BAsically the whole Packet Writing thing never really works, and if you actually do get it to format a disk, I wouldn't put anything valuable on the disc since a lot of times you won't be able to get your files off of the disc. I get clients all the time that bring in these formatted CD-RW's and they can't get any files to show up in their explorer window, and they want me to try to recover the files, there is really nothing that can be done. I would avoid using this method of CD Burning if at all possible.

'Packet writing'? Does this just refer to the CD-RW disks or CD's in general?
Thanks you all for your input. Since I wrote the post I have 'done a Google' on the issue and the consensus appears to confirm the view that CD-RW is thoroughly unreliable. I trust this does not apply to single burn CD's (CD-R).
Zbig

It sounds like the new Pioneer A05 allows you to write to a DVD-R, then reopen it and write more (not erase, just add). I should be getting one tomorrow, so I'll be looking forward to testing that for backup of files.

I'm not sure what you have been reading, but CD-RW's are as reliable as CD-R's when it comes to using them for data storage - or CD Audio creation.

What it sounds like you are trying to do is use the CD (or in this case CDRW) as a supplimental drive. In theory there is a way you can write to the CD as if it were your HD and go back to it blah blah blah. Yes, you can do that with a CDR too...except you can't erase it.

The problem is - and has always been - DirectCD (which some apps call it) it pure crap.

I don't use it - I don't suggest people use it.

If you want to use your CD-RWs and your burner in the way that make sense....use it to back up your data ... burn a sesson or two or three or twenty on it and call it a day. Then, when you want to erase the disc and start over- copy your data back to your HD and erase the disc and start over.

The insane notion that people are going to get something useful out of having a write toable disc that is 700 mb is utterly mad. Then, of course, if you did get it to work - you probably will not get it to work when you go to give the disk to someone else (unless they have a CD burner and the DirectCD software installed and tied their left shoe first and got a full eight hours of sleep.

I have been home burning discs ever since home burning discs came to the home. I have never had a problem with CDR's or CDRWs using them to do a straight burn session - or even multiple sessions (well, except for the occasional buffer under run and when I ran my initial tests using DirectCD).

Your discs and burner are fine. Jus skip the "InCD" junk and you should be good to go.

kameronj
Thanks for the advice. I gained the impression that you could use a CD-RW just like you use a standard 3.5" floppy - that is copy files sequentially 'till it was full. That impression was aided and abetted by the InCD wizard which quite clearly has a button called FORMAT and then a message below it which says "Use your CD like a floppy disk".

I've decided to go the CD-R route and simply do backups onto a new CD each time. This always appeared to me to be wasteful since I often want to copy of a small file, say 5MB, and I saved it to a CD-R disk and the rest of the 695MB spare space on the disk would simply go to waste.

I don't understand your sentence "use it to back up your data ... burn a sesson or two or three or twenty on it and call it a day." That is precisely what I want to do but everytime I try to burn (add files to) a not-full CD-R or CD-RW a second time I get told it is full. I must say I have always done this using drag and drop in WindowsXP. Maybe I need to try using Nero.

looks like I need to experiment a bit more with the burning process.
Thanks again
Zbig

If it helps...

"I gained the impression that you could use a CD-RW just like you use a standard 3.5" floppy"

In theory you can, and the new Roxio software *allegedly* gets rid of a lot of the prob. earlier prog &/or versions caused to the rest of windows software. If you do go this route however, try and get decent, hi speed CDRW blanks -> not always easy.

"but everytime I try to burn (add files to) a not-full CD-R or CD-RW a second time I get told it is full."

When you write to a CD or CDRW blank, you have an option to end the session or end the CD - if you finalise/end the CD, no further writing can be done to it, so generally this is reserved for audio CDs and such. If you just finalise the session, you can add to it until the CD runs out of room, with a few restrictions...

You should set your software to automatically import the previous session if you don't want to re-write those files, and you still want them - otherwise you'll either write just the new stuff, or, you'll have to manually import the data to be burned for a 2nd time.

When the CD is burned, the table of contents points to the old stuff as well as the new, when you import the old session, and this takes up extra room -> you may run out of room on the CD sooner then you thought, may only be able to add 100 meg when you thought you could do 133 for example.

Nero's good, I think Roxio's OK, and there's a host of less well know apps out there.