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Archive-name: cdrom/cd-recordable/part1
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Last-modified: 2004/04/15
Version: 2.53

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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[1-15] Why is this FAQ so far out of date?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?
[2-5] 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?

[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
 [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 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 2x be read faster than 2x?
[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 between the "test" and "write" passes?
[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"

[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
[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 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
[6-2] 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
[6-3] 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)
[6-5] 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 - CDWriterPro
[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?
[7-8] 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?

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


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: [0] Introduction

Subject: [0-1] Legal noise (disclaimers and copyrights)
(2004/02/20)

This document is Copyright (C) 1996-2004 by Andy McFadden, All Rights
Reserved.  All of the content here, except for attributed quoted material,
is my original work.

Free distribution of the 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.

The plain ASCII text and www.cdrfaq.org HTML versions aren't otherwise
restricted, but other conversions might be (the content is free, the
presentation or translation might not be).  Check with the publisher.

The date and version number on the FAQ *are* considered part of the content
that must not be removed.  I occasionally get messages from people who
don't realize that the copy they're reading is more than a year and a half
old.


Caveat lector: the information here is often derived from Usenet postings,
e-mail, and information on web sites.  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.

Visit http://www.clari.net/brad/copymyths.html for a mini-FAQ on copyright
laws.


Subject: [0-2] What does this FAQ cover (and not cover)?
(2000/12/24)

This document attempts to answer Frequently Asked Questions about Compact
Disc Recordable technology and related fields.  It was originally developed
as a Usenet newsgroup FAQ, and is updated and posted about once a month.
The main foci are explaining CD-R technology, describing hardware and
software solutions for creating audio CDs and CD-ROMs, and helping people
find solutions to common problems.

The FAQ is heavily biased toward PCs and computer-based recorders, 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 stand-alone audio CD recorders expanding greatly, because
they're far simpler to operate than computer-based recorders, and most of
the "must know" information about them is more appropriate in an FAQ on
stereo systems or studio recording.  I do try to address deficiencies in
Macintosh coverage.

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.  In general, this is a collection of answers to
specific questions, not a "how to" guide.  I have tried to make the answers
easy to understand by an inexperienced user, but if you know absolutely
nothing about recording CDs then some sections may be confusing.

This is not a newsletter.  Actively maintained web sites are a much better
source of breaking news than this document, which is updated at most once a
month.  I also don't try to track moving targets, like CD recorder firmware
versions or software versions unless a specific release is especially
interesting.  Ditto for which recorders work with which packet-writing
solutions, or which recorders can overburn.

This FAQ does not, and will not, cover DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW,
DVD+RW, or any of the other formats in the ever-expanding DVD morass.
There are other resources on the web for DVD topics.

You will not find a lot of detail about "backing up" copy-protected
software, or where to find unlock codes or "warez".  There are many web
sites that explain these matters at length.


Subject: [0-3] What's new since last time?
(2004/04/15)

All sections are tagged with a modification date, so you can see how
long ago something was revised.  If you want to know *everything* that
has changed since last time, you can get a set of "context diffs" from
http://www.cdrfaq.org/txtdiffs.zip.


Highlights:

Added sections (6-1-70), (6-1-71), (6-6-9), and (7-28).


Subject: [0-4] Is the FAQ only available in English?
(2002/06/25)

There are a few translations available.

Hungarian, by Nagy Szabolcs: http://delfin.klte.hu/~nagysz/cdrgyik/.

French, by Marc Kergomard: http://www.lagravuredecd.com/.

Russian, by Oleg Nechay: http://members.tripod.com/greatkorzhik/cdrfaq.htm.

Italian, by Marzona Simone: http://web.tiscali.it/marzonaontheweb/faq/faq.html.

Italian, by Simone Parca: http://digilander.iol.it/cdrfaq/ (an older
version; formerly at users.iol.it/parsi/).

Spanish, by [[[CAM]]]: http://cdrfaq.webcindario.com/CDRfaq.htm.

French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish translations can be done
through http://babelfish.altavista.com/translate.dyn.  This is an automatic
language translator that is HTML-aware.  It only translates the first
part of each document, so it's not entirely helpful if you just want to
read a translation, but it may make doing a full translation much easier.
(The translation is pretty good for an automatic translator, but is still
pretty rough.  I don't want to post a translation that is inaccurate
or misleading, so I'm not going to run the FAQ parts through babelfish
automatically.)

If you're interested in translating this FAQ, you are welcome to do so, but
please respect the amount of work that I and others have put into it.
Don't strip out sections, remove author attributions, or hide the revision
date of the document.  I don't think the terms in section (0-1) are
terribly restrictive.  If, for whatever reason, you can't keep up with
every update of the English version, that's fine; all I ask is that you
include a link to the www.cdrfaq.org version, so that the current
information is easily locateable.  (Some commonly updated things, like the
list of recorders in section (5-1), don't need much translation.)  If you
don't want to translate a particular section, just leave it in English.

If you want to start with an HTML version, use the pages from
http://www.cdrfaq.org/.  If you prefer to do the translation on a
text document, and you're converting to an iso-latin language, the

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