How can one keep data
secure in the media for a long period of time?
In order to maintain the integrity and
security of your data on Moser Baser compact
discs or DVDs, you just need to follow a few
basic `dos and don’ts’. These are:
Dos
-
Handle the disc only by its outer edge or
the hole in its center.
-
Store discs upright (book style) in
plastic cases specified for CDs and DVDs.
-
Return disc to storage cases immediately
after use.
-
Open a recordable disc package only when
you are ready to record data on that disc.
-
Store discs in a clean, cool, dry and
dark environment.
-
Remove dirt, foreign material,
fingerprints and liquids by wiping the data
side of the disc with a clean fabric in a
straight line from the center of the disc
towards the outer edge.
Do Not
-
Touch the surface of the disc.
-
Bend the disc.
-
Use adhesive labels.
-
Store disc horizontally for a long time
(years).
-
Expose disc to extreme heat or high
humidity.
-
Expose recordable disc to prolonged
sunlight or other source of ultraviolet
light.
-
Write or mark in the data area of the
disc (Area the laser `reads’).
How long will the data
recorded on a CD-R disc remain readable?
Lifetime estimation of any storage medium is
a very complex and statistics -based process.
Improper testing or measurement procedures can
seriously impact and compromise lifetime
estimates. ANSI committee IT-9 is currently
developing comprehensive guidelines for CD-ROM
and CD-R life estimation. CD-R media
manufactures have performed extensive media
longevity studies using these industry defined
tests and mathematical modeling techniques, with
results claiming longevity from 70 years to over
200 years. The caveat is how you handle and
store the media. With proper handling and
storage your CD-Rs can be usable for as long as
you want.
My CD-drive is not able to
read CDs. What could be the problem?
A possibility is that the drive's lens has
become dirty causing errors while reading CDs.
There are various off-the-shelf CD cleaning kits
available, which can be use to clean the lens.
These have a soft brush attached to the surface
of the CD to clean the lens.
What are image files?
How/why are they used?
An image file is the binary image of data as
it will be burnt on a CD. It is generally used
as an intermediate medium for making an exact
copy of a CD.
Burning a CD takes more
time than it should. What could be the reason?
Enabling DMA for your hard drive, CD-drive
and CD-writer can dramatically improve your
CD-writer's performance. Not only does this
increase the data-transfer rate of your drives,
but it also decreases processor utilization.
Why is my USB 2.0 CD-writer
not burning CDs at the specified speed?
Most USB CD writers today are USB
2.0-compatible for faster data recording.
However, if your motherboard is older than April
2000, then it will not support USB 2.0. In such
cases, you need to buy a separate PCI-based USB
2.0 card. USB 2.0 writers do not perform well on
USB 1.1. For example, an Iomega 24x CD-Writer
will burn CDs only at 6x if used on an older USB
1.1 port.
Can I burn CDs over the
network?
The files and folders you want to burn should
ideally be copied to your local hard drive
before you burn them. It is never a good idea to
burn files directly over the network, as you
have no control over network traffic, and any
undue interference could ruin the burn process.
Also, if your source CD has scratches on it,
then you should first copy the files to your
hard drive before burning. In case of an audio
CD, you can first create an image of the same on
your hard drive, and then burn it on to a CD- R.
It is also advisable to disable all external
access to your machine before you start burning.
Does the speed of the media
matter?
Most CD writers come with a single CD-R media
only. But, before you buy media, make sure it
supports your drive's maximum speed. If you keep
having problems with a particular brand, check
the list of recommended media in your
CD-writer's user manual.
What are mini-CDs?
CDs are available in a smaller 8 cm diameter
that can store up to 185 MB of data. A regular
CD-ROM drive and CD-writers can be used to read
and write on the mini-CD.
What are shaped CDs? Can
they damage the CD drive?
CDs come in various shapes and sizes. The
most common ones are visiting card CDs (the same
size and shape of a visiting card). They can
damage the lens of the CD drive if they are not
balanced properly during the manufacturing phase
or if they are not placed correctly in the
drive.
I am getting
"buffer
under run error" while burning the CD. What
should I do?
This means that your writer buffer is not
getting the data fast enough. Try following
steps.
-
Ensure that your hard disk has free space
of up to twice the size of the file you are
copying.
-
If the number of files you want to copy
is large then first make image file.
-
Try to burn at a lower speed.
-
If you are recording from a network, then
first copy the files on to the hard disk.
-
While burning CD to CD please check the
source disk for scratches, dust,
fingerprints, etc. Avoid multitasking.
What is the storage
capacity of a DVD and the maximum burning speed
possible on it?
A Digital Versatile Disc having a storage
capacity of 4.7 GB (2 hours of high-quality
video) has a maximum burning speed of 8x.
What is difference between
DVD+R and DVD-R? Which type of DVD should I use?
Both types of DVD have different formats.
Therefore, you first need to check the type of
writer that you have. In case your writer can
burn only the DVD+ format, then you should buy
DVD+R. Likewise for DVD-R. However, if you have
dual writers then you can burn both type of DVDs.
What is a multi-session
disc?
A session is a recorded segment that may
contain one or more tracks of any type. The CD
recorder does not have to write the entire
session at once – you can write a single
track, and come back later and write another –
but the session must be ``closed’’ before a
standard audio CD or CD-ROM player will be able
to use it. Additional sessions can be added
until the *disc* is closed or there is no space
left on it.
Can I burn a DVD on my
Combo drive?
No, you cannot. Combo drives are basically
CD-writers with an additional facility for
reading DVDs.
What is the difference
between disc-at-once and track-at-once?
There are two basic ways of writing to a
CD-R. Disc-at-once (DAO) writes the entire CD in
one pass, possibly writing multiple tracks. The
entire burn must complete without interruption,
and no further information may be added.
Track-at-once (TAO) allows the writes to be
done in multiple passes. There is a minimum
track length of 300 blocks (600K for typical
data CDs), and a maximum of 99 tracks per disc.
What does finalizing (and
closing and fixating) do?
A disc that you can add data to is
"open". All data is written into the
current session. When you finish writing to it,
you close the session. If you want to make a
multi-session disc, you need to open a new
session at the same time. If you do not open a
new session, you cannot open one later – which
means that it will be impossible to add more
data to the CD-R. The entire disc is considered
"closed".
The process of changing a session from
"open" to "closed" is called
"finalizing", "fixating", or just
plain "closing"’ the session. When you
close the last session, you have finalized,
fixated, or closed the disc.
My CD-RW drive is not
burning my CD-RW blank.
If the disc is recognized but won't erase or
format, a possible source of the problem could
be that there are different blanks for
"slow" recorders (1x - 4x), "high
speed" recorders (4x -10x), "ultra
speed" recorders (12x - 24x), and
"ultra
speed +" recorders. So a low-speed
CD-writer will not able to burn a high-speed CD-RW.
I am getting errors while
using floppy diskettes. What could be the
reason?
The most likely reason could be dirt
particles deposited on the floppy head which
damage the magnetic media. In fact, dirt
particles cause 85 percent of read/write errors.
To get rid of this problem it is recommended to
clean the floppy drive at least once in a week,
or after every 20 hours of use with some good
quality floppy drive head-cleaner.
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