[comp.publish.cdrom] CD-Recordable FAQ, Part 2/4

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[comp.publish.cdrom] CD-Recordable FAQ, Part 2/4

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    from reliable manufacturers, but many have poor construction and
    will not last.  Section (7-4-1) has some thoughts on which are good
    and which aren't.  Stick to 74-minute or 80-minute discs.  90- and
    99-minute discs are not as reliable.
  Use conventional pre-mastering, not packet writing
    Packet writing ("drive letter access") is easy to use but files can
    be "deleted" even on CD-R media, making them difficult to recover.
    Sometimes open discs will Go Funny and becomes unreadable.  (See section
    (6-3-2) for a "reality check".)  You want to gather the files and
    record them all at once, not drag-and-drop them onto the disc as if
    it were a floppy.
  Use CD-R, not CD-RW
    If you don't want your data to be erased, don't put it on erasable
    media.  If you must use packet writing, you are less likely to have
    data loss with CD-R, because nothing is ever really deleted or
    overwritten.  Also, some concerns have been raised about CD-RW media
    longevity.
  Use disc-at-once recording
    Leaving a session or disc open creates the possibility of some other
    device or program screwing up the TOC and making the disc unreadable.
    Multi-session discs create opportunities for confusion.
  Test
    Software like Ahead's Nero (6-1-28) can automatically verify the data
    after recording completes.  Other suggestions are in section (3-22).

These rules also result in discs with the broadest possible compatibility, so
you should also follow them if you're planning to distribute files on CD-R.

If you're planning to store the data for an extended period, such as for
an archival backup, you should write the same data to two different kinds
of media and store the discs separately.

See also section (7-27) for advice on handling and storing CDs.


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