I have made some backup CDs, both CD-R and CD-R/W. Many of them won't read on other drives. Some of these were made using Adaptec software, some using Roxio. All of them read on the computer which made them.

Can someone explain this?

Charlie Jackson

Some burning software also has to be installed on other computers in order for them to read the CD's that were burned with that software.

Hi,

When record the cds, do you close the disk or just the session??

I have found in the past that if you do not close the disk after writing when using Adaptec, then it cannot always be read in a normal cd drive. If a disc is left open and only the session closed, then the cd is still not completed and normally cannot be read in a standard cd drive.

I think you only need the software installed on another computer to read the cd if you only closed the session and not the cd.

Hope this helps

Slim

I may be wrong here, but the following idea jumped from the recesses of my memory:

As CD recorders and rewriters have developed it has become possible to use narrower and narrower laser beams.
[Which means you can get more tracks on the disk.]

The older readers used coarser or wider laser beams.
So when new disks are made with the very narrow tracks of pits and lands, the older readers with the wide beams do not always succeed in reading the track so as to produce a satisfactory signal.

Or did my fertile imagination invent that all on its own?

Ski: CD-RW's written in the UDF format (universal disk format - used by Direct CD and In CD) require UDF software in order to be read. Other CD-RW's and CD-R's can be read on any modern CD drive without any additional software - just like you can read data from floppies or commercial software CD's.

Slim: It is unnecessary to close any data CD-R written with any brand of software in order to be able to read it. Some home Cd players require audio Cd's to be closed in order to play, but this is changing also. Many home CD players will not play audio CD-RW at all.

Cjackson: As to the problem of disks not being read on other CD drives: CD-RW disks writen by In CD and Direct CD will be unreadable on other computers unless UDF software is installed.

If your CD-R's won't play on a different drive, it may be that the burner is slightly out of calibration. Can you read CD-R's written on other burners in your burner? Can you read commercial CD's in your burner?

Ski: CD-RW's written in the UDF format (universal disk format - used by Direct CD and In CD) require UDF software in order to be read.


gwallen4,

Hmmmm......
I thought I already said that. LOL
Thanks for stating it more specifically.

Thanks for all your help. The problem I described exists on many of 8-10 PCs, none of which have CD-ROM burners installed. Some will read the CD-ROMs, some won't. None have any UDF software installed.

Some of the CDs that fail were burned using Adaptec, some Roxio. (Adaptec seems to have been bought out by Roxio).

I'll try to get some UDF software and install it on those machines. One point -- the current CD I burned on a 2002 Compaq (1.3 GHz), using Roxio, can't be read by a 24X CD-ROM drive just installed on a 1996 Compaq 575, using a Pentium I (75 MHz).

Charlie Jackson

Okay. In my previous post I was trying to determine whether this was a problem with reading CD-R's or a problem with reading CD-RW's. But I guess I wasn't clear enough for you to understand.

Please tell me whether these problems are occurring with CD-R or CD-RW.

CD-R does not require UDF software in order to be read.

If you slog your way through the “Easy CD Creator” help files [please don’t make me have to do it again] you will discover something about closing disks as “ISO9660” versus “Joliet”.

I quote my notes:
1. “Select “Organise the disk so that it can be read in most standard CD-ROM drives” and the disk will be closed as an “ISO9660”format, which uses 22MB for the first and 13MB for each later session.
Only CD-R disks can be closed as an “ISO9660” format.
2. If the “Eject Wizard” is turned off, right-click the CD Icon and select:
a. “Eject”, to continue later on the same PC, or
b. “Finalise”, to close as ISO9660 format FOR READING ON OTHER PC’s.
3. Additional writing to an ISO9660 CD:
Insert the disk, click “next” twice, then “make the disk writable” and click “next”.
4. The “UDF” reader will be automatically installed from the CD when it is inserted into the drive [if not already installed].

Here’s an appropriate section from the help files:
Defining Disc Properties
Easy CD Creator allows you to specify the disc properties for your CD—meaning that you can customize your CD depending on how you want to use it. You do not need to define the disc properties if you want to make a CD using the DEFAULT “Joliet” file system setting. See CD Layout Properties Settings.
To change the file system option to the “ISO 9960” format, you must define the disc properties before adding files and folders to your CD layout. To do so, follow these steps:
1 Select CD Layout Properties from the File menu.
2 Click the Data Settings tab.
3 Select one of the two File System options depending on how you want to use your CD:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
n ISO 9660
n Joliet
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
4 Click the File System Properties button and type in any volume descriptors information in the General tab .
5 Click OK to return to the Data Settings tab.
6 Make changes, if any, to the CD Layout Properties Settings and click OK.

As you have gathered, “Joliet” is the default system and uses long file names.

QUOTE
Joliet
Select this option if you want to use file names that contain up to 64 characters in length, including spaces. Joliet also records the associated DOS-standard name (8+3 characters) for each file so that the CD may be read on DOS systems or earlier versions of Windows.
ISO 9660
is a worldwide standard specifying the logical format for files and directories on a CD-ROM.
Select this option if you want to be able to read the CD on different platforms including DOS, Macintosh, OS/2, Windows and UNIX. Files and directories recorded to CD based on the ISO 9660 standard must meet the following (8+3) requirements:— A file name may not contain more than eight alphanumeric characters and the underscore symbol [_].— A file name extension may not contain more than three alphanumeric characters.— A directory name may not contain more than eight alphanumeric characters and the underscore symbol [_].

TROUBLESHOOTING
If the CD can be read on the CD-R or CD-RW drive but not on a standard CD-ROM drive, check in Disc Information under the Disc menu to make sure that the session containing the data you just wrote is closed.
CD-ROM drives cannot read data from a session that is not closed.
If your CD is ejected, or you receive an error message, or you have random problems accessing files from the CD, the problem may be that your CD-ROM drive is not well calibrated to read recordable CDs.

To Sylvander - Thanks for a very detailed and informative reply.
I'll try to read through this information and it probably will get me up and running properly.

To Gwallen4 - Both CD-R and CD-R/W seem to have the same problems on some of my other PCs. (I maintain 10 PCs of varying types and speeds for a computer class at a local Sr. Center).

Thanks to everyone who offered advice.

Charlie Jackson

When CD-ROM drives get old, they get out of calibration. First they can't read CD-R's burned on other drives, then they can't read commercial CD's, then they can't even read their own burns. New CD-ROM's can read any kind of disk, but the older ones (1X, 2X) were sometimes finicky about the format and finalization of the CD-R or couldn't read CD-R's at all. So you may have a combination of older drives that are out of cal and don't recognize format.

Since you liked my last offering:
Here’s some more of the notes I made from “Easy CD Creator” help files [and others], just as I made them.
I’ll only quote parts that may be relevant or useful.

EASY CD CREATOR
1. It copies “Data Files” and “.wav” files (audio) to CD-R & CD-RW disks.
a. CD-R disks which have been “closed” can be played on any normal home or car CD player [only the first closed session can be played].
b. CD-RW DISCS CAN ONLY BE PLAYED ON PC’s [not on home CD players].

2. DATA CD: Data is written in a continuous spiral from centre to rim.
It can be written in one of two formats as follows:
CD-ROM (mode 1) is used when only ONE SESSION is planned.
CD-ROM XA (mode 2) if more than one session is to be used [i.e. “Multiple Sessions”].
XA = “Extended Architecture”, which adds better audio & video capabilities and should be used for “Multimedia Applications”.

3. MIXED MODE: can be played on a modern home CD player but is NOT RECOMMENDED.
The 1st track is CD-ROM XA; later tracks are audio. All this is in ONE SESSION.

4. CD EXTRA: the 1st session has audio tracks. The 2nd session has data in CD-ROM XA format. A multi-session CD-ROM drive is required to read these.


DIRECT CD [Packet Writing Software]
1. Write files to a CD-R or CD-RW disk.
2. Works in Windows 9x & NT v4.0 SP2 and above.
3. For a first write to a CD:
a. FORMAT IT using the packet writing software.
b. Only CD-RW disks allow DATA COMPRESSION.
c. After formatting the disk is ready to be written to.
4. To add data to the CD use “Drag & Drop”, “Save As” or “Send To”.
5. EJECT THE CD, then select an option.
Select “Organise the disk so that it can be read in most standard CD-Rom drives” and the disk will be closed as an “ISO9660” format. Only CD-R disks can be closed as an “ISO9660” format.
6. For 2nd AND LATER WRITES until full: Insert the CD in the drive and “Direct CD” [Packet Writing Software] should start automatically and display the “Direct CD Disk Ready” window [only if “Auto Insert” is set].
7. ERASING CD-R or CD-RW CONTENTS: In Explorer, select & delete as normal. Deleting CD-R files makes them invisible but does not free up space.
8. CD-RW drives can read: CD-RW, CD-R, CD-ROM.
9. CD-R drives can read: CD-R, CD-ROM.
10. Multi-Read DVD-ROM/CD-ROM drives can read CD-RW disks made using “Direct CD”.
[I presume this means ordinary CD-drives cannot]