Andy McFadden's
CD-Recordable FAQ
Last-modified: 2010/01/09
Version: 2.73
Send corrections and updates to Andy McFadden. If you
have a question you'd like to see answered in here, either post it to one
of the comp.publish.cdrom newsgroups (if you don't have the answer), or
send it to fadden@fadden.com (if you do).
This FAQ is no longer updated.
The most current version is always at
http://www.cdrfaq.org/.
This was originally developed (and is still maintained) as a Usenet
newsgroup FAQ. If you'd like to check out the newsgroups, point your
news reader at the following (or go to
http://groups.google.com/ and read
them with your web browser):
You can get an
all-in-one-file
version of the HTML in
a .ZIP file, suitable for printing. Some translations are available:
If you're maintaining a translation, or just really want to know what has
changed since the last update, you can get a set of
context diffs in a .ZIP file.
Please DO NOT post copies of the HTML version on your web site unless you
plan to keep them up to date automatically. I have on several occasions
received e-mail from people reading versions that are several months old.
Just use a link to the www.cdrfaq.org site instead.
Whassup with the ads?
Table of contents:
- [0] Introduction
- [0-1] Legal noise (disclaimers and copyrights)
- [0-2] What does this FAQ cover (and not cover)?
- [0-3] What's new since last time?
- [0-4] Is the FAQ only available in English?
- [0-5] Appropriate use of the newsgroups
- [0-6] I'm having trouble, how do I ask for help?
- [0-7] Spelling and name conventions
- [0-8] Can I advertise on the FAQ pages?
- [0-9] Can you mail the FAQ to me?
- [1] Simple answers to simple questions
- [1-1] What's CD-R? CD-RW?
- [1-2] Are they identical to normal CDs?
- [1-3] Can I create new audio and data CDs?
- [1-4] Can I use it to copy my CDs?
- [1-5] How much can they hold?
- [1-6] Can I just copy files onto a CD-R like I would to a floppy?
- [1-7] What can you tell me about DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, etc?
- [1-8] Can I copy DVDs with a CD recorder?
- [1-9] What's the cheapest recorder and best place to buy media?
- [1-10] Can I get step-by-step installation and use instructions?
- [1-11] Can I download MP3s from the Internet and make an audio CD?
- [1-12] What does this term mean? Is there a glossary?
- [1-13] Do I need "music" blanks to record music?
- [1-14] How do I learn more? Is there a good book for beginners?
- [1-15] Why is this FAQ so far out of date?
- [2] CD Encoding
- [2-1] How is the information physically stored?
- [2-2] What is XA? CDPLUS? CD-i? MODE1 vs MODE2? Red/yellow/blue book?
- [2-3] How do I know what format a disc is in?
- [2-4] How does copy protection work?
- [2-4-1] ...on a data CD-ROM?
- [2-4-2] ...on an audio CD?
- [2-4-3] ...on an audio CD (Macrovision - SafeAudio)
- [2-4-4] ...on an audio CD (SunnComm - MediaCloQ and MediaMax CD3)
- [2-4-5] ...on an audio CD (Midbar Tech - Cactus Data Shield)
- [2-4-6] ...on an audio CD (Key2Audio / Sony DADC)
- [2-4-7] ...on an audio CD (BayView Systems - Duolizer)
- [2-4-8] ...on an audio CD (Sanyo)
- [2-4-9] How does the Doc-Witness OpSecure CD-ROM work?
- [2-4-10] What's the Sony BMG rootkit (First 4 Internet XCP)?
- [2-5] What's a multisession disc?
- [2-6] What are subcode channels?
- [2-7] Are the CD Identifier fields widely used?
- [2-8] How long does it take to burn a CD-R?
- [2-9] What's the difference between disc-at-once and track-at-once?
- [2-10] Differences between recording from an image and on-the-fly?
- [2-11] How does an audio CD player know to skip data tracks?
- [2-12] How does CD-RW compare to CD-R?
- [2-13] Can DVD players read CD-Rs?
- [2-14] Should I buy a DVD recorder instead?
- [2-15] What are "jitter" and "jitter correction"?
- [2-16] Where can I learn more about the history of CD and CD-R?
- [2-17] Why don't audio CDs use error correction?
- [2-18] How does CD-R compare to MiniDisc?
- [2-19] What does finalizing (and closing and fixating) do?
- [2-20] How are WAV/AIFF files converted into Red Book CD audio?
- [2-21] What does MultiRead mean? MultiPlay?
- [2-22] If recording fails, is the disc usable?
- [2-23] Why do recorders insert "00" bytes at the start of audio tracks?
- [2-24] How many tracks can I have? How many files?
- [2-25] Will SCMS prevent me from making copies?
- [2-26] Is a serial number placed on the disc by the recorder?
- [2-27] What's a TOC? How does it differ from a directory?
- [2-28] What's an ISO? A CIF? BIN and CUE? .DAT?
- [2-29] Why was 74 minutes chosen as the standard length?
- [2-30] Why is there a visibly unwritten strip near the CD-R hub?
- [2-31] What is "BURN-Proof"? "JustLink"? "Waste-Proof"?
- [2-32] Can playing CD-Rs in a DVD player hurt the discs?
- [2-33] Who *really* made this CD-R blank?
- [2-34] Can I make copies of DTS-encoded CDs?
- [2-35] Why 44.1KHz? Why not 48KHz?
- [2-36] What format are .CDA files in?
- [2-37] What are DD-R and DD-RW?
- [2-38] What's an ATIP?
- [2-39] What are "ML" discs and devices?
- [2-40] What's CD-MRW? Mount Rainier? EasyWrite?
- [2-41] What's Audio Master Quality (AMQ) recording?
- [2-42] Can I draw pictures on a disc with the recording laser?
- [2-43] What are the gory details about how are 1s and 0s encoded?
- [2-43-1] How does the laser read or write a disc?
- [2-43-2] How do pits and lands turn into 1s and 0s? What's EFM?
- [2-43-3] What's a frame? CIRC encoding? How does ECC work?
- [2-43-4] What's in a sector?
- [2-43-5] What's in a subcode channel?
- [2-43-6] I want even more details
- [2-44] Digital is better than analog, right?
- [2-44-1] What is "digital" and "digitization", anyway?
- [2-44-2] How does this relate to CD-DA?
- [2-45] What's a CDR-ROM? CD-PROM?
- [2-46] What's HD-BURN? GigaRec?
- [2-47] What are C2 errors? What do they say about disc quality?
- [2-48] What are CD+R and CD+RW?
- [2-49] What's HighMAT?
- [2-50] What's VariRec?
- [2-51] Will my CDs work on players in other countries?
- [2-52] Do CD-Rs have deeper pits? Are "shallow burns" bad?
- [2-53] What's a stacking ring?
- [3] How Do I...
- [3-1] How do I copy a CD-ROM?
- [3-1-1] Why can't I just do a block copy like a floppy?
- [3-2] How do I extract tracks from ("rip") or copy an audio CD?
- [3-2-1] How do I remove the voice from a CD track, leaving just music?
- [3-2-2] How do I encode a CD track to MP3?
- [3-3] How do I get rid of hisses and clicks on audio CDs?
- [3-4] How do I copy game console discs (e.g. Playstation, Dreamcast)
- [3-5] How do I get long filenames onto a disc?
- [3-5-1] ISO-9660
- [3-5-2] Rock Ridge
- [3-5-3] HFS/HFS+ and Macintosh extensions to ISO-9660
- [3-5-4] Joliet
- [3-5-5] Romeo
- [3-5-6] ISO/IEC 13346 and ISO/IEC 13490
- [3-5-7] ISO-9660:1999
- [3-6] How do I use a CD-i disc on a PC?
- [3-7] How can I extract disc and track titles from an audio CD?
- [3-8] How do I write more than 80 minutes of audio or 700MB of data?
- [3-8-1] How well do 80-minute CD-R blanks work?
- [3-8-2] How well do 90-minute and 99-minute CD-R blanks work?
- [3-8-3] How can I exceed the stated disc capacity ("overburning")?
- [3-9] How do I put photographs onto CD-ROM?
- [3-9-1] How do I create a PhotoCD?
- [3-9-2] How can I set up a photo album on CD-ROM?
- [3-9-3] How can I show digital photos on my DVD player?
- [3-10] How do I make a CD that will work on a PC or a Mac?
- [3-11] How do I access different sessions on a multi-session CD?
- [3-12] How do I transfer my records or cassettes to a CD?
- [3-12-1] ...with a stand-alone audio CD recorder?
- [3-12-2] ...with a CD recorder attached to my computer?
- [3-12-3] How can I clean up the audio before recording?
- [3-13] How do I transfer an audio DAT tape to CD?
- [3-14] How do I put audio and data on the same CD?
- [3-15] How do I make a bootable CD-ROM?
- [3-16] How do I convert home movies into video on CD?
- [3-16-1] How do I create a VideoCD from AVI or MPEG files?
- [3-16-2] How do I create an SVCD?
- [3-16-3] How do I create an AVCD?
- [3-17] How can I burn several copies of the same disc simultaneously?
- [3-18] Can I make copies of copies?
- [3-19] How can I compress or encrypt data on a CD-ROM?
- [3-20] Can I do backups onto CD-R?
- [3-21] How do I automatically launch something? Change the CD icon?
- [3-21-1] How does Windows "autorun" work?
- [3-21-2] How do I launch a document (like a web page)?
- [3-21-3] What autorun software is available?
- [3-22] How can I be sure the data was written correctly?
- [3-23] How do I create, copy, or play Audio Karaoke/CD+G discs?
- [3-24] How do I copy a CD-ROM with 3GB of data on it? A huge VideoCD?
- [3-25] How do I get my CD-R pressed into a real CD?
- [3-26] How do I make a CD without that two-second gap between tracks?
- [3-27] How can I record RealAudio (.ra), MIDI, WMA, and MP3 on a CD?
- [3-28] How do I add CD-Text information?
- [3-29] Can I distribute a web site on a CD-ROM?
- [3-30] How do I clean my CD recorder?
- [3-31] Is it better to record at slower speeds?
- [3-32] Where do I get drivers for my CD recorder?
- [3-33] Can I copy discs without breaking the law?
- [3-33-1] ...in the United States of America?
- [3-33-2] ...in Canada?
- [3-34] Can CD-Rs recorded at one speed be read at a different speed?
- [3-35] How do I make my CD-ROM work on the Mac, WinNT, and UNIX?
- [3-36] How do I put "hidden tracks" and negative indices on audio CDs?
- [3-37] Do I need to worry about viruses?
- [3-38] How do I cover up a bad audio track on a CD-R?
- [3-39] How do I duplicate this hard-to-copy game?
- [3-40] Should I erase or format a disc? How?
- [3-41] How do I equalize the volume for tracks from different sources?
- [3-42] How do I make a bit-for-bit copy of a disc?
- [3-43] How do I put punctuation or lower case in CD-ROM volume labels?
- [3-44] How do I extract audio tracks from an "enhanced" CD on the Mac?
- [3-45] How do I disable DirectCD for Windows?
- [3-46] How do I specify the order of files (e.g. sorting) on ISO-9660?
- [3-47] How do I put a password on a CD-ROM?
- [3-48] Can I record an audio CD a few tracks at a time?
- [3-49] How do I copy DVDs onto CD-R?
- [3-49-1] I heard about software that copies DVDs with a CD recorder!
- [3-50] How do I copy Mac, UNIX, or "hybrid" CD-ROMs from Windows?
- [3-51] How do I copy something in "RAW" mode? What's DAO-96?
- [3-52] How do I do cross-fades between audio tracks?
- [3-53] How do I create a CD with my favorite songs on it?
- [3-54] How do I record directly onto CD from a microphone?
- [3-55] Is it okay to record a CD from MP3?
- [3-56] How can I test a disc image before recording?
- [3-57] How do I clear the "read-only" flag under Windows?
- [3-58] How do I share a CD recorder across a network?
- [3-59] How do I write a large file across multiple discs?
- [3-60] What's the safest, most reliable way to write data to CD-R?
- [4] Problems
- [4-1] What does "buffer underrun" mean?
- [4-1-1] What's the deal with Windows Auto-Insert Notification (AIN)?
- [4-1-2] What's all this about Win9x VCACHE settings?
- [4-2] I can't get long Win95 filenames to work right
- [4-3] I can't read the multisession CD I just made
- [4-4] Write process keeps failing N minutes in
- [4-5] Why did my CD-R eject and re-load the disc between operations?
- [4-6] My CD-ROM drive doesn't like *any* CD-R discs
- [4-7] How do I avoid having a ";1" on my ISO-9660 discs?
- [4-8] I keep getting SCSI timeout errors
- [4-9] I'm having trouble writing a complete disc
- [4-10] What's the CDD2000 Write Append Error / spring problem?
- [4-11] Getting errors reading the first (data) track on mixed-mode CD
- [4-12] My recorder ejects blank discs immediately
- [4-13] I'm getting complaints about power calibration
- [4-14] My Adaptec 2940 pauses after finding my recorder
- [4-15] I can't see all the files on the CD-R
- [4-16] My multi-session disc only has data from the last session
- [4-17] I'm getting SCSI errors
- [4-18] Why doesn't the copy of an audio CD sound the same?
- [4-18-1] Why doesn't the audio data on the copy match the original?
- [4-18-2] The audio data matches exactly, why do they sound different?
- [4-19] Digital audio extraction of a track is shifted slightly
- [4-20] I can't play extracted audio files by double-clicking in Win95
- [4-21] I can't read an ISO-finalized packet-written disc
- [4-22] I'm finding corrupted files on the CD-ROMs I write
- [4-23] Having trouble playing an audio CD in a home or car player
- [4-24] Having trouble using a CD-ROM on a different machine
- [4-25] I can't copy a VideoCD
- [4-26] The test write succeeds, but the actual write fails
- [4-27] I can no longer erase a particular CD-RW disc
- [4-28] Having trouble formatting discs with DirectCD
- [4-29] I can't write CD-Rs after installing Windows 98
- [4-30] I can't use the copy of a CD-ROM after installing Windows 98
- [4-31] The disc I was writing with DirectCD is now unreadable
- [4-32] I'm getting a message about 100 form transitions
- [4-33] My system hangs when I insert a blank disc
- [4-34] My CD-R discs don't work in my DVD player
- [4-35] I need help recovering data from a CD-ROM
- [4-36] What does "not convertible to CD quality" mean?
- [4-37] I inserted a CD-ROM but Windows thinks it's an audio CD
- [4-38] I get read errors when trying to copy a game
- [4-39] Restarting or shutting Windows down after recording causes hang
- [4-40] Why do CD-Rs play poorly when anti-skip protection is enabled?
- [4-41] I'm having trouble recording under Windows 2000 or WinXP
- [4-42] I formatted a CD-RW and only have about 530MB free
- [4-43] My CD recording software keeps crashing
- [4-44] Do I need to update my ASPI layer?
- [4-45] The write process completes, but the disc is still blank
- [4-46] My CD-RW drive doesn't work with my CD-RW blanks
- [4-47] Audio discs have crackling sounds on the last few tracks
- [4-48] Files in deep directories can be seen but not opened
- [4-49] My CD-ROM drive stopped working after uninstalling software
- [4-50] Audio CDs recorded from MP3s play back fast and high-pitched
- [4-51] Windows says access denied, can't create or replace file
- [4-52] I can't see any files on a CD-R or CD-RW from MS-DOS
- [4-53] My OS doesn't support ISO-13346 "UDF"
- [4-54] Why don't I get disc and track titles on my CD-Rs?
- [5] Hardware
- [5-1] Which CD recorder should I buy?
- [5-1-1] Yamaha
- [5-1-2] Sony
- [5-1-3] Smart & Friendly
- [5-1-4] Philips
- [5-1-5] Hewlett-Packard (HP)
- [5-1-6] Plasmon
- [5-1-7] Kodak
- [5-1-8] JVC
- [5-1-9] Pinnacle
- [5-1-10] Ricoh
- [5-1-11] Pioneer
- [5-1-12] Olympus
- [5-1-13] Optima
- [5-1-14] Mitsumi
- [5-1-15] DynaTek Automation Systems
- [5-1-16] Microboards of America
- [5-1-17] Micro Design International
- [5-1-18] MicroNet Technology
- [5-1-19] Procom Technology
- [5-1-20] Grundig
- [5-1-21] Plextor
- [5-1-22] Panasonic (Matsushita)
- [5-1-23] Teac
- [5-1-24] Wearnes
- [5-1-25] Turtle Beach
- [5-1-26] Creative Labs
- [5-1-27] Taiyo Yuden
- [5-1-28] Memorex
- [5-1-29] Hi-Val
- [5-1-30] Dysan
- [5-1-31] Traxdata
- [5-1-32] BenQ (nee Acer)
- [5-1-33] Waitec
- [5-1-34] BTC
- [5-1-35] Caravelle (Sanyo)
- [5-1-36] Micro Solutions
- [5-1-37] Pacific Digital
- [5-1-38] Iomega
- [5-1-39] Goldstar (LG Electronics)
- [5-1-40] AOpen
- [5-1-41] Toshiba
- [5-1-42] TDK
- [5-1-43] Lite-On
- [5-1-44] CenDyne
- [5-1-45] VST (SmartDisk)
- [5-1-46] ASUS
- [5-1-47] Samsung
- [5-1-48] APS / LaCie
- [5-2] How long do CD recorders last?
- [5-3] What kind of PC is recommended?
- [5-4] What kind of Mac is recommended?
- [5-5] Which standard CD-ROM drives work well with CD-R?
- [5-6] What kind of HD should I use with CD-R? Must it be AV-rated?
- [5-7] What SCSI adapter should I use with a CD recorder?
- [5-7-1] Adaptec - 1510/1522A/1540/1542CF
- [5-7-2] Adaptec - 2840/2910/2920/2930/2940
- [5-7-3] ASUS - SC-200/SC-875
- [5-7-4] Tekram - DC-390U/DC-390F
- [5-7-5] Adaptec - 1350/1460/1480
- [5-8] Can I use a CD recorder as a general-purpose reader?
- [5-9] To caddy or not to caddy?
- [5-10] Can I burn CDs from a Jaz drive? Tape drive?
- [5-11] What is "Running OPC"?
- [5-12] What's the story with stand-alone audio CD recorders?
- [5-13] What's firmware? How and why should I upgrade my recorder?
- [5-14] How well do parallel-port, USB, and 1394 recorders work?
- [5-15] How should I configure my system for an ATAPI CD recorder?
- [5-15-1] Should I have DMA enabled for an ATAPI recorder in Windows?
- [5-16] How important is CD-RW?
- [5-17] What is an "MMC Compliant" recorder?
- [5-18] What do I need to record on a UNIX (Linux, Solaris, etc) system?
- [5-19] What do I need for recording CDs from a laptop?
- [5-20] I need to make *lots* of copies
- [5-21] How do I connect two drives to one sound card in a PC?
- [5-22] How fast is 1x? What are CAV, CLV, PCAV, and ZCLV?
- [5-23] Will playing CD-Rs damage my CD player?
- [5-24] Can I "overclock" my CD recorder?
- [5-25] I need some help installing the drive
- [5-26] How much power does a CD recorder use?
- [5-27] Will the laser in my drive wear out?
- [6] Software
- [6-1] Which software should I use?
- [6-1-1] Adaptec - Easy-CD, Easy-CD Pro, and Easy-CD Pro MM ("ECD")
- [6-1-2] Adaptec - CD-Creator ("CDC")
- [6-1-3] Gear Software - GEAR Pro
- [6-1-4] Roxio - Toast
- [6-1-5] CeQuadrat - WinOnCD
- [6-1-6] Young Minds, Inc. - CD Studio+
- [6-1-7] Golden Hawk Technology (Jeff Arnold) - CDRWIN
- [6-1-8] Optical Media International - QuickTOPiX CD
- [6-1-9] Creative Digital Research - CDR Publisher
- [6-1-10] mkisofs
- [6-1-11] Asimware Innovations - MasterISO
- [6-1-12] Newtech Infosystems, Inc. (NTI) - CD-Maker
- [6-1-13] Cirrus Technology/Unite - CDMaker
- [6-1-14] Hohner Midia - Red Roaster
- [6-1-15] Dataware Technologies - CD Author
- [6-1-16] CreamWare - Triple DAT
- [6-1-17] MicroTech - MasterMaker
- [6-1-18] Angela Schmidt & Patrick Ohly - MakeCD
- [6-1-19] Liquid Audio Inc. - Liquid Player
- [6-1-20] Jörg Schilling - cdrecord
- [6-1-21] Prassi Software - CD Rep and CD Right
- [6-1-22] Zittware - CDMaster32
- [6-1-23] Dieter Baron and Armin Obersteiner - CD Tools
- [6-1-24] PoINT - CDwrite
- [6-1-25] PoINT - CDaudio Plus
- [6-1-26] Roxio - Easy Media Creator (was Easy CD Creator Deluxe "ECDC")
- [6-1-27] Padus - DiscJuggler
- [6-1-28] Ahead Software - Nero
- [6-1-29] CharisMac Engineering - Discribe
- [6-1-30] István Dósa - DFY$VMSCD
- [6-1-31] RSJ Software - RSJ CD Writer
- [6-1-32] James Pearson - mkhybrid
- [6-1-33] JVC - Personal Archiver Plus
- [6-1-34] Roxio - Jam
- [6-1-35] Pinnacle Systems - InstantCD/DVD (was VOB)
- [6-1-36] Sony - CD Architect
- [6-1-37] Eberhard Heuser-Hofmann - CDWRITE
- [6-1-38] CeQuadrat - JustAudio!
- [6-1-39] Digidesign - MasterList CD
- [6-1-40] Thomas Niederreiter - X-CD-Roast
- [6-1-41] Jesper Pedersen - BurnIT
- [6-1-42] Jens Fangmeier - Feurio!
- [6-1-43] Iomega - HotBurn
- [6-1-44] DARTECH, Inc - DART CD-Recorder
- [6-1-45] Interactive Information R&D - CDEveryWhere
- [6-1-46] DnS Development - BurnIt
- [6-1-47] Andreas Müller - CDRDAO
- [6-1-48] Tracer Technologies - (various)
- [6-1-49] SlySoft - CloneCD
- [6-1-50] IgD - FireBurner
- [6-1-51] Jodian Systems & Software - CDWRITE
- [6-1-52] Erik Deppe - CD+G Creator
- [6-1-53] Micro-Magic - CD Composer
- [6-1-54] Earjam, Inc. - Earjam IMP
- [6-1-55] Emagic - Waveburner
- [6-1-56] Zy2000 - MP3 CD Maker
- [6-1-57] Integral Research - Speedy-CD
- [6-1-58] Desernet Broadband Media - Net-Burner and MP3-Burner
- [6-1-59] Stomp, Inc. - Click 'N Burn
- [6-1-60] Steinberg Media Technologies - Clean! plus
- [6-1-61] Enreach - I-Author for VCD/SVCD
- [6-1-62] VSO Software - Blindread/Blindwrite
- [6-1-63] Microsoft - Windows XP
- [6-1-64] An Chen Computers - CD Mate
- [6-1-65] E-Soft - Alcohol
- [6-1-66] Stomp Inc. - RecordNow MAX
- [6-1-67] James Mieczkowski - Cheetah CD Burner
- [6-1-68] Blaze Audio - RipEditBurn
- [6-1-69] Acoustica, Inc. - MP3 CD Burner
- [6-1-70] MagicISO, Inc. - MagicISO
- [6-1-71] Simone Tasselli - Burn4Free
- [6-1-72] Sonic Solutions - Record Now!
- [6-1-73] Freeridecoding - BurnAgain
- [6-1-74] PowerKaraoke - Power CD+G Burner, PowerKaraoke
- [6-2] What other useful software is there?
- [6-2-1] Optical Media International - Disc-to-Disk
- [6-2-2] Gilles Vollant - WinImage
- [6-2-3] Asimware Innovations - AsimCDFS
- [6-2-4] Steven Grimm - WorkMan
- [6-2-5] Cyberdyne Software - CD Worx
- [6-2-6] Arrowkey - CD-R Diagnostic
- [6-2-7] DC Software Design - CDRCue Cuesheet Editor
- [6-2-8] Astarte - CD-Copy
- [6-2-9] Frank Wolf - CDR Media Code Identifier
- [6-2-10] Logiciels & Services Duhem - MacImage
- [6-2-11] Erik Deppe - CD Speed 2000
- [6-2-12] Andre Wiethoff - Exact Audio Copy (EAC)
- [6-2-13] Earle F. Philhower, III - cdrLabel
- [6-2-14] Adobe - Audition (formerly Cool Edit)
- [6-2-15] Elwin Oost - Burn to the Brim
- [6-2-16] Mike Looijmans - CDWave
- [6-2-17] ECI - DriveEasy
- [6-2-18] Jackie Franck - Audiograbber
- [6-2-19] High Criteria - Total Recorder
- [6-2-20] Smart Projects - IsoBuster
- [6-2-21] GoldWave Inc. - GoldWave
- [6-2-22] Naltech - CD Data Rescue
- [6-2-23] Jufsoft - BadCopy Pro
- [6-2-24] CDRoller Soft Co. - CDRoller
- [6-2-25] FlexiMusic - Wave Editor
- [6-2-26] Nic Wilson - DVD Info Pro
- [6-2-27] Audacity
- [6-3] What is packet writing (a/k/a DLA - Drive Letter Access)?
- [6-3-1] What's UDF?
- [6-3-2] Do I want to do packet writing?
- [6-4] What packet writing software should I use?
- [6-4-1] Roxio - Drag-to-Disc (a/k/a DirectCD)
- [6-4-2] CeQuadrat - PacketCD
- [6-4-3] SmartStorage - SmartCD for Recording
- [6-4-4] Gutenberg Systems - FloppyCD
- [6-4-5] Pinnacle Systems - InstantWrite (was VOB)
- [6-4-6] Prassi - abCD
- [6-4-7] Ahead - InCD
- [6-4-8] Oak Technologies - SimpliCD ReWrite
- [6-4-9] NewTech Infosystems, Inc. (NTI) - File CD
- [6-4-10] Veritas - DLA (Drive Letter Access)
- [6-4-11] BHA - B's CLiP
- [6-5] Can I intermix different packet-writing programs?
- [6-6] I want to write my own CD recording software
- [6-6-1] PoINT - CDarchive SDK
- [6-6-2] Golden Hawk Technology (Jeff Arnold)
- [6-6-3] Gear Software - GEAR.wrks
- [6-6-4] VOB - CD-Wizard SDK
- [6-6-5] Dialog Medien - ACDwrite.OCX
- [6-6-6] ECI - The Engine
- [6-6-7] NUGROOVZ - CDWriterXP
- [6-6-8] Ashampoo - DiscForge Plug & Burn
- [6-6-9] NuMedia Soft - NMSDVD Burning SDK
- [6-6-10] Sonic Solutions - AuthorScript
- [6-7] What software is available for doing backups?
- [6-7-1] Adaptec - Easy-CD Backup
- [6-7-2] D.J. Murdoch - DOSLFNBK
- [6-7-3] Dantz - Retrospect
- [6-7-4] Veritas - Backup Exec
- [6-7-5] Symantec - Norton Ghost
- [6-7-6] PowerQuest - Drive Image Special Edition for CD-R
- [6-7-7] Centered Systems - Second Copy
- [6-7-8] FileWare - FileSync
- [6-7-9] Novastor - NovaDISK
- [6-7-10] Roxio - Take Two
- [6-7-11] NTI - Backup NOW!
- [6-7-12] CeQuadrat - BackMeUp LT
- [6-7-13] Duncan Amplification - disk2disk
- [6-7-14] Pinnacle Systems - InstantBackup (was VOB)
- [6-7-15] Microsoft - Backup
- [6-7-15] Portlock Software - Storage Manager
- [6-7-16] Willow Creek Software - Backup To CD-RW
- [6-7-17] TeraByte Unlimited - Image for Windows
- [6-8] How do I get customer support for bundled recording software?
- [7] Media
- [7-1] What kinds of media are there?
- [7-2] Does the media matter?
- [7-3] Who manufactures CD-R media?
- [7-4] Which kind of media should I use?
- [7-4-1] What's the best brand of media?
- [7-5] How long do CD-Rs and CD-RWs last?
- [7-6] How much data can they hold? 650MB? 680MB?
- [7-7] Is it okay to write on or stick a label on a disc?
- [7-7-1] Can I write on them? What kind of pen should I use?
- [7-7-2] Are labels okay?
- [7-8] How do CD-Rs behave when microwaved?
- [7-9] What can I do with CD-R discs that failed during writing?
- [7-10] Where can I find jewel cases and CD sleeves?
- [7-11] What's "unbranded" CD-R media?
- [7-12] How do I repair a scratched CD?
- [7-13] What's this about a Canadian CD-R tax?
- [7-14] Can I get 80mm (3-inch "cd single") CD-Rs?
- [7-15] Where can I find CD-ROM business cards and "shaped" CDs?
- [7-16] Can you tell pressed CDs and silver CD-Rs apart?
- [7-17] What's the difference between "data" and "music" blanks?
- [7-18] How do I convert data CD-Rs into "consumer audio" blanks?
- [7-19] Is translucent media bad?
- [7-20] How do I destroy CD-R media beyond all hope of recovery?
- [7-21] Can I recycle old CDs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs?
- [7-22] Is there really a fungus that eats CDs?
- [7-23] How do I clean CD-R and CD-RW discs?
- [7-24] Are "black" discs different from other discs?
- [7-25] My disc just shattered in the CD drive!
- [7-26] How do I tell which side on a silver/silver disc is up?
- [7-27] How should I handle and store CDs?
- [7-28] What causes the rainbow effect when looking at the data side?
- [7-29] Can I print directly on a CD-R?
- [8] Net Resources and Vendor Lists
- [8-1] Information resources
- [8-2] Magazines and other publications
- [8-3] Net.vendors
- [8-3-1] Consumer software, hardware, and media
- [8-3-2] Net.vendors (duplication services and hardware)
- [8-4] News sources & mailing lists
- [9] Contributors
The last-modified date of each section is shown below the Subject line.
The date format used is YYYY/MM/DD. The date stamps were added on
1998/04/06, so you won't find any older than that.
This version of the FAQ is generated automatically by faq2html, an
application developed specifically for converting the plain ASCII version
of the CD-Recordable FAQ to HTML.
Top of page
FAQ Copyright © 2010 by Andy McFadden. All Rights Reserved.