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equivalent of Roxio DirectCD?

M

Maurice

Flightless Bird
Hello:

is there any free equivalent to the Roxio direct CD, that can format a
rewritable CD to be like a floppy or a USB flash, so we can copy and delete
files with window explorer without the need of a burning software?

thanks
Maurice
 
S

Shenan Stanley

Flightless Bird
Maurice wrote:
> is there any free equivalent to the Roxio direct CD, that can
> format a rewritable CD to be like a floppy or a USB flash, so we
> can copy and delete files with window explorer without the need of
> a burning software?

I personally cannot see any reason to use CD/DVDs in that manner (financial
or otherwise) today. USB sticks/memory cards/etc are very inexpensive,
smaller in physical size, etc.

But help yourself in any future Google searches by knowing what it is
called:
http://www.cdrfaq.org/faq06.html#S6-3

and such.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
 
A

ArameFarpado

Flightless Bird
Em Sábado 27 Fevereiro 2010 17:11, Maurice escreveu:

> Hello:
>
> is there any free equivalent to the Roxio direct CD, that can format a
> rewritable CD to be like a floppy or a USB flash, so we can copy and
> delete files with window explorer without the need of a burning software?
>
> thanks
> Maurice

CDRW has a limited time they can be re-writed, with that process (UDF
filesystem) everytime you write a file to it, the index tables are re-writen
and over a while it damages the area where the index tables are located,
living you with a corrupted filesystem.

forget it, that method is not reliable at all.
 
T

Twayne

Flightless Bird
In news:hmbno7$lb0$1@news.eternal-september.org,
ArameFarpado <a-farpado.spam@netcabo.pt> typed:
> Em Sábado 27 Fevereiro 2010 17:11, Maurice escreveu:
>
>> Hello:
>>
>> is there any free equivalent to the Roxio direct CD, that can format
>> a rewritable CD to be like a floppy or a USB flash, so we can copy
>> and delete files with window explorer without the need of a burning
>> software?
>>
>> thanks
>> Maurice
>
> CDRW has a limited time they can be re-writed, with that process (UDF
> filesystem) everytime you write a file to it, the index tables are
> re-writen and over a while it damages the area where the index tables
> are located, living you with a corrupted filesystem.
>
> forget it, that method is not reliable at all.

You're wrong. And besides, you responded to a question the OP never asked.

Twayne


--
--
Life is the only real counselor; wisdom unfiltered
through personal experience does not become a
part of the moral tissue.
 
E

Etaoin Shrdlu

Flightless Bird
On 2/27/2010 11:11 AM, Maurice wrote:
> Hello:
>
> is there any free equivalent to the Roxio direct CD, that can format a
> rewritable CD to be like a floppy or a USB flash, so we can copy and delete
> files with window explorer without the need of a burning software?
>
> thanks
> Maurice
>
>
Have a look here: http://www.argentuma.com/backup/software/dla.html

Keep in mind that packet-writing is a way of forcing recordable media to
do things they weren't designed to do, and as such you should be willing
to accept the potential for data loss as part of the bargain.
 
E

EN59CVH

Flightless Bird
See if this link helps in any way:

<http://www.nero.com/enu/tools-utilities.html>

You want InCD Reader 5 tab.

hth


Maurice wrote:
>
> Hello:
>
> is there any free equivalent to the Roxio direct CD, that can format a
> rewritable CD to be like a floppy or a USB flash, so we can copy and delete
> files with window explorer without the need of a burning software?
>
> thanks
> Maurice
 
U

Unknown

Flightless Bird
Where did you get that information? Or is it emotional talk?
"ArameFarpado" <a-farpado.spam@netcabo.pt> wrote in message
news:hmbno7$lb0$1@news.eternal-september.org...
> Em Sábado 27 Fevereiro 2010 17:11, Maurice escreveu:
>
>> Hello:
>>
>> is there any free equivalent to the Roxio direct CD, that can format a
>> rewritable CD to be like a floppy or a USB flash, so we can copy and
>> delete files with window explorer without the need of a burning software?
>>
>> thanks
>> Maurice
>
> CDRW has a limited time they can be re-writed, with that process (UDF
> filesystem) everytime you write a file to it, the index tables are
> re-writen
> and over a while it damages the area where the index tables are located,
> living you with a corrupted filesystem.
>
> forget it, that method is not reliable at all.
>
>
 
S

Shenan Stanley

Flightless Bird
Maurice wrote:
> is there any free equivalent to the Roxio direct CD, that can
> format a rewritable CD to be like a floppy or a USB flash, so we
> can copy and delete files with window explorer without the need of
> a burning software?

ArameFarpado wrote:
> CDRW has a limited time they can be re-writed, with that process
> (UDF filesystem) everytime you write a file to it, the index tables
> are re-writen and over a while it damages the area where the index
> tables are located, living you with a corrupted filesystem.
>
> forget it, that method is not reliable at all.

Unknown wrote:
> Where did you get that information? Or is it emotional talk?

http://www.cdrfaq.org/
Specifically:
http://www.cdrfaq.org/faq07.html#S7-5
"CD-RWs are expected to last about 25 years under ideal conditions (i.e. you
write it once and then leave it alone). Repeated rewrites will accelerate
this. In general, CD-RW media isn't recommended for long-term backups or
archives of valuable data."

http://www.osta.org/technology/cdqa13.htm
"Historically, manufacturers have claimed life-spans ranging from 50 to 200
years for CD-R discs and 20 to 100 years for CD-RW." (Notice even the
manufacturer's start out in a much lower expected life-range for CD-RW
media.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD-RW

http://www.infinadyne.com/data_safekeeping.html
"While only limited studies of CD-RW longevity have been done, it is
generally assumed that CD-R media will retain recorded information longer
than CD-RW media. The information that is available indicates that the
difference is only significant after 3 to 5 years. So, if the data you are
recording is important to have in 10 years it is probably better on CD-R
rather than CD-RW. However, if the data has no value after two years it
doesn’t matter what media is used."

http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/opticalmedialongevity.html


So while the totality of the response might be over done at best - and the
explanation not entirely accurate - I would venture to say that for most
people *I* would not recommend using CD-RWs for long-term backups and their
usefulness (if for no other reason than their small capacity in comparison
to inexpensive USB memory sticks/memory cards/etc) is limited. Some other
re-writable media would probably serve the purpose better, faster, be more
easily transferrable between systems, etc.

Not saying that there might not be a place where CD/DVD -RW media wouldn't
be ideal - but without specifics from the OP - I would feel like I wasn't
'helping' without pointing out that I have seen very few cases where CD-RWs
were a better choice than a bunch of 1GB thumb drives. ;-)

But again - if the OP wants some keywords to focus on, alternative products
to the one they mentioned, better explanation of it all - the links above
combines with the one I originally gave:

http://www.cdrfaq.org/faq06.html#S6-3

Will give them all that and more.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
 
A

ArameFarpado

Flightless Bird
Em Sábado 27 Fevereiro 2010 21:03, Unknown escreveu:

>
> Where did you get that information?
Personal experience using CDRW in UDF since Win 3.1

> Or is it emotional talk?
Do you have more stupid questions or what?
 
U

Unknown

Flightless Bird
So it is emotional. Because you and nobody else has a problem it is
unreliable?.
"ArameFarpado" <a-farpado.spam@netcabo.pt> wrote in message
news:hmc56v$4ug$2@news.eternal-september.org...
> Em Sábado 27 Fevereiro 2010 21:03, Unknown escreveu:
>
>>
>> Where did you get that information?
> Personal experience using CDRW in UDF since Win 3.1
>
>> Or is it emotional talk?
> Do you have more stupid questions or what?
>
>
 
A

ArameFarpado

Flightless Bird
Em Sábado 27 Fevereiro 2010 22:36, Unknown escreveu:

> So it is emotional. Because you and nobody else has a problem it is
> unreliable?.
Lots of people had problems with udf cd's... i lost files with many hours of
work on one of those cds because i used to trust them...
this method of dealing with cdrw is much older than you think, and i and
many other user had our share of problems with these cds... it's filesystem
corrupts very easy when you start to use them as the op stated, like
amovible hard-disks or floppys

But of course, if you don't even know what i'm saying, you can't have
problems with something you never even seen.

On the other hand, i know very well what i'm talking about:
in the old days when my PC had just 640MB of hard disk, those cd's looked
like a great solution for me.. that was until i crash on my face.


> "ArameFarpado" <a-farpado.spam@netcabo.pt> wrote in message
> news:hmc56v$4ug$2@news.eternal-september.org...
>> Em S�bado 27 Fevereiro 2010 21:03, Unknown escreveu:
>>
>>>
>>> Where did you get that information?
>> Personal experience using CDRW in UDF since Win 3.1
>>
>>> Or is it emotional talk?
>> Do you have more stupid questions or what?
>>
>>
 
S

Shenan Stanley

Flightless Bird
Maurice wrote:
> is there any free equivalent to the Roxio direct CD, that can
> format a rewritable CD to be like a floppy or a USB flash, so we
> can copy and delete files with window explorer without the need of
> a burning software?

ArameFarpado wrote:
> CDRW has a limited time they can be re-writed, with that process
> (UDF filesystem) everytime you write a file to it, the index tables
> are re-writen and over a while it damages the area where the index
> tables are located, living you with a corrupted filesystem.
>
> forget it, that method is not reliable at all.

Unknown wrote:
> Where did you get that information? Or is it emotional talk?

ArameFarpado wrote:
> Personal experience using CDRW in UDF since Win 3.1
>
> Do you have more stupid questions or what?

Unknown wrote:
> So it is emotional. Because you and nobody else has a problem it is
> unreliable?

ArameFarpado wrote:
> Lots of people had problems with udf cd's... i lost files with many
> hours of work on one of those cds because i used to trust them...
> this method of dealing with cdrw is much older than you think, and
> i and many other user had our share of problems with these cds...
> it's filesystem corrupts very easy when you start to use them as
> the op stated, like amovible hard-disks or floppys
>
> But of course, if you don't even know what i'm saying, you can't
> have problems with something you never even seen.
>
> On the other hand, i know very well what i'm talking about:
> in the old days when my PC had just 640MB of hard disk, those cd's
> looked like a great solution for me.. that was until i crash on my
> face.

I used CDs a lot. Never thought using a CD-RW was a great idea - as the
concept seemed flawed from the start. I'd rather waste the CD-R and just
have several copies. Safer, wiser.

As for the comments - "Unknown" was correct. Your response was an emotional
one. No matter how bad your experience was - I know others who still, to
this day, use -RW media of one sort or another and have had few if any
issues. It all comes down to quality of the media and how/where it is
actually used. Those with the success seldom change machines, do have other
backups and buy the best media of brands they have learned to trust over
years.

If it was more than 'emotional' in nature, if it was logical, thought out
experiences which you could have conveyed - then why when you were asked to
do so you instead attacked the person asking?

As for knowing what you are talking about - just because something did not
work 'in the past' does not mean it does not work 'in the present'... Flown
anywhere lately? Driven/been driven anywhere? Viewed any web pages? Sent
any emails? Done any calculations that would take you hours on paper in
minutes on a computer? Times and what can/cannot be done properly change
over time. ;-)

I remember trying to get 'gold' CD-Rs and the 1X burning speed and how cool
it was to be able to save things like that and get it off my very small hard
drive. 486-50MHz machines were *fast* and had a lot more space than the
20MB hard disk drive I ran a BBS system (14.4/28.8) off of on a Commodore
64. Dozens of games would fit on a single floppy diskette - literally a
*floppy* diskette - not the 1.44MB not-so-floppy diskettes.

Times change. Storage changed with it. Just because it *was* unreliable
does not equate to it still being unreliable and with the Internet at
everyone's fingertips - if something is unreliable - word of it is spread
far and wide for everyone to see VERY quickly. A non-emotional response
would have been one where such links to such experiences were given -
because seldom do the wise people of this world investigating things they
know little about take the word of a single individual they have never met.
;-)

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
 
T

Twayne

Flightless Bird
In news:4b897c9f$0$11025$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com,
Etaoin Shrdlu <etaoin@shrdlu.net> typed:
> On 2/27/2010 11:11 AM, Maurice wrote:
>> Hello:
>>
>> is there any free equivalent to the Roxio direct CD, that can format
>> a rewritable CD to be like a floppy or a USB flash, so we can copy
>> and delete files with window explorer without the need of a burning
>> software? thanks
>> Maurice
>>
>>
> Have a look here: http://www.argentuma.com/backup/software/dla.html
>
> Keep in mind that packet-writing is a way of forcing recordable media
> to do things they weren't designed to do, and as such you should be
> willing to accept the potential for data loss as part of the bargain.

Nah, not at all. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_writing for a
decent explanation of packet writing. A write is a write is a write is a ...
.. It simply makes session type writing easier to do.

Twayne
--
--
Life is the only real counselor; wisdom unfiltered
through personal experience does not become a
part of the moral tissue.
 
J

John John - MVP

Flightless Bird
Twayne wrote:
> In news:4b897c9f$0$11025$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com,
> Etaoin Shrdlu <etaoin@shrdlu.net> typed:
>> On 2/27/2010 11:11 AM, Maurice wrote:
>>> Hello:
>>>
>>> is there any free equivalent to the Roxio direct CD, that can format
>>> a rewritable CD to be like a floppy or a USB flash, so we can copy
>>> and delete files with window explorer without the need of a burning
>>> software? thanks
>>> Maurice
>>>
>>>
>> Have a look here: http://www.argentuma.com/backup/software/dla.html
>>
>> Keep in mind that packet-writing is a way of forcing recordable media
>> to do things they weren't designed to do, and as such you should be
>> willing to accept the potential for data loss as part of the bargain.
>
> Nah, not at all. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_writing for a
> decent explanation of packet writing. A write is a write is a write is a
> ... . It simply makes session type writing easier to do.

....and it makes it easier to lose your data. Usually you only find out
that your 'packet written' data is lost when you really need it the most.

Packet written CDs can hardly only be guaranteed to be readable on the
same hardware that they were created on, so good luck if that old CD
writer of yours packs it in and your new reader can't read the CD. Try
finding an old writer of the same make and model number and you will see
what kind of problems packet writing can cause. CD writers are often
obsolete a year or less after they are introduced. Saving your precious
files with packet writing might bring nasty surprises when you try to
read and restore the data with new hardware!

John
 
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