearly full when the write failed but is still
missing important data, then its use as digital media is over.
- Create a hanging ornament (suitable for holiday decorations) or wind
chime. The latter isn't all that interesting - they just sort of
"clack" a little - unless you use the discs to catch the wind and
something else to make the chimes.
- Use them as mini-frisbees in an office with cubes. Since they're rather
solid and may hurt when they hit, you should await a formal declaration
of intra-office war before opening up with these.
- Have CD bowling tournaments where you see how far you can roll one down
a narrow hallway. You'd be surprised at how hard it can be unless you
get the wrist motion just right.
- Put them under a table or chair whose legs don't quite sit right.
- Run them through one of those industrial-strength paper shredders (the
kind with the rapidly spinning wheels) to get shiny green or gold
confetti.
- Make really, really big earrings.
- Try to convince people at the beach that it's a shell from a new species
of abalone.
- Hook them into your bicycle spokes as reflectors.
- Use them as wheels on a toy car. (If you had buggy firmware, you're
probably stocked for a toy 18-wheeler.)
- Build a suit of "CD-R chain mail" for laser-tag games.
- Use them as art-deco floor or ceiling tiles.
- Hang them from the rear view mirror in your car.
- Cut it into a jigsaw puzzle with a small wire saw.
- Try out the "helpful CD repair" suggestions that periodically crop on
the newsgroup. Like the ones that suggest using acetone and sandpaper
to refinish a scratched CD-R.
- Hang them in your car windows. Some people believe that CDs will defeat
speed guns and automated speed traps that use flash photography.
- Add them to your aquarium.
- Use them as dart boards or BB-gun targets. If you "miss" the hole in
the middle, the error is immediately obvious.
- String several together as a toy, weaving the string in and out through
the center holes. Alternate green and gold for visually pleasing results.
- Make a boomerang (http://www.chez.com/amiel/boom/cd.html).
- Buy a cheap clock mechanism from a hobby/electronics store, and turn
it into a novelty clock.
- Hang them in fruit trees to scare birds away.
- Use them as backing for round knobs on cabinet doors, to keep the
wood from getting soiled. Works best with 80mm discs.
- Practice applying CD labels. Test brands of labels you haven't tried
before. Leave them in the sun and see if they peel.
- Gripping the CD with two pairs of pliers, hold it over a small heat
source, such as a small propane torch. Keep it moving slightly so it
doesn't scorch. When the plastic reaches the melting point, stretch,
twist, or bend the CD into something artistic. (Do this in a well
ventilated outdoor area with adult supervision!!)
- Heat a penny with a propane torch or on the stove for a few seconds,
holding it with a pair of pliers. Push the penny through the center
hole so it wedges halfway through. The heat of the penny softens the
polycarbonate, so once it cools it should stay put. The discs are well
balanced, and spin very nicely, especially when decorated with spiral
patterns (http://jclahr.com/science/Illusions/fbkspin.html).
- Use them as reflectors in a solar collector.
destructive with it. Try to scrape the reflective layer off the top with
your fingernail. Drop it on the ground so that it hits edge-on and see
if the reflective layer delaminates or the plastic chips. Try to snap it
in half. Leave it sitting on a window sill with half the disc covered by
a book to see the effects of heat and sunlight. Write on it with nasty
permanent markers and see if you can still read it a week later. Apply a
CD label then pull it off again. Different brands of media have different
levels of tolerance to abuse, and it's useful to understand just how much
or how little it takes to destroy a disc.
differently from pressed CDs when you slam them edge-on against the
ground. The aluminum ones will chip (once you throw them hard enough,
otherwise they just bounce) and create silver confetti. The gold one I
tried chipped and the gold layer started peeling, leaving little gold
flakes everywhere. One user reported that a Verbatim blue CD developed
bubbles even though the plastic was intact. More experimentation is needed
(but not around pets, small children, or hard-to-vacuum carpets).
Try pouring a little water on a disc, then let it sit until it dries. If
the top surface scratches off more easily afterward, you need to be careful
around moisture. Silver/blue Verbatim discs seem particularly sensitive.
Depending on the disc and how you break it, you may end up with lots of
sharp polycarbonate slivers flying through the air. Wear eye protection,
be aware of people around you, and be sure to clean up all the plastic
shards afterward.
them (section (7-21)).
(2004/01/12)
There are single-disc jewel cases, double-sized doubles, single-sized
doubles, triples, quads, sextuples, plain colors, neon colors, paper
envelopes, Tyvek envelopes, cardboard sleeves, clear jewel cases with black
trays, clear jewel cases