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#1
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Burning CD's is a HUGE HASSLE
What ever happened to the good old days where all that was needed was
a simple floppy disk, and files could be dragged and dropped from Windows, or use the "copy command" from dos. After not even owning a CD player for years, I just bought an external Iomega ZipCD player and recorder, connected to my USB port. After a little hassle getting the drivers installed, it works fine, and I was able to install a few CD's that have been sitting on the shelf for the last several years. On the other hand, I have never burned a CD or DVD or anything. This drive came with Iomega Hot Burn Pro. I have played with it, but have not yet purchased any blanks. One thing I am not sure whether to get the Write once or Multi-write ones. Worse yet, which are which. In the store they had R and RW. What do these letters mean? I thought that R meant READ and RW meant READ-WRITE. But what good is a blank CD that is only readable? The Walmart clerk did not know what I was talking about (typical Walmart idiot), so I left the store not buying any discs because I did not know what to buy. Then, when I finally do get the disks, what do I do next? The software has the following options to select. Music Disc Data Disc MP3/WMA Disc Disc Copy CD Label MP3's are music, so why is there both a "music disc" and a "MP3/WMA" option? I am sure the Data Disc is for backups and saving files off the hard drive. And I know that CD Label makes labels (which my laser printer would unlikely be able to make. Then I started to select a bunch of MP3 files on my harddrive and it told me that they will not all fit. Well, DUH..... Why does it not tell me where to stop, assuming I will need several discs? Do I need to manually copy the files to a special directory until I know I have no more than 700 megs (or is it 650, since several websites do not agree and list 650 on some and 700 on other sites for the max capacity). Then it says that MP3's can not be played on a standard CD player on a stereo. What's the point of putting them on a CD if they wont play (other than as a backup). On to the Data Disc. Am I going to have to manually select files till I reach the 650 or 700 meg limit? I dont see any option to have it just tell me to insert another disc when one is full. I spent half a day reading help files and websites, and this seems to be the most complicated thing any computer can do. Like I said, what ever happened to the good old days of floppies. Just copy the files and the job is done. It looks like with CD's there are hours if not days of preparation required before making each and every CD. Now I know why I never wanted to own one of these cd burners. I'm seriously thinking that although it will cost more, I may be better off just buying a pile of those memory sticks for backing up my computer, and forgetting the CD burning. At least I got a CD player now. By the way, if I ever do get this thing to work, how can I label them with a pen or something like that? I dont have the printer to make labels and it all seems like too much hassle anyhow. But they do need some soft of label, even just numbering them would help. I have at least a dozen CDs that other people made for them, and none have labels, so I got to install them one by one to see what is on them. Either I'm too old for this, or I just dont understand any of it. By the way I'm runing 98SE. Jim |
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Burning CD's is a HUGE HASSLE
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#3
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Burning CD's is a HUGE HASSLE
wrote in message ... | What ever happened to the good old days where all that was needed was | a simple floppy disk, and files could be dragged and dropped from | Windows, or use the "copy command" from dos. | | After not even owning a CD player for years, I just bought an external | Iomega ZipCD player and recorder, connected to my USB port. After a | little hassle getting the drivers installed, it works fine, and I was | able to install a few CD's that have been sitting on the shelf for the | last several years. So at least that was useful, eh.. | | On the other hand, I have never burned a CD or DVD or anything. This | drive came with Iomega Hot Burn Pro. I have played with it, but have | not yet purchased any blanks. One thing I am not sure whether to get | the Write once or Multi-write ones. Worse yet, which are which. In | the store they had R and RW. What do these letters mean? I thought | that R meant READ and RW meant READ-WRITE. But what good is a blank | CD that is only readable? The Walmart clerk did not know what I was | talking about (typical Walmart idiot), so I left the store not buying | any discs because I did not know what to buy. CDR - write once CDRW - write more than once - deletable/re-writable Most people use CDR, due to the present low cost. | | Then, when I finally do get the disks, what do I do next? | | The software has the following options to select. | Music Disc | Data Disc | MP3/WMA Disc | Disc Copy | CD Label | | MP3's are music, so why is there both a "music disc" and a "MP3/WMA" | option? Different sound formats, different storage techniques ... | | I am sure the Data Disc is for backups and saving files off the hard | drive. And I know that CD Label makes labels (which my laser printer | would unlikely be able to make. Actually it probably would. The Label Maker program would be controlling the printer.. | | Then I started to select a bunch of MP3 files on my harddrive and it | told me that they will not all fit. Well, DUH..... Why does it not | tell me where to stop, assuming I will need several discs? It should have if you were using the burner program... you weren't trying this in Explorer were you? That type of copying would generally take a packet writer/driver.. | | Do I need to manually copy the files to a special directory until I | know I have no more than 700 megs (or is it 650, since several | websites do not agree and list 650 on some and 700 on other sites for | the max capacity). Not sure about your particular program, but again, it should have something in the BURNING program which indicates how many and what files, and their total amount. 650 is the *norm*, overburning can allow more than that for data CDs, leadin and leadout, and directory entries all take up some space.. Music CD burning is based upon minutes, though that coverts to size at approximately 700 to 800. There is some overhead involved depending upon the format used, so that's part of the variable... | | Then it says that MP3's can not be played on a standard CD player on a | stereo. What's the point of putting them on a CD if they wont play | (other than as a backup). Some DVD/CDROM home players support MP3 as do some car stereo systems, and some home stereos. However, they general state such support somewhere [label or manual]. The key word was *standard*, though in today's world MP3s are pretty standard, so most players generally have that support ... | | On to the Data Disc. | Am I going to have to manually select files till I reach the 650 or | 700 meg limit? I dont see any option to have it just tell me to | insert another disc when one is full. Manual backups, or just burning a few files will require you to limit the total. You can burn just a few or burn a full disk, but each will be limited to the blank's capacity. Again, the software program should have a bar or some other indication showing the amount presently *qued* for burning. If the software includes a BACKUP program, then it will likely ask for another disk when full. | | I spent half a day reading help files and websites, and this seems to | be the most complicated thing any computer can do. Like I said, what | ever happened to the good old days of floppies. Just copy the files | and the job is done. It looks like with CD's there are hours if not | days of preparation required before making each and every CD. Nah, just seems that way,,, try to remember the first time you used a floppy,, how many times did you screw-up... CDR disks are relatively inexpensive, so purchase some and play around till you get the feel for the software and how its done. | | Now I know why I never wanted to own one of these cd burners. | | I'm seriously thinking that although it will cost more, I may be | better off just buying a pile of those memory sticks for backing up my | computer, and forgetting the CD burning. At least I got a CD player | now. Not a good idea,, as with any device based upon a chip, some degradation may occur over time. They're good for temporary storage, but not recommended for long term. You're not likely to be able to continually supply an electro-magnetic free environment in your own home. CDROM's [or DVD style] can also decay to some extent over long periods, and certainly can be damaged, but for the cost per disk they can't presently be beat for long term occassional use permanent storage. | | By the way, if I ever do get this thing to work, how can I label them | with a pen or something like that? I dont have the printer to make | labels and it all seems like too much hassle anyhow. But they do need | some soft of label, even just numbering them would help. I have at | least a dozen CDs that other people made for them, and none have | labels, so I got to install them one by one to see what is on them. You can use a regular "magic" marker or paint pen to label them [on the label side]. Make sure you do NOT scratch the surface trying to use a pencil or pen... To view the disks: Just put the CD in the drive and look at it from Explorer... | | Either I'm too old for this, or I just dont understand any of it. | | By the way I'm runing 98SE. | | Jim | Hey, we all went through the learning curve,,, you should have been here when CDROM devices first came out, not fun or cheap at all ... -- MEB http://peoplescounsel.orgfree.com ________ |
#4
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Burning CD's is a HUGE HASSLE
On Sun, 25 Nov 2007 22:29:08 -0700, "Bill in Co."
wrote: wrote: What ever happened to the good old days where all that was needed was a simple floppy disk, and files could be dragged and dropped from Windows, or use the "copy command" from dos. Those days are LONG gone. After not even owning a CD player for years, I just bought an external Iomega ZipCD player and recorder, connected to my USB port. After a little hassle getting the drivers installed, it works fine, and I was able to install a few CD's that have been sitting on the shelf for the last several years. On the other hand, I have never burned a CD or DVD or anything. This drive came with Iomega Hot Burn Pro. I have played with it, but have not yet purchased any blanks. One thing I am not sure whether to get the Write once or Multi-write ones. Worse yet, which are which. In the store they had R and RW. What do these letters mean? I thought that R meant READ and RW meant READ-WRITE. But what good is a blank CD that is only readable? The Walmart clerk did not know what I was talking about (typical Walmart idiot), so I left the store not buying any discs because I did not know what to buy. Then, when I finally do get the disks, what do I do next? The software has the following options to select. Music Disc Data Disc MP3/WMA Disc Disc Copy CD Label MP3's are music, so why is there both a "music disc" and a "MP3/WMA" option? Just two different formats. Keep researching it. I am sure the Data Disc is for backups and saving files off the hard drive. And I know that CD Label makes labels (which my laser printer would unlikely be able to make. Then I started to select a bunch of MP3 files on my harddrive and it told me that they will not all fit. Well, DUH..... Why does it not tell me where to stop, assuming I will need several discs? Do I need to manually copy the files to a special directory until I know I have no more than 700 megs (or is it 650, since several websites do not agree and list 650 on some and 700 on other sites for the max capacity). Then it says that MP3's can not be played on a standard CD player on a stereo. What's the point of putting them on a CD if they wont play (other than as a backup). I spent half a day reading help files and websites, and this seems to be the most complicated thing any computer can do. A half day isn't really long enough to get into this stuff with all the questions you have. It will take more research than that. Also, you might try the (more appropriate_ windows multimedia newsgroups, when you get to a specific question or two. Thank You You just answered my question by not answering anything. I can see now this is far too complicated to answer, and thus means it's too complicated for someone as old as me. I already wasted too much time on this nonsense. Just like everything these days, the mindset of the young generation is to make everything as complicated, costly, and difficult as possible. I was raised with the "KISS" theory (Keep It Simple Stupid). I'll just use memory sticks to backup and forget the CD burning. At least I got a CD player now. Those memory sticks are one of the few advances for computers in the last 10 years that are worth anything. I'll stick with Win98 and Dos programs and leave the rest of the world suffer with all the bloated garbage they sell these days. In my opinion, the older the software the better it is. |
#5
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Burning CD's is a HUGE HASSLE
"Bill in Co." wrote in
: wrote: What ever happened to the good old days where all that was needed was a simple floppy disk, and files could be dragged and dropped from Windows, or use the "copy command" from dos. Those days are LONG gone. Maybe for most people, but I would NEVER own a computer without a floppy drive. And the list of people buying external USB floppy drives for 10 times what an internal one costs is growing... |
#6
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Burning CD's is a HUGE HASSLE
wrote in
: SNIP Just like everything these days, the mindset of the young generation is to make everything as complicated, costly, and difficult as possible. I was raised with the "KISS" theory (Keep It Simple Stupid). I'll just use memory sticks to backup and forget the CD burning. At least I got a CD player now. Those memory sticks are one of the few advances for computers in the last 10 years that are worth anything. I'll stick with Win98 and Dos programs and leave the rest of the world suffer with all the bloated garbage they sell these days. In my opinion, the older the software the better it is. I'll be honest, I didn't read ALL of your OP, because it was quite long, but I know exactly what you're talking about and I agree with you, and I feel your pain. Here's what you do: Go to: www.cdrfaq.org and download the whole thing as a zip file (this option is near the start of the page), and unzip it into a nice new directory on your machine. Read about what seems most baffling to start with. Read more if you want. It has everything but VERY well organized. Don't bother with stuff like multisession, "Rainier", proprietary software (like the one that came with your drive) etc. Goes against what we both believe. Since you had enough money to buy an external CD burner, I'm sure you can spend 35 bucks to get the best software there is, from www.goldenhawk.com Uninstall the Iomega stuff and forget everything about it. Buy TDK CD-R's in spindle packs of 50 or 100 for write once, buy the most expensive you can find, made-in-Japan if possible, CD- RW's for "write, erase, write again a bunch of times". "They" claim up to a 1000 times but about 100-200 is most I've gotten IIRC. Generally CD-RW's are a waste of time since they cost considerably more than CD-R's (which cost about a quarter) and are less reliable. I just use CD-RW's to transfer stuff from one computer to another, and when a disc dies, I just get a new one. I've gone through about 5 in 3 years. Always make an ISO file on a defragmented partition and then burn that. Burn at lower speeds. 4x, 8x, MAYBE 12x. What's the rush? Good luck. |
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Burning CD's is a HUGE HASSLE
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#8
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Burning CD's is a HUGE HASSLE
Your frustration is clouding your common sense.
The good old days are still with us - you can install a floppy drive in the machine and drag and drop files to it or use the copy command from DOS just like you always did.. Nothing has changed, except perhaps that you are now finding that the floppy isn't quite big enough for you. Did you check what the documentation supplied with the drive said about the correct blank disk to purchase? You have many more choices than just R or RW, and you will need to consult the manual. And if you need advice from a sales assistant, don't shop at Walmart. I don't know how you expected the software to tell you when to stop selecting files when you did not have a blank disk inserted in the drive - I think it would be very magic software that knew what type of disk you intended to buy. I suspect that if you buy a blank disk and insert it in the drive you may find there's a wizard that will start by telling you how much space you have available, and then guide you through the steps depending on what it is your are trying to copy to the disk - at least that's how other brands of CD writing software work (and if your software doesn't do that for you, perhaps you purchased the wrong product). Take a deep breath, do a little bit of reading, find a sales assistant in a store that knows what they are talking about, get some blank disks, and start experimenting. And while doing all that, keep in mind the degree of puzzlement you experienced when your first turned your own computer on many years ago, and just how much your knowledge has grown since that day. -- Jeff Richards MS MVP (Windows - Shell/User) wrote in message ... What ever happened to the good old days where all that was needed was a simple floppy disk, and files could be dragged and dropped from Windows, or use the "copy command" from dos. After not even owning a CD player for years, I just bought an external Iomega ZipCD player and recorder, connected to my USB port. After a little hassle getting the drivers installed, it works fine, and I was able to install a few CD's that have been sitting on the shelf for the last several years. On the other hand, I have never burned a CD or DVD or anything. This drive came with Iomega Hot Burn Pro. I have played with it, but have not yet purchased any blanks. One thing I am not sure whether to get the Write once or Multi-write ones. Worse yet, which are which. In the store they had R and RW. What do these letters mean? I thought that R meant READ and RW meant READ-WRITE. But what good is a blank CD that is only readable? The Walmart clerk did not know what I was talking about (typical Walmart idiot), so I left the store not buying any discs because I did not know what to buy. Then, when I finally do get the disks, what do I do next? The software has the following options to select. Music Disc Data Disc MP3/WMA Disc Disc Copy CD Label MP3's are music, so why is there both a "music disc" and a "MP3/WMA" option? I am sure the Data Disc is for backups and saving files off the hard drive. And I know that CD Label makes labels (which my laser printer would unlikely be able to make. Then I started to select a bunch of MP3 files on my harddrive and it told me that they will not all fit. Well, DUH..... Why does it not tell me where to stop, assuming I will need several discs? Do I need to manually copy the files to a special directory until I know I have no more than 700 megs (or is it 650, since several websites do not agree and list 650 on some and 700 on other sites for the max capacity). Then it says that MP3's can not be played on a standard CD player on a stereo. What's the point of putting them on a CD if they wont play (other than as a backup). On to the Data Disc. Am I going to have to manually select files till I reach the 650 or 700 meg limit? I dont see any option to have it just tell me to insert another disc when one is full. I spent half a day reading help files and websites, and this seems to be the most complicated thing any computer can do. Like I said, what ever happened to the good old days of floppies. Just copy the files and the job is done. It looks like with CD's there are hours if not days of preparation required before making each and every CD. Now I know why I never wanted to own one of these cd burners. I'm seriously thinking that although it will cost more, I may be better off just buying a pile of those memory sticks for backing up my computer, and forgetting the CD burning. At least I got a CD player now. By the way, if I ever do get this thing to work, how can I label them with a pen or something like that? I dont have the printer to make labels and it all seems like too much hassle anyhow. But they do need some soft of label, even just numbering them would help. I have at least a dozen CDs that other people made for them, and none have labels, so I got to install them one by one to see what is on them. Either I'm too old for this, or I just dont understand any of it. By the way I'm runing 98SE. Jim |
#9
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Burning CD's is a HUGE HASSLE
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