4 replies to this topic

[Rayi]

Hello. I am confused about the ability to do write sessions with DVD R media. I take it that you cannot on a regular DVD+-R but you can on a DVD RW? Any insight appreciated. Thank you

[lynn98109]

Rayi, on Nov 18 2006, 01:37 PM, said:

Hello. I am confused about the ability to do write sessions with DVD R media. I take it that you cannot on a regular DVD+-R but you can on a DVD RW? Any insight appreciated. Thank you

You can do Sessions with EITHER R or RW media.

There are 3 kinds of discs, either CD or DVD:

• Commercially pressed discs, which have the pits and lands physically pressed into them (pits and lands are the physical equivalent of magnetic 0's and 1's)
  
• R discs, which have the pits and lands set by a laser "cooking" a dye - there are not quite as stable as commercially pressed discs, but close
  
• RW discs, which have the pits and lands set by the laser melting and re-crystalizing an aluminum alloy - which promptly starts to de-crystalize, taking all the data with it. At some point in time, the alloy was changed to make the discs less costly, and less reliable. You can't say in advance how long a given disc will last - usually months but it can be days or weeks or years, it varies from disc to disc - but it won't give you an engraved notice two weeks before it goes, it just goes when it goes.

RW media is useful for testing, or for transferring things between computers when there are no other options, and the original files are safely on the originating computer. Then it can be erased and re-used.

If you "delete" a file on either R or RW media, you do NOT gt the space back - you merely delete it from the TOC [Table of Contents]. The difference is you can erase the ENTIRE RW disc and start over.

Lynn

Edited by lynn98109, 18 November 2006 - 02:26 PM.

[Larry]

As I recall, for DVD mulit-sessions in XP, you must be on at least SP2 for it to work.

[grandpabruce]

Larry, on Nov 18 2006, 04:45 PM, said:

As I recall, for DVD mulit-sessions in XP, you must be on at least SP2 for it to work.

I had no problems at all doing it when I had only SP1 installed.

[ml]

To add to what's been said..... it depends on what you mean by 'multisession DVD'.

If you're using Creator Classic and burning Data or music files to a DVD ( R or RW ), the default is to NOT make it a read only disk.

To add files to the DVD, you must 'import data from an appendable disk' ( second icon from the right next to Burn).

If it's a DVD Builder project, that usually has to be reburned.

I personally believe that R DVDs are more reliable than RW.... partially because you cannot accidentally erase the data.

Edited by mlpasley, 19 November 2006 - 03:55 PM.