Nero question

[Colonel Sanders]

I want to be able to use my CD-RWs more as a floppy, meaning being able to write data to the CD-RW through say Windows Explorer.

If I'm not mistaken, to be able to do this with a CD-RW, you first have to format the disk. I cant find any such options in Nero, and I apparently need to do something to my CD-RWs before I can use them the way I want to use them. Any suggestions?

TIA, L J

[glc]

If you have a registered version of Nero, you can download InCD, this is the formatter. Roxio's formatter is DirectCD and NTI's is FileCD.

OEM and retail qualify as "registered" - but it won't install if all it sees is the trial version.

[morriswindgate]

All the include versions of Nero that comes with the CD-RW drive have INCD on them or at least all of the drives I bought did.

[RJ]

Also, in InCD, go into properties and check that "Format disc as CD-MRW" is checked, then InCD will use the Mount Rainier standard, which is better than the precedessor packet writing.

RJ

[glc]

That assumes you have a MRW capable drive. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this require WinXP?

[RJ]

If I remember right LiteOn's 32x burner was the first Mount Rainier capable drive from that company, but a newer firmware was necessary as MRW wasn't included in the first firmwares.
InCD won't give you the checkbox "format as CD-MRW" if the drive is not MRW capable.

No Mount Rainier doesn't require XP, it only requires a MRW capable CD-burner and a software that supports MRW as MRW is not yet natively included in any Windows version.

I once tested MRW a little bit on a LiteOn 40x burner with Windows 98 and Windows XP and it worked well. Only bug I found was that button eject didn't work in WinXP, but a couple weeks ago I installed a LiteOn 48x drive in a friend's computer with WinXP and the version of InCD that was bundled didn't have the button bug anymore so they fixed it.

RJ

[TwoRails]

Originally posted by RJ Also, in InCD, go into properties and check that "Format disc as CD-MRW" is checked, then InCD will use the Mount Rainier standard, which is better than the precedessor packet writing. RJ

Doesn't that severly limit compatibility? I use CD RWs a lot for the old "sneaker net." I would still want to be able to take a RW to any machine and be able to see / use the info I put on it.

[RJ]

Well you would need to install a MountRainier reading filter on the target PC, that's all.
It's the same with packet writing, just with the difference that packet writing is older hence it already has been included in WinXP (dunno about Win2K and ME) whereas MRW has not.
On older systems (Win98 etc.) you need to install one of them anyway.

RJ

[TwoRails]

Thanks, RJ (have seen ya around much lately... been on vacation?)

[RJ]

Well, I've returned to home 2 weeks ago, and well, my internet connection was already waiting for me Theorie classes are finished, that's why I'm at home again and will be here for the next 7 weeks.

Also what I need to add to my previous post: PCs that have an application like InCD running don't need the Mount Rainier reading filter as they already have InCD (or similar) which can handle MRW.
M$ and Apple want to include native MRW support to their next OS, M$ also said they're gonna include MRW into WinXP (maybe with SP2?). Sadly Win2K SP4 has no MRW support.
So far MRW is natively supported only by Linux (dunno remember the exact Kernel version, though).

About packet writing including in XP, I need to add that it's only the natively read support, not write support. UDF formatted CDs can be read natively by XP, but for writing you need a third party tool as well.

RJ