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General discussion

how to:

Jan 26, 2005 6:34AM PST

how to format A cdr,plus can you then remove the formatted cdr without making it unreadable(then it would be "closed")?
thanks

Discussion is locked

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Larry, A CD-R Disk Isn't The Ideal Media To Format...
Jan 26, 2005 7:05AM PST

....although it can be done...The best disk media to format is a CD-RW disk which can be used over and over again...A CD-R can be formatted so that you can copy/paste or drag/drop files to it, BUT it will continue to fill up space and when the space on the disk is used, you're done. You can't erase it so it can be used again. CD-R's are burn once media.

In order to format a CD, you must have a CD-RW burner with the correct software. After the disk is formatted, it can be moved to another computer and used there, much like a formatted floppy disk. Two of the most common burning software brands today are Nero and Roxio, but the RecordNow software which comes with many XP computers also has an ability to format the CD. BE AWARE, the differing software companies will not always recognized each other's formatting. If you're going to use Roxio's DirectCD/Drag To Disk formatting at work, then make sure that all the office software is of that type.

When the software is installed, formatting a CD is easy. Place the disk in the drive, open the software, then choose "Format Disk".

Hope this helps.

Grif

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formatting a CD-RW
Jan 26, 2005 7:30AM PST

"BE AWARE, the differing software companies will not always recognized each other's formatting."

That can also be true with other computers. When I first got a CD burner, I formatted several CD-RWs and use them like giant floppies. I was dragging and dropping all kinds of files and downloads. I saved a lot of "stuff" on those disks. I bought a new computer and much to my surprise, it wouldn't read the formatted CD-RWs. Good thing I still had the old computer/burner available and I was able to make copies on several CD-Rs. I took the formatted disks to work and no computer there would read them either. And I know of others who had the same experience. So be careful relying on formatted CD-RWs for your important data. Gail

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Glb613
Jan 27, 2005 2:22AM PST

You are right. Also the very reason many of us won't even install programs like InCD, DirectCD, etc, let alone use them. Sometimes (often) the discs aren't even readable
on the same computer with the same software. Learned that the hard way on some important backups. chuck

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Chuck, I Use DirectCD All The Time....
Jan 27, 2005 3:18AM PST

....but I recognize that it's not an effect "Backup" tool. I use formatted CD-RW's for a specific purpose..although with the advent of USB Flashdrives, this may end soon. The office just hasn't bought a flashdrive for me yet. LOL The flashdrive is a much better and more reliable tool for transferring files.

In my job, I need to install updates to a variety of remote computers. The formatted CD allows me to quickly add program updates to a CD-RW disk on a daily basis. Because most newer CD-Roms are able to read formatted disks and because ALL of our computers use the same Roxio branded formatting, it works great for an easy method to transfer files and updates from one location to another. When I need more space on the CD-RW, I erase the data or reformat the disk and place new items on the disk.

Still, both you and Gail are correct. Formatted disks aren't really reliable and all data can be lost from them without warning.

Hope this helps.

Grif

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Formatting a CDR
Jan 27, 2005 11:14PM PST