Where's a CD-RW formatter?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chief Thracian
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Chief Thracian

Hey, good freeware-bees! I'm looking for a freeware utility that will
format (not burn) CD-RW disks. All I can come up with are free
burners...none of which have an option to format.

This is for my friend's Iomega 48x24x48x USB 2.0 CD-RW Drive. The
sofware that comes with it, won't install properly. Running
Winoze98...it does recognize the drive, and can mount formatted CD's.

Do you know if CDiN (that came with my own Memorex CD-RW drive), will
work on his? It formats CD disks, and lets you use it like a regular
hard drive (at least, for copying files to it).

He needs to use his drive to back up his data, just using a file
manager to drag-and-drop folders and files to a CD. He doesn't plan to
do any burning.

TIA!
 
There are at least four programs to do this, none of which are compatible
with each other (a cd written with one can't be read by any of the others).
The most popular are DirectCD, which comes with Easy CD Creator, and InCD,
which comes with Nero. Both will work on just about any cd-rw, just install
the parent software (Nero/easycd), but you need to both be running the same
one if you want to be able to read each other's cd-rws. And neither is
freeware....
 
See "Packet Writers" in my dandies (link below).
The only reason to format a CD-RW is to write (burn) to it.
____________________________

Try it and see.
___________________________

When he "drags and drops" he *is* burning. How do you think the data
gets on to the disc?? The difference is, he is writing packets...not
something I would care to do if I valued the data.

--
dadiOH
________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.0...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://www.gbronline.com/xico/
_________________________________
 
MikeyD said:
There are at least four programs to do this, none of which are compatible
with each other (a cd written with one can't be read by any of the others).

Not totally true at all.
The most popular are (snip) And neither is
freeware....

Then why mention them here? In reviewing some of your previous
messages, I see that this is a common feature of some of them-- "this
is not freeware, but..."

This group is for the discussion of freeware only.
 
Thip said:
This is supposed to be compatible with Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows2000
and WindowsXP. It formats and does a lot of other things along with that.
:-)

http://w1.878.telia.com/~u87812405/

I visited the site and am still not clear about whether or not the
program can format a disc so that you can do UDF (drag and drop in
Explorer). Can you clarify?
 
John Corliss said:
I visited the site and am still not clear about whether or not the
program can format a disc so that you can do UDF (drag and drop in
Explorer). Can you clarify?

Sorry, I don't do drag and drop so I can't help you there, and nothing
showed up after searching the user forum. However, the software does format
CD-RW, either quick or full. I keep recommending it because it's done a
marvelous job for me and keeps getting better.
 
Sorry, I don't do drag and drop so I can't help you there, and nothing
showed up after searching the user forum. However, the software does
format CD-RW, either quick or full. I keep recommending it because it's
done a marvelous job for me and keeps getting better.

If I understood correctly, your friend wants to reformat CD-R/W?
See SuperBlank at: Google or alt.binaries.freeware "SuperBlank 3.01
Setup.exe"
HTH -- Donald
 
John Corliss said:
This group is for the discussion of freeware only.

And not holidays, beer, bikes, families, anti- spam "campaigns" or your
other personal interests

Hypocrite!
 
I visited the site and am still not clear about whether or not the
program can format a disc so that you can do UDF (drag and drop in
Explorer). Can you clarify?

Hi John, I think that there is some confusion about the difference
between *erasing* and *formatting* a CD-RW disk.
A lot of freeware burning apps will erase a CD-RW disk, including the
one recommended by Thip, but I don't think any of them will format a
CD-RW disk. Even if there was a freeware program that would format a
CD-RW disk, I don't think you would be able to write to the disk
without packet writing software installed.
So really the answer to the original question is no, I think. ;o)
He would be better off to figure out why the packet writing program
that he does have won't install properly.

Some related info-

http://www.cdrfaq.org/faq03.html#S3-40
 
Chief said:
Hey, good freeware-bees! I'm looking for a freeware utility that will
format (not burn) CD-RW disks. All I can come up with are free
burners...none of which have an option to format.

This is for my friend's Iomega 48x24x48x USB 2.0 CD-RW Drive. The
sofware that comes with it, won't install properly. Running
Winoze98...it does recognize the drive, and can mount formatted CD's.

ftp://ftp.berlios.de/pub/cdrecord/alpha/win32/cdrtools-1.11a12-win32-bin.zip

Dump MickyShaft-Windows & upgrade to Unix & then you wouldn't have to ask
dumb questions like this. :)
 
<<
See "Packet Writers" in my dandies (link below). The
only reason to format a CD-RW is to write (burn) to it.
Thank you, I've read it. I'm new to RW-CD's, so 'scuse
my ignorance. I will read up on burning, etc. It's just
that I have an emergency situation for a client who
purchased a CD w/o first informing me, so he could make
an intelligent purchase. Now, I'm stuck with fixing up
his mistakes (as usual).

He bought a USB RW-CD drive for a 1.0 USB system. He
shoud have gotten a much less expensive INTERNAL RW
drive. He is SO paranoid about letting me open the box,
and install anything internal. What a dufus.

<<<<
Do you know if CDiN (that came with my own Memorex CD-RW drive),
will work on his? It formats CD disks, and lets you use it like a
regular hard drive (at least, for copying files to it).
<<
Try it and see.
I will, as soon as I can get back to my client's place,
which will be in three days. I have to install Nero in
order for InCD to work. That's a nuisance, since Nero
software won't even RUN on my system (refuses to load).
But fortunately, InCD works. I just found out that one
can UNINSTALL all of Nero, except InCD...and InCD will
still work.

He doesn't need to be able to read my CDs on his
system, so that's no problem. He just needs to be able
to format his own CDs so he can backup data.

<<
When he "drags and drops" he *is* burning. How do you
think the data gets on to the disc??
Well, duh. There must be SOME sort of difference, if
being able to drag and drop files requires special,
additonal utilities, when compared with standard
"burning". So don't blame my ignorance on my own
self...blame it on the software makers.

(And I'm sure you know PERFECTLY well what I'm talking
about; you're just showing off.)

I guess I'm always "burning" when I copy a folder or
file to a hard drive (such as downloading), or to a
floppy, etc. And I don't think most people have been
trained to think of this as "burning". But since RW CDs
have come into its own, with hindsight we now might
perceive ANY sort of data copying/moving/transfer as
"burning".

So excuuuuse me for thinking in terms that have been
universally established for PCs way back when you were
either a snot-nosed brat, an embryo, or just a glimmer
in your parents' eye...or nothing at all. :D

<<
The difference is, he is writing packets...not
something I would care to do if I valued the data.
So "packet writing" is a form of "burning", eh? But
just not as reliable? Does that explain why, after
formatting a 700mb CD, I wind up with just 539mb? (And
if I used the "other" kind of "burning", I'd have
access to the total 700mb?)

And does this explain why, after only a few minor
backups to my formatted CD, the FAT got screwed, and
showed one folder repeated about 20 times? (Though no
increase in space used.)

To my naive mind, "burning" is copying a disk "image"
to a storage medium (data in bits regardless of file
structure)...as opposed to copying via a file manager,
where the data is seen as files and folders.

My client needs to back up his work files every
day...which total to only 1-10mbs per day. Seems
pointless to do a real "burn" each day for that. I was
thinking he'd do the old drag-and-drop each day...then
do a serious "burn" once a week.

Thanks for directing me to your help files...they're a
good start, but certainly do not explain in any detail,
what "burning" is all about, and why "packet burning"
is not as reliable. So I will find some site that will
give me a better understanding.

Since Nero won't load, I can't really access its help
files...nor do any real "burning". Thus, I remain naive
due to shoddy retail software...including my client's,
which Iomega burning utilities won't load, either.
Thank Goddess for freeware!

BTW, Sony abCD will format the 700mb CD's to give you
511mb space...less than InCD. And...it takes 18 mins.
(while InCD takes just 1). And I guess that's why Sony
has released to freeware: it's lacking what the newer
CD utilities can do...but it's still great to have it
for free, for low-income folks like myself.

Now that I'm sure I can get my client's USB RW-CD drive
to do what he needs...I'll have time to really study
this RW technology.

Thanks for sharing your expertise, and thanks to
everyone else who added their two-cents.
 
Donald said:
If I understood correctly, your friend wants to reformat CD-R/W?
See SuperBlank at: Google or alt.binaries.freeware "SuperBlank 3.01
Setup.exe"

Donald,
As bambam mentioned, I think you're confusing "erasing" a disc
with "formatting" it. When you erase a CDRW, you're removing all the
formatting from it so that you can no longer drag and drop to the disc
(i.e. treat it like a large floppy disk) in Explorer. When you format
a disc, you're preparing it so that you *can* drag and drop to the CD
in Windows Explorer. This is known as "packet writing".
The program that you're referring to (http://come.to/SuperBlank)
I believe only erases a CDRW.
 
There are at least four programs to do this, none of which are compatible
with each other (a cd written with one can't be read by any of the others).

Excuse me, why did they create UDF format then? UDF format is
specifically designed to allow any CD-RW software to burn a common
standard. If a person does not have a CD-RW burner then one must get a UDF
reader driver that will not give a hoot about which UDF formatter was used.
AFAIK both Ahead aka Nero and Roxio allow free downloads of their UDF
reader drivers. Install one of these drivers, do a reboot, and you too can
read UDF formatted cd-rw without a cd-rw burner.

Do get the correct edition for your operating system though or serious if
not critical OS corruption could result.

[snip]
*****************************************************************************
Lefse is really good grub..."Jeg Elsker Lefse! I Love Lefse!" sums it up well
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dome/3918/index.html
 
[snip]
It's not the packet writer...it's EVERYTHING ELSE. InCD won't run,
even when installed...until you ALSO install Nero burner. But Nero
won't even load...it's a buggy piece of software. Again, see my reply
to "dadiOH" for further info.

I have not have problems with Nero proper. InCD has been a periodic PIA
squared especially with some cd-rw's from a certain specific manufacturer.

Have you tried updating InCD from whatever it is now to the last ver
3.x.x.x? I have ver 3.5.24.0 running with ver 4.0.10 on the drive. There
are warnings about possible problems with the early InCD4 software on a few
net sites. In intrust of not having 3 dozen posts about InCD4 is broken, I
have posted the review site.
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,6988499~root=sware~mode=flat

Have you tried updating Nero form whatever it is now to 5.5.10.42 which is
current for the 5 series. (*1)

Nero's site has gone from darn good to WTH IMO. The url is no longer the
same it was. The correct URL is
http://www.nero.com/en/leftframe_noscript.htm


A possible good place for any CD needs are these...
http://www.cd-rw.org
http://www.cdrinfo.com/
http://www.cdmediaworld.com

And my client's Iomega software won't even INSTALL properly...it

I will stay civil. My thoughts on Iomega and Roxio are not nice from
personal experience.
wrecks the registry! The answer, then, is for me to install Nero
w/InCD on his system.
Since there does not seem to be any freeware solution. :'-(
[snip]

Ahhh...just what I'm looking for...I'm on a learning curve, here.
Thanx, "bambam"!

------------------------------------
1: Nero 6 has hit the commercial shelves or will darn soon.
InCD 4 is bundled with it.
*****************************************************************************
Lefse is really good grub..."Jeg Elsker Lefse! I Love Lefse!" sums it up well
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dome/3918/index.html
 
Hi John, I think that there is some confusion about the difference
between *erasing* and *formatting* a CD-RW disk.
A lot of freeware burning apps will erase a CD-RW disk, including the
one recommended by Thip, but I don't think any of them will format a
CD-RW disk. Even if there was a freeware program that would format a
CD-RW disk, I don't think you would be able to write to the disk
without packet writing software installed.
So really the answer to the original question is no, I think. ;o)
He would be better off to figure out why the packet writing program
that he does have won't install properly.

Some related info-

http://www.cdrfaq.org/faq03.html#S3-40

A couple of packages for packet writing:


http://www.benq.co.ae/service/cdr/drivers/cdrw/incd227.exe

http://sony.storagesupport.com/cdrw/abcd.htm
 
Hard drives and floppies store data magnetically...like tape. CD
drives do so by using a laser to literally burn minute pits into the
surface of the disc. That's why writing to a CD - and only a CD - by
any method is called "burning".
____________________________

I've been messing with computers since the days of hand assembling
code, quite possibly longer than you have been alive.
_____________________________

Yes
_______________________________

I have no idea.
_______________________________

Personally, I copy to a partition on another HD. Lacking that,
Mcubed's suggestion of using multi-sessions on a standard CD-R disc is
a good one.
____________________________________

I'm not overly fond of Nero but only because it is overly complex for
many who try to use it. Nevertheless, it is good software. If I
couldn't install it, I would be trying to find out why my system is
screwed up. Ditto with the Iomega.
___________________________________

By now you have probably read the link to Andy McFadden's FAQ (another
good one is http://www.mrichter.com/cdr/primer/primer.htm ). If so,
you have learned that there are two types of formatting: "quick" and
the full boogie. You will also have learned that eventually all CD-RW
discs need the full and that it always takes about the same length of
time.

--
dadiOH
________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.0...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://www.gbronline.com/xico/
_________________________________
 
Mcubed said:
(clipped)
Packet-writing is a method of writing data to a blank; to the extent that
people use the terms "burning" and "writing" interchangeably, you could
say that it is a form of burning. The disc formatting that packet
writing requires takes up quite a bit of space, so yes, that is why you
wind up with 539MB available for data after you format the disc. If you
used standard mastering software, you would have the entire 700MB
available for data. And yes, packet writing is unreliable. Also, CD-RW
discs are notoriously unreliable as a long- or medium-term storage
option.

I don't think that's really quite true. My experience has been that
once I *finally* manage to successfully format (my failure rate is
about 30%) a CDRW and drag files to it, it's a done deal and the disc
is good until it mels, basically. However, trying to use them like a
large floppy always leads to disc failure within four or five major
rewrites.
(clipped)

That would probably work, provided your client is not counting on
accessing the discs he packet-writes six months later. Another option --
one I think might be more reliable -- would be to do daily back-ups using
mastering software, but leave the disc "open" so that more data can be
written to the disc. These are often referred to as "multisession" discs
(see the CDRfaq). CDBurnerXP Pro can do this. That way, he can add
files everyday until he fills up the disc, then finalize ("close") it.
That would allow him to use all 700MB for his data, rather than wasting a
lot of space on formatting, and it would eliminate the once-a-week need
for what you're referring to as a "serious" burn.

Not only that, but he'd have archival copies of files before changes
were made to them.
 
Mcubed wrote:
And yes, packet writing is
unreliable. Also, CD-RW discs are notoriously unreliable as a long-
or medium-term storage option.

I'm much in the dark about a lot of CD issues, so I'm hoping you can
give me a quick answer on this Michael. What makes RW so unreliable? I'd
have thought that it would either work or not, much like other media.
And while you're here ;-), why is packet writing also unreliable?

thanks
 
Mcubed said:
I'm not sure what you mean by "mels" -- melts?

Melts. Excuse my typo.
I haven't melted any CD-R
or CD-RW discs, but I imagine that would render them unreadable. :-)

I was refering to long term decomposition, and by that I mean REAL
long term.
When I first started using blank discs for back-ups, I had CD-RWs that
became partially unreadable in as little as three months. This was true
even for discs that I had written files to only once. I never had one
that became totally unreadable, but it seemed like a pretty unreliable
medium on which to store files you expect to have access to for years to
come. Then I joined the Advanced_CDR Yahoo! Group, and sure enough, all
the experts there (who know way more about this stuff than I ever will)
confirmed that CD-RWs are extremely unreliable over the long haul. That
doesn't mean every one will always lose data, but it does mean that you
are taking a big risk with your data if you store it on rewritable media.
(It seems that this is also true for DVD rewritables.) As always, YMMV.
But I wouldn't make a habit of recommending to people that they use
rewriteable media to store data for any significant length of time,
because every study or analysis I've ever come across (not to mention 95%
of anecdotal information) has concluded that they are unreliable for that
purpose, as have all the experts at companies like Media Sciences and
Arrowkey.

Thanks for the info, Michael.
 
"Not Found
The requested URL /service/cdr/drivers/cdrw/incd227.exe was not found
on this server."

and I don't think it was freeware anyway.


"abCD 1.5 Update
This upgrade will update Sony abCD to version 1.5 and will resolve
minor formatting and recording issues."

I may be missing something here, but it looks like it's just an update
rather than the program itself.

Thanks for trying though, George.

Aha, found the sony one, go to

http://sony.storagesupport.com/cdrw/crx10ua2dwn.htm

and download the one called Sony Vaio abCD 1.6.184 Upgrade

http://sony.storagesupport.com/legalagreement.zulu?dlid=cdrw/downloads/crx1
0ua2/SonyabCD1.6.184Setup.exe
 
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