Andy McFadden's CD-Recordable FAQ

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DISCLAIMER
This FAQ is presented "as is" and the views expressed in it are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by The CD-Info Company, Inc. Please direct any comments, corrections or suggestions to Andy McFadden, the FAQ's author.


Last-modified: 1997/09/14
Version: 1.11

Send corrections and updates to Andy McFadden (fadden@netcom.com). 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@netcom.com (if you do).

If you're reading this on a web page and want to check out the newsgroups (which have maintained a moderate signal-to-noise ratio), see:

  • comp.publish.cdrom.hardware
  • comp.publish.cdrom.software
  • comp.publish.cdrom.multimedia
  • Text versions of this FAQ are available from: ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/comp.publish.cdrom.hardware/

    A single-file concatenation of all the parts of this FAQ, suitable for printing, is available at ftp://ftp.cd-info.com/pub/faq/printfaq.zip. (Download as binary for best results.) Most of the links don't work, so only grab this zip archive if you want a copy to print.

    Free distribution of the plain ASCII text form of this FAQ is encouraged, as are conversions to HTML or other formats and translation to foreign languages, so long as no content is removed, and additions are clearly marked. Redistribution of the HTML form of this FAQ or other format conversions may be restricted (the content is free, the presentation might not be). Check with the publisher.

    Please DO NOT post copies of the HTML version on your web site. I keep getting e-mail from people reading versions that are several months old. You should include a link to the www.cd-info.com site instead.

    If you're maintaining a version of this FAQ in a different language or format, the "diff -c" context diffs on the text version are available at ftp://ftp.cd-info.com/pub/faq/txtdiffs.zip.


    Contents

    [0] Introduction
    [0-1] Legal noise (disclaimers and copyrights)
    [0-2] What does this FAQ cover?
    [0-3] What's new since last time
    [0-4] Appropriate use of the newsgroups

    [1] Basics
    [1-1] What's CD-R?
    [1-2] Are they identical to normal CDs?
    [1-3] Can I use it to copy my CDs?
    [1-4] How much data do they hold?
    [1-5] Can I just copy files onto a CD-R like I would to a floppy?

    [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 CDROM copy protection work?
    [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-E/CD-RW compare to CD-R?
    [2-13] Can DVD drives read CD-Rs?
    [2-14] Should I wait for DVD-R?
    [2-15] What are "jitter" and "jitter correction"?
    [2-16] Where can I learn more about the history of CD and CD-R?

    [3] How Do I...
    [3-1] How do I copy a data CD?
    [3-1-1] Why can't I just do a block copy like a floppy?
    [3-2] How do I extract tracks from, or copy all of, an audio CD?
    [3-3] How do I avoid clicks on audio CDs?
    [3-4] How do I copy Sony Playstation discs?
    [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
    [3-5-4] Joliet
    [3-5-5] Romeo
    [3-5-6] ISO/IEC 13346 and ISO/IEC 13490
    [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 copy an 80-minute audio CD?
    [3-9] How do I create a PhotoCD?
    [3-10] How do I make a CD that will work on a PC or a mac?
    [3-11] How do I get at different sessions on a multi-session CD?
    [3-12] How do I transfer my records or cassettes to a CD?
    [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?
    [3-16] How do I convert home videos into video on CD?
    [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?
    [3-20] Can I do backups onto CD-R?
    [3-21] How do I change the CD icon? How does Win95 autoplay work?
    [3-22] How can I be sure the data got written correctly?
    [3-23] How do I copy Karaoke/CD+G discs?
    [3-24] How do I copy a CDROM with 3GB of data on it?
    [3-25] How do I get my CD-R pressed into a real CD?
    [3-26] How do I make a "concert" CD-R, with tracks but no gaps?

    [4] Problems
    [4-1] What does "buffer underrun" mean?
    [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 between the "test" and "write" passes?
    [4-6] My CDROM 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] I get a Write Append Error when the burn is nearly done
    [4-11] Getting errors reading the first (data) track on mixed-mode CD
    [4-12] My CD-R ejects blank discs immediately
    [4-13] I'm getting complaints about power calibration
    [4-14] My Adaptec 2940 pauses after finding my CD-R
    [4-15] I can't see all the files on the CD-R
    [4-16] I forgot to use "linked" multisession on my last write
    [4-17] I'm getting SCSI errors or corrupted data
    [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 slightly off

    [5] Hardware
    [5-1] Which CD-R unit should I buy?
    [5-1-1] Yamaha
    [5-1-2] Sony
    [5-1-3] Smart & Friendly
    [5-1-4] Philips
    [5-1-5] 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
    [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
    [5-2] How long do CD-R drives last?
    [5-3] What kind of PC is recommended?
    [5-4] What kind of Mac is recommended?
    [5-5] Which standard CDROM 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 kind of SCSI adapter should I use with CD-R?
    [5-8] Can I use a CD-R 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 audio CD-Rs?
    [5-13] How do I tell what version of firmware I have?
    [5-14] How well do ATAPI (IDE) and parallel-port CD-Rs work?

    [6] Software
    [6-1] Which software should I use?
    [6-1-1] Adaptec - Easy-CD, Easy-CD Pro, and Easy-CD Pro MM
    [6-1-2] Adaptec - CD-Creator
    [6-1-3] Elektroson - GEAR
    [6-1-4] Adaptec - Toast CD-ROM Pro
    [6-1-5] CeQuadrat - WinOnCD
    [6-1-6] Young Minds, Inc. - SimpliCD
    [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 and CD-Copy
    [6-1-13] Cirrus Technology - 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] Optical Media International - Audiotracer
    [6-1-20] Jörg Schilling - CD Record
    [6-1-21] Prassi Software - CD Rep
    [6-1-22] Nero Software - SubIgnition
    [6-1-23] Dieter Baron and Armin Obersteiner - CD Tools
    [6-1-24] PoINT - CDwrite
    [6-1-25] PoINT - CDaudio Plus
    [6-1-26] Adaptec - Easy CD Creator
    [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
    [6-2] 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] Adaptec - Easy-CD Backup
    [6-2-6] Cyberdyne Software - CD Worx
    [6-3] What is packet writing software?
    [6-3-1] Adaptec - DirectCD
    [6-3-2] CeQuadrat - PacketCD
    [6-3-3] SmartStorage - SmartCD for Recording95
    [6-4] I want to write my own CD-R software
    [6-4-1] PoINT - CDarchive SDK
    [6-4-2] Golden Hawk Technology (Jeff Arnold)

    [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 should I use?
    [7-5] How long do CD-Rs last?
    [7-6] How much data can they hold?
    [7-7] Is it okay to write on or stick a label on a disc?
    [7-8] How do CD-Rs behave when microwaved?
    [7-9] What can I do with CD-R discs that failed during writing?

    [8] Net Resources and vendor info
    [8-1] Information resources
    [8-2] Magazines and other publications
    [8-3] Net.vendors

    [9] Contributors


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    Subject: [0] Introduction

    Subject: [0-1] Legal noise (disclaimers and copyrights)

    Free distribution of the plain ASCII text form of this FAQ is encouraged, as are conversions to HTML or other formats and translation to foreign languages, so long as no content is removed, and additions are clearly marked. Redistribution of the HTML form of this FAQ or other format conversions may be restricted (the content is free, the presentation might not be). Check with the publisher.
    Publisher's note: This HTML is the Intellectual Property of The CD-Info Company, Inc. Please see our policy statement about reusing the HTML with permission (which is primarily for translations). If you decide to "mirror" this page without permission you should be aware that you are not only violating our (compilation) copyright, but you'll wind up with a lot of broken links since many of them in this document are relational, not absolute. If you want to put an HTML version in your website, please obtain the current text and build your own so the links work in your site. For permission to use this HTML version on CD-ROMs or in any other form, please contact Katherine Cochrane by email or phone +1 205-650-0406.
    Caveat lector: the information here is derived from Usenet postings, e-mail, and information on WWW sites. As such, it may well be DEAD WRONG, and you are encouraged to verify it for yourself.

    I take no responsibility for damaged hardware, CD-Rs turned into coasters or frisbees, time lost, or any other damages you incur as a result of reading this FAQ. Information on specific models of hardware and software is based on *opinions* of other users, not scientific studies. I am not an expert in this (or any other) field. Everything here could be a total malicious lie, and should be treated as such. You have been warned.

    I don't get paid to plug anybody's software or equipment. The sections on "what XXX should I buy" are not here because I want to sway purchases one way or another, they're here because the questions are asked *a lot*, and the answers are pretty consistent. You are invited and encouraged to investigate the capabilities and reputations of all products.

    The various product and company names are trademarks of their respective companies.

    Subject: [0-2] What does this FAQ cover?

    This document attempts to answer Frequently Asked Questions about CD-Recordable technology and related fields. It is a Usenet newsgroup FAQ, updated and posted around the middle of each month. The main foci are explaining CD-R technology, describing hardware and software solutions for creating audio CDs and CDROMs, and helping people find solutions to common problems.

    The FAQ is heavily biased toward PCs and computer CD-Rs, because that's what I'm most familiar with, but I have made an effort to include useful information for owners of other equipment. I don't anticipate the section on audio CD-Rs expanding greatly, because they're far simpler to operate than computer CD-Rs, and most of the "must know" information about them is more appropriate in an FAQ on stereo systems or studio recording.

    I don't usually address questions that can be phrased, "how do I make my software do this?" The answers to those should be in the manual that came with your software. I also don't try to track recorder firmware versions or software versions unless a specific release is especially interesting. Ditto for which recorders work with which packet-writing solutions.

    Subject: [0-3] What's new since last time

    Kind of a quiet month.

    Major changes:

    Added (2-16), (3-26), (5-14), (6-1-31), (6-1-32), (6-3-2), and (6-3-3).

    Subject: [0-4] Appropriate use of the newsgroups

    This FAQ covers the three newsgroups in the comp.publish.cdrom hierarchy, one for software, one for hardware, and one for multimedia. The names of the newsgroups imply that the intended topics are related to publishing material on CDROMs, but the current discussions cover most everything related to CD-Recordable devices.

    Here are a few guidelines. These aren't hard and fast rules -- nobody died and put me in charge of making the rules -- but if you're not sure what the appropriate subject matter is then this may be helpful.

    comp.publish.cdrom.hardware is the most popular of the groups. Appropriate material includes questions about past, current, and future CD-R devices. Asking for installation help or advice on what to buy is appropriate, as are questions about related hardware like SCSI adapters and CDROM drives. Some related newgroups are:

    comp.publish.cdrom.software is for discussions about software used to prepare material for and create CDs and CDROMs. Questions about how to do things with a specific piece of software belong here, as do "the CD-R software from XXX won't recognize my drive", and "does a program exist that does YYY". Some related newsgroups are:

    comp.publish.cdrom.multimedia is for discussions about creating multimedia products on CDROMs. Questions about multimedia authoring software belong here, as do most production-type questions, e.g. "where can I go to get my CD pressed with jewel cases and glossy inserts?" Related newsgroups are:

    Please try to keep cross-posting to a minimum. Broadcasting questions to 3 or 4 related newsgroups will increase the noise level and probably won't get you more answers.

    Some general rules apply to all of the comp.publish.cdrom.* groups:

    (1) Piracy of CD-R software or CDs: CD-Rs can be used to make copies of copyrighted material, and while backups of data are legal, making or accepting copies from others most likely isn't. Whatever your opinion of the matter, software piracy and other copyright violations are illegal in most countries in the world, so requests and/or advertisements for pirated material should be kept off the newsgroup. Also, please don't start or participate in a debate about whether or not software piracy is bad. There have been hundreds of such debates over the past several years, and the only thing that either side has managed to prove is that piracy debates are a tremendous waste of time.

    (2) Personal CD-R hardware and software sales: strictly speaking, these groups aren't appropriate for selling off your old hardware or software. Such things are best left in misc.forsale.computers.*, ba.market.computers, and related groups. Since many readers are in the market for new hardware, a limited number of clearly marked articles are tolerated. The common Usenet convention is to use "FS: HP4020i $400 obo" for "For Sale" messages and "WTB: HP4020i" for "Want To Buy" messages.

    (3) CD-R product advertising: these groups by their nature are somewhat commercial. Many readers are in the market for new hardware or CD-R media, and for this reason a *limited* amount of retail/wholesale advertising is tolerated but discouraged. If you *clearly* mark your postings as advertisements, you will get relatively few complaints. Posting frequent and useless followups just to broadcast your 20-line signature will get you flamed and subsequently ignored. Feel free to send mail to people who post questions about product pricing and availability, but please don't create mailing lists and broadcast to everyone who posts.

    (4) Other advertising: while it's certainly the case that most or all of the readers have a CDROM drive on a computer, the same could be said of almost every person reading news from a home computer today. Please keep ads in newsgroups that are more appropriate. Advertising the latest educational, game, or adult CD is inappropriate for these groups, as are "hot new Cyrix 686 PC" posts. Subtle attempts to advertise web sites ("golly, this looked really neat, so I thought I'd tell everyone") are more obvious than you might think.

    (5) Spam: you cannot make money fast. That's life, get used to it. If the message involves putting your name at the top of a list of 5 or 10 people, don't post it. If it has an 800 or 888 number that a reader would call to hear more about your unique business opportunity, don't post it. If you have an account at interramp.com, your posts may get ignored.

    (6) Job postings: looking for job candidates on these newsgroups is a tolerated but generally futile exercise. Most of the readers are looking for or offering help on CD-Rs, not searching for a job. Try one of the other groups, like misc.jobs.offered.

    One final note: bear in mind that these groups are read by people all over the world. If you're looking for local retailers, be sure to specify what "local" is for you. Posting in English is the best way to ensure that you will get a response, but the readership is diverse enough that you will likely get a reply no matter what language you use. If you want to quote prices, specify the currency to avoid confusion (e.g. US$300 or CAN$300 or Y30000 or ...).

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