On the PC, DOS and all versions of Windows (from 3.1) work just fine.

On the Macintosh, you should use System 7.x or later.

UNIX variants, such as FreeBSD and Linux, work, but can be more difficult
to use for neophytes.  The support in recent versions of Linux is pretty
good.


Subject: [6-1] Which software should I use?
(2002/01/04)

Generally speaking, you get what you pay for: the more expensive software
has more features.  However, this isn't always the case, and the software
with more features isn't necessarily more useful or more reliable.

There's little standardization among CD-R drive manufacturers, so not
all devices are supported by all programs.  This has changed somewhat
with the development of the MMC specification, but deviations from the
standard are not uncommon.

On the PC, if you're new to CD-R, start with Ahead's Nero (6-1-28) or
Roxio's Easy CD Creator Deluxe (6-1-26).  If you just want to "back up"
CD-ROMs try CloneCD, and if you want good "backups" and lots of flexbility
when creating audio CDs go with CDRWIN.  If you want to write to a disc as
if it were a floppy, try Roxio's DirectCD (included with ECDC; see section
(6-4-1)) or Nero InCD (6-4-7).

On the Mac, go with Toast (6-1-4) or Discribe (6-1-29).

UNIX users probably ought to start with cdrecord (6-1-20) or CDRDAO
(6-1-47).

Most of the software listed below is for PC running Windows.  Use the
search feature of your newsreader or web browser to look for "Mac" or
"Linux" if that's what you're interested in.


Subject: [6-1-1] Adaptec - Easy-CD, Easy-CD Pro, and Easy-CD Pro MM ("ECD")
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT)

[ These have been superseded by Easy CD Creator Deluxe (6-1-26). ]

The software was developed by a company called Incat, which was purchased
by Adaptec in 1995.

Easy-CD Pro 95 v1.2 seems to have trouble writing umlauts and other
non-ASCII characters in Joliet mode.  Romeo format will work, but the files
will only be accessible from Windows.


Subject: [6-1-2] Adaptec - CD-Creator ("CDC")
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT3.x)

[ This has been superseded by Easy CD Creator Deluxe (6-1-26). ]

The software was developed by Corel, and published by them until it was
purchased by Adaptec in mid-1996.  It was combined with Easy-CD Pro to
form Easy CD Creator.

The package includes drivers that allow several popular CD-R drives to
be used as general-purpose CD readers under Win95.  It can also create
VideoCD and PhotoCD discs.

Version 2.x is a considerable improvement over version 1.x.  Versions
older than 2.01.079 had some problems inserting "knacks" into audio CDs.


Subject: [6-1-3] Gear Software - GEAR Pro
(2001/12/18)

Platforms supported: DOS, Windows (95, NT, 2K), UNIX
See http://www.gearsoftware.com/

GEAR Software was Elektroson until early 1999.  It was a subsidiary
of Command Software Systems, Inc. until May 2001, when it became a
free-standing company.

Full-featured CD recording.  Includes unattended CD copying and batch
file support.


Subject: [6-1-4] Roxio - Toast
(2005/05/31)

Platforms supported: Mac
See http://www.roxio.com/

The software was developed by Miles GmbH and published by Astarte until
Miles was purchased by Adaptec in early 1997.  In 2000 Adaptec spun
the CD recording software group off into Roxio.  In August 2004 Roxio's
consumer software division was purchased by Sonic Solutions.

This program is recommended for making Mac/PC hybrids, and is the most
popular package for the Mac.  It supports HFS, ISO-9660, and Joliet.
At one time it was sold by an OEM as "CD-It All".

The "Toast DVD" upgrade enables creation of DVD-Video and DVD-ROM.

Software updates are available on the web site.


Subject: [6-1-5] CeQuadrat - WinOnCD
(1999/09/12)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.cequadrat.com/

(CeQuadrat was purchased by Adaptec in July 1999, and became part of Roxio.)

WinOnCD is the full version.  WinOnCD ToGo is a "lite" version that comes
bundled with some drives.

Can create VideoCD discs and bootable CD-ROMs.


Subject: [6-1-6] Young Minds, Inc. - CD Studio+
(2001/12/18)

Platforms supported: Windows (NT), UNIX (Linux, others)
See http://www.ymi.com/

CD recording system with a Java interface.  The web site has information
about specialized solutions for things like recording over Novell networks
and working with CD-R jukeboxes.


Subject: [6-1-7] Golden Hawk Technology (Jeff Arnold) - CDRWIN
(2000/05/25)

Platforms supported: DOS, Windows (95, NT)
See http://www.goldenhawk.com/
See http://www.cd-brennen.de/  (german distributor)

(CDRWIN is the name of the Win95 version.  I don't believe the DOS versions
have an official name.)

Contains sophisticated CD-ROM duplication programs, track-at-once and
disc-at-once utilities for sound and data, and other goodies.  Some of the
DOS-based software is free, the rest is relatively inexpensive.

This comes highly recommended for creating audio CDs, because it gives you
a great deal of control over the creation process.  Updates for the
software are available on the net.

The "vcache" tweak from section (4-1-2) is strongly recommended for users
of CDRWIN to avoid buffer underruns.

If you use a Yamaha 200/400 and get "Logical Unit Not Ready" errors, try
disabling the data caching.

Independent cue sheet editors are available from http://www.dcsoft.com/
and http://www.crosswinds.net/~cueed2000/.


Subject: [6-1-8] Optical Media International - QuickTOPiX CD
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT), Mac
See http://www.microtest.com/

[ product has been discontinued ]


Subject: [6-1-9] Creative Digital Research - CDR Publisher
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT), UNIX
See http://www.cdr1.com/ (a/k/a http://www.hycd.com/)

Can create Mac/PC/UNIX hybrid CDs (i.e. CDs that work on all three
platforms), as well as bootable CDs for PCs and UNIX.  If you need a
CD that works (and looks good) on Win95, MacOS, and UNIX, this is the
program for you.

The Solaris version should be available through Sun's Catalyst program; see
http://www.sun.com/sunsoft/catlink/cdr/cdrpub.htm.


Subject: [6-1-10] mkisofs
(2000/09/10)

Platforms supported: Windows, UNIX (many)
Sources (in "cdrtools" package) at ftp://ftp.berlios.de/pub/cdrecord/

This allows creation of an ISO-9660 filesystem on disk or tape, which can
then be copied to a CD-R.  It can create discs with Joliet, Rock Ridge,
and HFS filenames, and can be configured to ignore certain facets of the
ISO standard (like maximum directory depth).  Recent versions support
multisession and several kinds of bootable discs.

This can be used in conjunction with "cdrecord" (6-1-20) to write discs
under UNIX.  For other platforms, chances are good that your favorite CD
recording application is able to write ISO-9660 images.  (If not, there's
probably a "cdrecord" port for your platform of choice.)

See http://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/CD-Writing-HOWTO for a
"HOWTO" guide on writing CDs under Linux.


Subject: [6-1-11] Asimware Innovations - MasterISO
(2002/04/07)

Platforms supported: Amiga
See http://www.asimware.com/

[ product discontinued ]

(Asimware was purchased by Iomega in March 2001.)

Full-featured CD-R mastering package for the Amiga.


Subject: [6-1-12] Newtech Infosystems, Inc. (NTI) - CD-Maker
(2002/02/27)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP)
See http://www.ntius.com/ (demo available)

Full-featured CD creation and duplication software.

If you get "illegal request, invalid block address" complaints reading
from an ATAPI CD-ROM drive, your ASPI layer may be corrupted.  See the
instructions in http://www.fadden.com/doc/ntius-aspi.txt.


Subject: [6-1-13] Cirrus Technology/Unite - CDMaker
(1998/09/05)

Platforms supported: OS/2
See http://www.cirunite.com/ (demo available)

Drag-and-drop CD creation, written specifically for OS/2.  Allows creation
of CDs with an HPFS (OS/2) filesystem.

[ product has been discontinued? ]


Subject: [6-1-14] Hohner Midia - Red Roaster
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://hohnermidia.com/proaudio.html  [web site gone?]

Windows-based CD-R software that has some nice features for creating
audio discs, including the ability to edit the P-Q subcode data.

The "rrdemo.zip" on the web site is actually a demo of Samplitude Master
from SEK´D Software.  Samplitude Master is a fancy audio editing program
that - among other things - allows you to create ISO-9660 images suitable
for writing to a CD-R, but the demo package doesn't include software to do
the actual writing (the full package includes PoINT CDaudio).


Subject: [6-1-15] Dataware Technologies - CD Author
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: DOS
See http://www.dataware.com/site/prodserv/cd_rom.htm
See http://www.dataware.de/untern/index.html

CD creation software aimed at the corporate user.  Comes with libraries
for creating custom applications.


Subject: [6-1-16] CreamWare - Triple DAT
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95)
See http://www.creamware.com/

A hardware and software combo for professional-quality sound editing, this
now includes an audio CD creation tool.


Subject: [6-1-17] MicroTech - MasterMaker
(2004/07/07)

Platforms supported: DOS
See http://www.microtech.com/product/mmaker/

[ product discontinued ]


Subject: [6-1-18] Angela Schmidt & Patrick Ohly - MakeCD
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: Amiga
See http://makecd.core.de/

CD-R creation software that supports the "AS" extensions (which preserve
the Amiga protection bits and file comments).

You need AmiCDFS, CacheCDFS, AsimCDFS, or something similar
to make use of the "AS" extensions.  AmiCDFS is (was?) available from
http://ftp.uni-paderborn.de/aminet/dirs/disk_cdrom.html.  Look for
amicdfs*.lha, where '*' is a version number.


Subject: [6-1-19] Liquid Audio Inc. - Liquid Player
(2000/08/05)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K), Mac
See http://www.liquidaudio.com/

A music player that includes the ability to record CDs.  You can preview
music and purchase it over the Internet.


Subject: [6-1-20] Jörg Schilling - cdrecord
(2005/07/10)

Platforms supported: UNIX (several), Windows (95, NT), Mac, OS/2, BeOS, VMS, ...
See ftp://ftp.berlios.de/pub/cdrecord/

A collection of freeware software and drivers for burning CDs under an
impressive variety of operating systems.  Source code is available.  See
the web site for an up-to-date list of features and supported systems.
(Note the package is now called "cdrtools".)

Supports DVD-R as well.

There are a variety of front-ends for cdrecord.  One of them, X-CD-Roast,
is listed in section (6-1-40).

This is commonly used with "mkisofs" (6-1-10) for creating ISO images.


Subject: [6-1-21] Prassi Software - CD Rep and CD Right
(2003/07/08)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT)

[ product has been discontinued ]

CD mastering bundled with SCSI Rep, which allows you to write to more than
one SCSI CD-R at once.  See also section (3-17).


Subject: [6-1-22] Zittware - CDMaster32
(2000/08/05)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K)
See http://www.zittware.com/Products/CDMaster32/cdmaster32.html  (shareware)

Specializes in recording audio CDs from MP3s.


Subject: [6-1-23] Dieter Baron and Armin Obersteiner - CD Tools
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: Amiga
See http://www.giga.or.at/nih/cdtools.html

Free CD writing tools, with source code.


Subject: [6-1-24] PoINT - CDwrite
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95)
See http://www.pointsoft.de/

Full-featured CD recording.


Subject: [6-1-25] PoINT - CDaudio Plus
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95)
See http://www.pointsoft.de/

Creates audio CDs, with full control over P/Q subcodes.


Subject: [6-1-26] Roxio - Easy Media Creator (was Easy CD Creator Deluxe "ECDC")
(2005/11/15)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.roxio.com/

[ Adaptec spun off Roxio as a subsidiary in 2000.  All of Adaptec's CD
recording software products were moved to the Roxio label.  In August
2004, Roxio's consumer software division was purchased by Sonic Solutions. ]

This was created in the 1996 as Adaptec/Roxio's all-singing, all-dancing
combination of Adaptec Easy-CD Pro and Corel CD Creator.  It combined
the best features of both and cost less.  Recent versions were renamed
to Easy Media Creator to reflect an emphasis shift toward managing music,
photos, and video.


Some notes on older versions:

ECDC up to v3.5a has a "two-second truncation" problem, where extracted
audio tracks end up missing two seconds.  This doesn't happen for every
system or every disc, but is 100% reproducible in situations where it
arises.  Version 3.01d fixed the problem for some users but not others.

CD Copier Deluxe in ECDC v3.x does *not* do disc-at-once recording when
copying from disc-to-disc (the web site is right, the manual is wrong),
but ECDC itself does.  If you want to make a disc-to-disc copy with
disc-at-once recording, you should set up ECDC to copy the disc without
buffering to the hard drive.  ECDC will refuse to use DAO if your writer
doesn't support it reliably or the source drive is too slow.

Versions 3.x and later of ECDC can be used to write to 80-minute discs.
For v4.x and earlier, don't use the "wizard", and ignore any complaints
about being over the maximum time.

Uninstalling ECDC v4.02c up to and including v5.01 may disrupt access to
CD-ROM drives under WinXP and Win2K.  See section (4-49) for details.
See http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/23448.html for an opinionated
piece about the trials and tribulations of ECDC and WinXP/Win2K.


Subject: [6-1-27] Padus - DiscJuggler
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT)
See http://www.padus.com/ (demo available)

Allows you to write to more than one SCSI CD-R at a time.  See also
section (3-17).


Subject: [6-1-28] Ahead Software - Nero
(2002/03/18)

Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT, 2K)
See http://www.ahead.de/ (demo available)
See http://www.nero.com/

Full-featured CD creation and duplication.  Fairly popular among the
Internet community.

Supports the "variable-gap track-at-once" feature of drives like the Sony
926S and Mitsumi CR-2801TE when creating CDs (but not when copying them?).
Comes with "MultiMounter", which appears to be similar to Roxio's
"Session Selector".

NOTE: Nero may not work correctly if DirectCD is installed.  You may need
to uninstall DirectCD to get Nero to work.  (This was especially true with
older versions of the software back in 1999, but may still be the case now.)

NOTE: Some shrink-wrapped copies of Nero that were originally bundled with
CD recorders have been turning up at flea markets and computer shows.
These may only support the device that they were initially sold with,
but there is no such indication on the disc or packaging.


Subject: [6-1-29] CharisMac Engineering - Discribe
(1999/02/26)

Platforms supported: Mac
See http://www.charismac.com/Products/Discribe/index.html

CD creation for the Mac.  Supports creation of hybrid CDs and disc-at-once
recording.  This is a popular alternative to Toast for the Mac.


Subject: [6-1-30] István Dósa - DFY$VMSCD
(1998/04/06)

Platform supported: VMS (VAX, Alpha)
See http://www.cd-info.com/CDIC/Technology/CD-R/vms.html

Construct CD-ROMs under VMS.


Subject: [6-1-31] RSJ Software - RSJ CD Writer
(2001/05/10)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, OS/2)
See http://www.rsj.de/

CD writing with support for ISO-9660, Joliet, and Rock Ridge extensions.
Uses a buffering scheme to allow drive-letter access without packet
writing.


Subject: [6-1-32] James Pearson - mkhybrid
(2000/05/05)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT), UNIX
See http://www.ge.ucl.ac.uk/~jcpearso/mkhybrid.html

This is a mkisofs variant that creates discs in ISO-9660 format with
Joliet, Rock Ridge, and HFS extensions.  HFS files can be encoded as an HFS
"hybrid" or using Apple's ISO-9660 extensions.

[ This has been merged with "mkisofs" and "cdrecord", section (6-1-20). ]


Subject: [6-1-33] JVC - Personal Archiver Plus
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT), Mac
See http://www.jvcinfo.com/archiver.html
See http://www.jvc-victor.co.jp/english/cdr/cdrext-e.html

JVC's CD-R software, frequently bundled with JVC recorders.

Includes "CD-R Extensions" packet-writing software for Win31/Win95 (also
known as "FloppyCD"?).


Subject: [6-1-34] Roxio - Jam
(2001/01/04)

Platforms supported: Mac
See http://www.roxio.com/

An updated version of Astarte's "CD-DA" package, intended for creating
professional audio CDs.


Subject: [6-1-35] Pinnacle Systems - InstantCD/DVD (was VOB)
(2002/12/02)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K)
See http://www.pinnaclesys.com/

[ VOB was purchased by Pinnacle Systems, Inc. in October 2002.  Previous
sites were http://www.vob.de/ and http://www.vobinc.com/ ]

A package that includes:
  - InstantCD Wizard: full-featured CD recording software
  - MultiCopy: fancy disc copier that can skip ranges and patch on the fly
  - InstantWrite: packet writing, see (6-4-5)
  - InstantBackup: backup software based on InstantWrite
  - InstantVideo: VideoCD and DVD creation
  - InstantMusic: arrange and record audio CDs
  - InstantDrive: CD-ROM drive emulator
  - WebXtension: save Internet data on CD


Subject: [6-1-36] Sony - CD Architect
(2003/10/14)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP)
See http://www.sonicfoundry.com/

Fancy audio CD creation, including PQ editing and cross-fades.  The
original product was popular among people who regularly pre-master discs
for mass production.

The product was discontinued in 1998 or so, but returned to the market in
late 2002.  Sonic Foundry's product line was purchased by Sony Pictures
Digital in August 2003.


Subject: [6-1-37] Eberhard Heuser-Hofmann - CDWRITE
(1998/05/10)

Platforms supported: VMS (VAX, Alpha)
See http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lakes/9999/vmscdwri.html
Get ftp://v36.chemie.uni-konstanz.de/cdwrite/

Construct and write CD-ROMs from VMS.


Subject: [6-1-38] CeQuadrat - JustAudio!
(1998/06/14)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT)
See http://www.cequadrat.com/

(CeQuadrat was purchased by Adaptec in July 1999, and is now part of Roxio.)

Audio CD creation.  Includes de-noise program for data digitized from
tapes or records, and a layout tool for creating booklets, inlay cards,
or labels.


Subject: [6-1-39] Digidesign - MasterList CD
(1998/08/16)

Platforms supported: Mac
See http://www.digidesign.com/prod/mlcd/

Full-featured audio CD creation.


Subject: [6-1-40] Thomas Niederreiter - X-CD-Roast
(1998/10/18)

Platforms supported: UNIX (Linux)
See http://www.xcdroast.org/

This is a Tcl/Tk/Tix front-end for mkisofs and cdrecord.


Subject: [6-1-41] Jesper Pedersen - BurnIT
(1998/10/12)

Platforms supported: UNIX
See http://sunsite.auc.dk/BurnIT/

This is a Java front-end for cdrecord, mkisofs and cdda2wav.


Subject: [6-1-42] Jens Fangmeier - Feurio!
(2002/06/24)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP)
See http://www.feurio.de/

Audio CD creation.

(As of mid-2002, Feurio! was also being sold on the Ahead web site.)


Subject: [6-1-43] Iomega - HotBurn
(2001/06/25)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT4, 2K, XP), Mac
See http://www.iomega.com/software/hotburn/
See http://www.asimware.com/

(Asimware Innovations was purchased by Iomega in March 2001.)

Looks to be a solid data and audio recording program.


Subject: [6-1-44] DARTECH, Inc - DART CD-Recorder
(1998/11/18)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT)
See http://www.dartpro.com/ (demo available)

Audio CD creation with wide support for both analog and digital sources.


Subject: [6-1-45] Interactive Information R&D - CDEveryWhere
(1999/02/07)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT), Mac, UNIX (Linux, Solaris)
See http://www.cdeverywhere.com/

This is a Java application that creates hybrid disc images with Rock Ridge,
Joliet, and HFS support.  The image can be written with any application
that can handle ISO-9660 disc images.


Subject: [6-1-46] DnS Development - BurnIt
(1999/04/11)

Platforms supported: Amiga
See http://www.titancomputer.de/

Simple but powerful recording for the Amiga.

[ no longer listed on their web site? ]


Subject: [6-1-47] Andreas Müller - CDRDAO
(2002/12/02)

Platforms supported: UNIX (several), Windows (cygwin), OS/2
See http://cdrdao.sourceforge.net/

Linux application that does disc-at-once audio recording.  Good for
copying many types of discs.  Source code is available.

See http://users.forthnet.gr/ath/axatis/XDuplicator/ for a GUI front-end.


Subject: [6-1-48] Tracer Technologies - (various)
(1999/06/30)

Platforms supported: UNIX (several)
See http://www.tracertech.com/

Business-oriented CD-recordable applications, ranging from single user
CD recording to data migration and archiving with CD and DVD jukeboxes.


Subject: [6-1-49] SlySoft - CloneCD
(2003/10/02)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, ME, NT4, 2K, XP)
See http://www.slysoft.com/  (demo available)

[ Originally developed by Elaborate Bytes in Germany (formerly
http://www.elby.de/, now http://www.elby.ch/), the software was sold to
SlySoft in September 2003.  Apparently the folks at Elaborate Bytes were
concerned about legal action after the EU started moving toward laws
similar to the USA's DMCA. ]

CD copier that can copy just about anything.  Check the web site for a
list of supported hardware.

There are some "unofficial" CloneCD discussion forums that may be of
interest when trying to copy something tricky:

  CD-Freaks.com (english & dutch)
    http://club.cdfreaks.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=18
  CDR-Info.com (english)
    http://www.cdrinfo.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=16
  Brennmeister.com (german)
    http://www.brennmeister.de/forum/viewforum.php?forum=4


Subject: [6-1-50] IgD - FireBurner
(2001/12/08)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, Linux)
See http://www.fireburner.com/  (shareware)

Simple disc recording software that takes image files (BIN/CUE, ISO, WAV)
as input and writes a disc.  The "binchunker" program, which converts to
and from BIN/CUE files, is incorporated.  Can record audio CDs from MP3s.


Subject: [6-1-51] Jodian Systems & Software - CDWRITE
(1999/12/19)

Platforms supported: Windows (NT, NT-Alpha), UNIX (several)
See http://www.jodian.com/

Somewhat limited recording software available for a broad range of
platforms.


Subject: [6-1-52] Erik Deppe - CD+G Creator
(1999/12/31)

Platforms supported: Windows (95)
See http://users.pandora.be/erik.deppe/cdgcreator.htm

Create your own CD+G discs.


Subject: [6-1-53] Micro-Magic - CD Composer
(2000/01/24)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.cdcomposer.com/

Audio CD creation.  Extracts audio from CDs, MP3s, LPs (via a sound card),
and allows you to construct custom CDs.  Also copies CD-ROMs and writes
ISO images.


Subject: [6-1-54] Earjam, Inc. - Earjam IMP
(2000/02/07)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.earjam.com/

An "Internet Music Player" that can record to CD-R.


Subject: [6-1-55] Emagic - Waveburner
(2000/03/06)

Platforms supported: Mac
See http://www.emagic.de/

Full-featured audio CD creation for the Mac.  Can do cross-fades and other
fancy tricks.


Subject: [6-1-56] Zy2000 - MP3 CD Maker
(2000/05/25)

Platforms supported: Windows (95)
See http://www.zy2000.com/  (shareware)

Recording application dedicated to writing MP3 songs onto CD-R.


Subject: [6-1-57] Integral Research - Speedy-CD
(2000/08/05)

Platforms supported: PC
See http://www.speedy-cd.com/

Fast CD-R duplication, with support for up to 6 CD recorders running
simultaneously.


Subject: [6-1-58] Desernet Broadband Media - Net-Burner and MP3-Burner
(2000/08/05)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K)
See http://www.net-burner.com/  (demo available)

Net-Burner lets you wrap up data into a self-extracting -- and
self-recording -- downloadable file.  For example, Music Net-Burner lets
you wrap up MP3s, jewel case art, and a track listing into a single
executable file.  When run, the program unpacks itself and writes to
a CD recorder.  It does on-the-fly MP3 decoding, supports overburning,
and can do disc-at-once recording.  Data Net-Burner does the same sort
of thing for CD-ROMs.

MP3-Burner creates audio CDs from MP3 files.


Subject: [6-1-59] Stomp, Inc. - Click 'N Burn
(2000/09/21)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K)
See http://www.clicknburn.com/

Full-featured CD recording.  Creates CDs and CD-ROMs, with all the
trimmings.


Subject: [6-1-60] Steinberg Media Technologies - Clean! plus
(2000/11/10)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT)
See http://www.steinberg.net/products/

Audio restoration and CD recording.  Designed specifically for transferring
music from analog sources such as cassette tapes and vinyl records.


Subject: [6-1-61] Enreach - I-Author for VCD/SVCD
(2000/11/13)

Platforms supported: Windows?
See http://www.enreach.com/Products/products/etv1/iauthvcd.htm
See http://www.enreach.com/Products/products/etv1/iauthsvcd.htm

Authoring tools for VCD and SVCD.


Subject: [6-1-62] VSO Software - Blindread/Blindwrite
(2002/11/12)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.blindwrite.com/

Disc copier; does "raw" reads and writes.  Can be useful for analyzing
copy-protected discs.


Subject: [6-1-63] Microsoft - Windows XP
(2001/08/16)

Platforms supported: Windows (XP)
See http://www.microsoft.com/

Windows XP has built-in support for recording to CD-R and CD-RW.  See
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/bridgman/august13.asp
for an overview.


Subject: [6-1-64] An Chen Computers - CD Mate
(2001/12/19)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, ME, NT, 2K, XP)
See http://www.cd-mate.com/  (demo available)
See http://cdmate.copystar.com.tw/

Full-featured data and audio CD recording software.  Competes with
CloneCD and Nero.


Subject: [6-1-65] E-Soft - Alcohol
(2005/01/11)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.alcohol-software.com/

Disc copying and drive emulation software.  Often recommended for difficult
copy-protected discs.


Subject: [6-1-66] Stomp Inc. - RecordNow MAX
(2002/10/15)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, ME, NT4, 2K, XP)
See http://www.stompinc.com/recordnowmax/

Fancy CD recording intended to compete directly against Easy CD Creator.
Supports DVD+R.  Includes "Drive Letter Access" packet writing software
for CD-RW drives.


Subject: [6-1-67] James Mieczkowski - Cheetah CD Burner
(2003/03/25)

Platforms supported: Winodws (95, ME, NT4, 2K, XP)
See http://www.cheetahburner.com/

Straightforward CD recording.


Subject: [6-1-68] Blaze Audio - RipEditBurn
(2003/07/08)

Platforms supported: Windows (98, ME, 2K, XP)
See http://www.blazeaudio.com/

Audio CD extraction and recording software, designed for people moving
music between CDs and MP3 files.


Subject: [6-1-69] Acoustica, Inc. - MP3 CD Burner
(2003/11/29)

Platforms supported: Windows (98, NT, 2K, XP)
See http://www.acoustica.com/  (demo available)

Burns music and MP3 CDs/DVDs from MP3 and WMA files.  Includes a music
library manager and a CD label maker.


Subject: [6-1-70] MagicISO, Inc. - MagicISO
(2004/04/15)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.magiciso.com/  (demo available)

Creates, manipulates, and records disc images in a variety of formats.
Can create DVDs and bootable CD-ROMs.


Subject: [6-1-71] Simone Tasselli - Burn4Free
(2004/04/15)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://burn4free.com/  (freeware)

Create audio and data CDs.


Subject: [6-1-72] Sonic Solutions - Record Now!
(2004/08/10)

Platforms supported: Windows (98, 2K, XP)
See http://www.sonic.com/

CD copying and mastering.

Packet-writing tools and DVD software are also available; check the web site.


Subject: [6-1-73] Freeridecoding - BurnAgain
(2005/07/23)

Platforms supported: Mac (OS X)
See http://freeridecoding.net/  (shareware)

Writes files to CD-R or CD-RW, specializing in multi-session recording
for archiving data.


Subject: [6-1-74] PowerKaraoke - Power CD+G Burner, PowerKaraoke
(2006/02/26)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.power-karaoke.com/  (demo available)

Create CD+G and karaoke discs.

A number of tools for creating and playing discs are available on the site.


Subject: [6-2] What other useful software is there?
(1998/04/06)

Software related to CD-Rs that isn't a direct part of the premastering
process.


Subject: [6-2-1] Optical Media International - Disc-to-Disk
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT), Mac
See http://www.microtest.com/html/optical_media.html

[ product has been discontinued ]


Subject: [6-2-2] Gilles Vollant - WinImage
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.winimage.com/

Among other things, this lets you list and extract the contents of an
ISO-9660 image.


Subject: [6-2-3] Asimware Innovations - AsimCDFS
(2001/06/25)

Platforms supported: Amiga
See http://www.asimware.com/

(Asimware was purchased by Iomega in March 2001.)

Allows the Amiga to read High Sierra, Mac HFS, and ISO-9660 (including Rock
Ridge extensions).

[ product has been discontinued? ]


Subject: [6-2-4] Steven Grimm - WorkMan
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: UNIX
See http://www.midwinter.com/ftp/WorkMan/

In addition to its primary role as an audio CD player for UNIX workstations,
version 1.4 (still in beta) allows SPARC/Solaris2.4+ workstations to extract
digital audio into ".au" files.


Subject: [6-2-5] Cyberdyne Software - CD Worx
(2001/03/03)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT)
See http://www.cyberdyne-software.com/cdworx.html

Full-featured extraction and manipulation of audio data from CDs.


Subject: [6-2-6] Arrowkey - CD-R Diagnostic
(2002/08/01)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP)
See http://www.arrowkey.com/  (or http://www.cdrom-prod.com/)

[ products formerly published under "Paul Crowley CD-ROM Productions" ]

Does a number of useful things, such as displaying the contents of the TOC,
listing the full volume label, analyzing the media, and recovering data from
"lost" sessions and hosed UDF discs.

This software is widely recommended for recovering data from otherwise
unusable discs.


Subject: [6-2-7] DC Software Design - CDRCue Cuesheet Editor
(1998/09/14)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT)
See http://www.dcsoft.com/

Cue sheet editor for CDRWIN.


Subject: [6-2-8] Astarte - CD-Copy
(2000/09/11)

Platforms supported: Mac
See ?

Half of a CD copier.  CD-Copy has a lot of features for reading CDs as
images, but is unable to write them (presumably you're supposed to use
Toast for that).

[ Doesn't appear to be published by www.astarte.de anymore.  Doesn't
seem to be part of the Roxio lineup, either.  I'm told the intellectual
property was purchased by Apple in 1999 or 2000. ]


Subject: [6-2-9] Frank Wolf - CDR Media Code Identifier
(2004/08/31)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT)
See ?

Attempts to identify the manufacturer of a CD-R disc.  Reports the code from
the ATIP region, which tells you who made the stamper used to create the
blanks, and what kind of dye is in use.  Shows the exact length of a disc.

This information may or may not be accurate; see section (2-33) for an
explanation.

Development has been discontinued.  It can still be found available for
download though.  One such location:
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,22912,00.asp


Subject: [6-2-10] Logiciels & Services Duhem - MacImage
(2002/08/01)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.macdisk.com/macimgen.php3

Allows you to build CD-ROM images on a PC that are compatible with
the Macintosh.  Can create hybrid HFS/ISO-9660 images, ISO-9660 with
Apple extension images, and pure HFS images (using the virtual filesystem
image feature).

The virtual HFS partition feature allows you to create Macintosh volumes in
a file on the PC, and manipulate files there.


Subject: [6-2-11] Erik Deppe - CD Speed 2000
(2002/01/09)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.cdspeed2000.com/
See http://come.to/cdspeed

Tests various facets of CD-ROM drive performance, including DAE ability.
Tables of results are available on the web site.

[ There are references to "Nero CD Speed 2000" on the web site, suggesting
that the software is now related to Ahead? ]


Subject: [6-2-12] Andre Wiethoff - Exact Audio Copy (EAC)
(2000/01/04)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/

There are many programs for extracting digital audio, but EAC has become
the de facto standard application for doing so.  On some CD-ROM drives
it can guarantee extraction of 100% perfect audio, and on most others it
does as well or better than anything else available.


Subject: [6-2-13] Earle F. Philhower, III - cdrLabel
(2000/08/19)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.ziplabel.com/cdrlabel/

Generates and maintains catalogs of CD and CD-ROM data, including song
lists and file directories.  Makes it easy to print label cards.


Subject: [6-2-14] Adobe - Audition (formerly Cool Edit)
(2003/09/08)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.adobe.com/

[ In May 2003, Syntrillium Software's assets were purchased by Adobe Corp.
Three months later, one of the best shareware sound editing programs ever
written -- Cool Edit -- was officially discontinued when Cool Edit Pro
was re-released as Adobe Audition. ]

High-end, fairly expensive audio editing software.


Subject: [6-2-15] Elwin Oost - Burn to the Brim
(2002/04/28)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://bttb.sourceforge.net/

Given a large collection of files, BTTB finds the arrangement that gets
the most files onto the fewest discs.


Subject: [6-2-16] Mike Looijmans - CDWave
(2001/08/28)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.cdwave.com/

Useful utility for breaking a large WAV file into several smaller ones.
Comes in handy when you're working with audio recorded from a cassette
or LP and want to insert track markers.


Subject: [6-2-17] ECI - DriveEasy
(2001/09/26)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.eciusa.com/driveeasy.htm

System diagnostic program, useful for making sure that your system and CD
recorder are working correctly.  It includes some utilities for getting
technical information on your drive and on CDs.


Subject: [6-2-18] Jackie Franck - Audiograbber
(2001/10/03)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.audiograbber.com-us.net/  (demo available)
See http://www.audiograbber.de/

Fancy audio extraction application.  Can rip to MP3 and normalize sound
levels across multiple tracks.


Subject: [6-2-19] High Criteria - Total Recorder
(2001/11/01)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.HighCriteria.com/

An audio capture program that looks like a sound card.  After you install
this software, you can tell Windows to play sound through it.  A copy of
the sound will be recorded to disk, making this an easy way to get perfect
copies of audio from "protected" formats (e.g. encrypted Windows Media
Player files or DVD-ROM).


Subject: [6-2-20] Smart Projects - IsoBuster
(2006/09/04)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.isobuster.com/  (shareware)

CD and DVD data recovery software.  Works with all CD/DVD formats.

Can create and manipulate disc images in a wide variety of formats
(both generic and product-specific).  See the web site for a full list.

Many features are available without the shareware registration.


Subject: [6-2-21] GoldWave Inc. - GoldWave
(2003/11/29)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.goldwave.com/  (shareware)

Full-featured audio editor, suitable for manipulating CD audio data.
Includes CD ripper and click/pop reduction filters.


Subject: [6-2-22] Naltech - CD Data Rescue
(2004/01/12)

Platforms supported: Windows (98/ME/NT/2K/XP)
See http://www.naltech.com/  (trial version available)

Recovers data from damaged CD-ROMs.  Can retrieve data from "deleted"
files.


Subject: [6-2-23] Jufsoft - BadCopy Pro
(2004/01/12)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.jufsoft.com/badcopy/  (trial version available)

Recovers data from damaged CD-ROMs, floppy disks, and more.


Subject: [6-2-24] CDRoller Soft Co. - CDRoller
(2004/01/12)

Platforms supported: Windows (95/ME/2K/XP)
See http://www.cdroller.com/  (trial version available)

Recovers data from damaged CD-ROMs, floppy disks, and more.


Subject: [6-2-25] FlexiMusic - Wave Editor
(2004/08/31)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.fleximusic.com/  (trial version available)

Inexpensive sound editor with a good set of features.


Subject: [6-2-26] Nic Wilson - DVD Info Pro
(2004/08/31)

Platforms supported: Windows (95/ME/NT/2K/XP)
See http://www.dvdinfopro.com/  (adware until registered)

Provides information on CD and DVD recorders and media.


Subject: [6-2-27] Audacity
(2004/11/12)

Platforms supported: Windows (98/ME/2K/XP), Mac OS X, Linux
See http://audacity.sourceforge.net/  (freeware)

Free sound editor with lots of fancy features.


Subject: [6-3] What is packet writing (a/k/a DLA - Drive Letter Access)?
(2002/05/28)

Packet writing is an alternative to writing entire tracks or discs.
It allows you to write much smaller chunks, down to the level of individual
files.  With track-at-once recording there's a maximum of 99 tracks per
disc, a minimum track length of 300 blocks, and an additional 150 blocks
of overhead for run-in, run-out, pregap, and linking.  Packet writing
allows many writes per track, with only 7 blocks of overhead per write (4
for run-in, 2 for run-out, and 1 for link).  Since it's possible to write
packets that are small enough to fit entirely in the CD recorder's buffer,
the risk of buffer underruns can be eliminated.

There are some problems with packet writing, mostly due to the inability of
older CD-ROM drives to deal with the gaps between packets.  CD-ROM drives
can become confused if they read into the gap, a problem complicated by
read-ahead optimizations on some models.

There are two basic "philosophies" behind packet writing, fixed-size and
variable-size.  With fixed-size packets, the CD recorder writes data
whenever it has a full packet.  All packets in the same track must have the
same size.  It's relatively easy for a CD-ROM drive to skip over the
inter-packet gaps if it knows where the gaps are ahead of time, but there's
a large installed base of CD-ROM drives that aren't that smart.

With variable-sized packets, the CD-ROM drive can't tell ahead of
time where the gaps are.  The problem can be avoided by laying out the
filesystem in such a way that the drive never tries to read from the gaps.
One approach is to put each file into a single packet, but if the size
of a file exceeds the size of the CD recorder write buffer, the risk of
buffer underruns returns.  An alternative is to write the file in several
pieces, but the Level 1 ISO-9660 filesystem supported by most operating
systems doesn't support this.  Replacing the "redirector" (e.g. MSCDEX)
with one that supports Level 3 ISO-9660 solves the problem.

Files on packet-written discs are typically stored in a UDF filesystem.
When the session is closed -- necessary for the disc to be readable on
anything but a CD recorder -- some implementations will wrap an ISO-9660
filesystem around the disc to make the files accessible on systems without
a UDF reader.  When DirectCD for Windows closes a disc in ISO-9660 format,
it uses Level 3 multi-extent files.  Support for Level 3 ISO-9660 will
likely be added to future OSs, but for the time being it can be difficult
to share such discs between machines that aren't running Win95/NT.

DirectCD for Mac OS leaves the disc in UDF format, so reading the discs
requires a UDF driver.  See section (6-3-1) for more information on UDF,
including a web site where free UDF drivers can be downloaded.  (If you
have DirectCD, you don't need to download the drivers separately; you would
only need them if you didn't own packet-writing software and wanted to read
discs created by somebody who did.)


Writing to a CD-R with packets will be slower than writing with standard
premastering software.  Since the expected application for packet writing
is "drive letter access" rather than creating an entire CD, this should not
be an issue for most people.

Audio CDs can't be written with packets.

You really don't want to defragment a CD-RW written with fixed packets.
The disc is deliberately fragmented to avoid "wearing out" sectors on
the disc.

Some early CD recorders were only be able to write to a disc the first 99
times it was placed in the drive, because the recorder has to calibrate
the laser power before writing, and there are only 99 spaces for doing
the test writes.  Sony and Philips have developed ways to work around the
problem, such as remembering the last 10 pieces of media seen, so this
doesn't cause problems on current drives.

Information on packet-writing software follows.  It is in general a bad
idea to have more than one installed at the same time.


Subject: [6-3-1] What's UDF?
(2003/12/21)

UDF is an acronym for the humbly-named "Universal Disk Format".  It's a
specification for a filesystem intended for use on write-once and
rewritable media.  It's currently being used for DVD and some of the
CD-R/CD-RW packet writing software (e.g. Roxio DirectCD).

There have been four important releases of the specification:

  - 1.02: first release; primarily useful for read-only media like DVD-ROM.

  - 1.5: includes defect management, useful for CD-R and CD-RW.

  - 2.0: adds support for Stream Files, Access Control Lists, and
    power calibration.

  - 2.01: adds support for Real Time Files.

  - 2.5: adds Metadata Partition.

MacOS 8.1 and Win98 support UDF v1.02.  Windows XP supports 1.02, 1.5,
and 2.01.  To read UDF-format packet-written CD-R and CD-RW discs, you
need UDF v1.5 support.  Roxio has made free UDF 1.5 drivers available for
Mac and Windows on their web site (check there for a list of supported
CD-ROM drives).  Also, if you insert a disc formatted with DirectCD v3.0
or later into a Windows machine without a UDF reader, you will be offered
the opportunity to install one.

Download free UDF 1.5 drivers for MacOS and Win95/Win98/WinNT4 from
http://www.roxio.com/en/support/udfwin/index.html
http://www.roxio.com/en/support/udfmac/udfmacreadme.html

(The Windows driver appears to have moved; look at the bottom of
http://www.roxio.com/en/support/roxio_support/ecdc/ecdc_software_updatesv4.jhtml.)

The technical specifications for the UDF filesystem can be found at
http://www.osta.org/specs/index.htm.

UDF is based on the ISO/IEC 13346 standard, now ECMA-167, available from
http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/ECMA-167.htm.

You can find Linux source code under development at
http://trylinux.com/projects/udf/.

Philips has made UDF verification software available (source and binaries) at
http://www.extra.research.philips.com/udf/.


Subject: [6-3-2] Do I want to do packet writing?
(2003/01/13)

It depends.  If your primary interests are writing audio CDs, duplicating
CD-ROMs (for backups, right?), or creating CD-ROMs full of files that you
can give to others, packet writing won't help you much.

Discs written by programs like Roxio DirectCD aren't usable in a CD-ROM
reader until they're finalized.  Finalized discs are in ISO-9660 format,
but it's ISO-9660 Level 3, which not all operating systems can interpret
(Win9x and WinNT can, with appropriate "redirectors" installed).

On the other hand, if you want to be able to add small amounts of data over
time, it may be extremely useful.  You can read the unfinalized discs on
your system, so the data isn't inaccessible; it just can't be accessed on
other systems that aren't also set up to do packet writing.  You can
overwrite files on CD-R media (the old data is still there, but the newer
directory entry points to the new file), something that was very costly
with multisession writes.  And, of course, the risk of a buffer underrun
is almost nonexistent.

Most backup software (by which I mean backing up your system, not "backing
up" the latest game) uses packet writing.  This can affect your ability
to read backups from some operating systems, notably MS-DOS.  See section
(4-52).

As with CD-RW, it doesn't hurt to buy a recorder that supports it, but
you're probably not missing much if you have one without it.  (As of the
year 2002, nearly all new recorders support both.)


Now, a reality check: sometimes packet-written discs "go funny".  This could
be because the CD-RW media is wearing out, or because the computer locked
up when some data was pending but not yet written, or because the software
has bugs.  Whatever the case, DO NOT write your only copy of valuable data
to a packet-written disc and keep adding stuff to it.  If you do, there
is a good chance you will be making a contribution to the people listed
in section (6-2-6).

The format that has proven the least reliable of all CD formats is
packet-written CD-RW media (which almost always uses fixed-length packets).
Writing to a CD-R with variable-length packets is a big step up, especially
since nothing is ever really erased from a CD-R.  If it's important data,
write it to a CD-R (with packet writing or, better yet, conventional
disc-at-once recording) and then close the disc and don't write to it again.

Having had our reality check, I can point out that a HUGE number of people
use packet writing every day, for the most part without even realizing it,
and relatively few suffer for doing so.  It's important to understand the
risks and act appropriately.


Subject: [6-4] What packet writing software should I use?
(2003/03/06)

There is no clear winner, but most current offerings are pretty good.


Subject: [6-4-1] Roxio - Drag-to-Disc (a/k/a DirectCD)
(2005/11/15)

Platforms supported: Windows, Mac
See http://www.roxio.com/

This used to be sold as a separate product.  As of November 2005 it wasn't
listed on their web site, and it's hard to tell what products, if any, it
is still included with.

UDF-based packet writing software.  Check the compatibility list on the web
site to see if it works with your CD recorder and your firmware revision
level.

DirectCD for Windows versions older than 1.01 conflicted with some
scanners.  Be sure to check the Roxio web site for the latest version.
Note that DirectCD for Windows 1.x and 2.x may not support the same set of
drives on all operating systems; for example, 2.0 only worked with drives
capable of using CD-RW media.  If you're running WinNT, you need 2.x.

NOTE: There seems to be a great deal of misinformation about how to disable
DirectCD for Windows.  See section (3-45) for more information.

One other note about DirectCD for Windows: in some situations you may have
trouble reinstalling it.  If so, try removing (or renaming) scsi1hlp.vxd,
usually found in c:\windows\system\iosubsys\.

Uninstalling DirectCD v3.01 or v3.01c may disable access to CD-ROM drives
under WinXP and Win2K.  See section (4-49) for details.


Subject: [6-4-2] CeQuadrat - PacketCD
(1999/03/07)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.cequadrat.com/

(CeQuadrat was purchased by Adaptec in July 1999, and is now part of Roxio.)

UDF-based packet writing software.  Recent versions offer transparent
data compression, potentially increasing the disc capacity.


Subject: [6-4-3] SmartStorage - SmartCD for Recording
(2003/07/08)

Platforms supported: Windows (NT)

[ product has been discontinued ]

Packet writing software intended for shared environments.


Subject: [6-4-4] Gutenberg Systems - FloppyCD
(2003/07/08)

Platforms supported: Windows (95)

[ product has been discontinued ]

Originally released by JVC as "CD-R Extensions".

Does variable-sized packet writing that leaves you with an ISO-9660
Level 1 CD-ROM (constrast to the ISO-9660 Level 3 disc produced by some
other packet writing solutions).  This should make it possible to read
the finalized CDs on operating systems other than Win95/NT.


Subject: [6-4-5] Pinnacle Systems - InstantWrite (was VOB)
(2001/01/04)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K)
See http://www.pinnaclesys.com/

UDF packet-writing software.  Supports DVD-RAM and drag-and-drop audio CD
creation.  Compatible with discs created by DirectCD.

Comes with a backup package called InstantBackup.


Subject: [6-4-6] Prassi - abCD
(2003/07/08)

Platforms supported: Windows (95)

[ product has been discontinued ]

Packet writing for CD-RW.  Appears to be less ambitious but far simpler
than its competitors.

Read-compatible with Roxio DirectCD (i.e. you can read DirectCD discs
if you have this installed).

Also sold under the Sony label.


Subject: [6-4-7] Ahead - InCD
(2001/07/26)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, 2K)
See http://www.ahead.de/

UDF packet-writing software.  Only works with CD-RW discs.


Subject: [6-4-8] Oak Technologies - SimpliCD ReWrite
(2001/12/18)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP)
See http://www.oaktech.com/products/recording_software/simplicd.html

Part of the SimpliCD package.  UDF packet-writing for CD-RW discs.

[ Unclear if this is related to the SimpliCD product formerly published
by Young Minds Inc. ]


Subject: [6-4-9] NewTech Infosystems, Inc. (NTI) - File CD
(2002/02/27)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP)
See http://www.ntius.com/  (demo available)

UDF packet-writing software.  Uses Windows-Explorer-style interface.
Only works with CD-RW discs.


Subject: [6-4-10] Veritas - DLA (Drive Letter Access)
(2002/11/15)

Platforms supported: Windows (98, 2K)
See http://www.hp.com/  (for HP DLA)

Most users will encounter this as HP DLA, sold with a Hewlett-Packard
drive.  Some documentation is available from
http://www.benq.com.sg/service/cdr/manuals/veritas/DLA%20User%20Guide.pdf.


Subject: [6-4-11] BHA - B's CLiP
(2004/12/10)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://bhacorp.com/

UDF packet writing software for rewritable CDs and DVDs.


Subject: [6-5] Can I intermix different packet-writing programs?
(2003/03/06)

In general, no.

Do not assume that two packet-writing programs will coexist peacefully on
the same system.  Most won't.  You may need to disable the CD recording
features built into WinXP to get packet software to work.

Do not assume that discs written by one program will be readable by another.
Many developers have deviated from the UDF standard when writing discs,
so attempting to start a disc with one program and finish it with another
is likely to end badly.  It might work, it might appear to work but quietly
fail, or it might fail outright.


Subject: [6-6] I want to write my own CD recording software
(2004/08/16)

Source code and ready-to-link libraries are available, but the more useful
products tend to be more expensive.  The library authors are usually CD-R
software publishers themselves, and aren't about to put themselves out of
business.  Expect to sign a strict licensing agreement, if they agree to
do business at all.

Source code for some of the packages (notably Joerg Schilling's "CD Record"
and "CD Tools" by Dieter Baron and Armin Obersteiner) is available.  See
sections (6-1-20) and (6-1-23).

ASPI developer documentation and SDKs used to be available from
http://www.adaptec.com/adaptec/developers/, but seems to have vanished.
See http://www.hochfeiler.it/alvise/ASPI_1.HTM for an introduction, and
ftp://ftp.adaptec.com/obsolete/adaptec/aspi_w32.txt for what's left of
the Adaptec documentation.

Visit http://www.gentle.it/alvise/cd-r.htm for a nice introduction to
controlling a CD recorder.

The basic idea is to issue SCSI commands directly to the drive, via some
standard interface.  Windows has ASPI (courtesy Adaptec), WinNT and later
have SPTI, and other platforms have their own approaches.  ASPI is well
documented (though you have to search for the docs), SPTI is not (but
it's very straightforward, and some sample code exists).  Descriptions of
the SCSI commands can be found in the SCSI-2 and MMC specifications at
ftp://ftp.t10.org/t10/, e.g. ftp://ftp.t10.org/t10/drafts/mmc2/mmc2r10.pdf,
ftp://ftp.t10.org/t10/drafts/mmc3/mmc3r10.pdf, and
ftp://ftp.t10.org/t10/drafts/s2/s2-r10l.pdf.

Some useful samples can be found here:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=65147


Subject: [6-6-1] PoINT - CDarchive SDK
(1998/04/06)

Platforms supported: Windows, OS/2
See http://www.pointsoft.de/earchiv.html

API and SCSI device drivers.


Subject: [6-6-2] Golden Hawk Technology (Jeff Arnold)
(1998/06/22)

Platforms supported: PC
See http://www.goldenhawk.com/

C++ class libraries.  See the web site for licensing information.


Subject: [6-6-3] Gear Software - GEAR.wrks
(2001/12/18)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP), UNIX (Linux, others)
See http://www.gearsoftware.com/

16-bit and 32-bit APIs for CD-R/CD-RW, DVD, tape drives, and SCSI hard disks.


Subject: [6-6-4] VOB - CD-Wizard SDK
(2003/11/21)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT)
See http://www.vob.de/us/products/professional/WizardSDK/
See http://www.vobinc.com/

[ It looks like this may have gone away when Pinnacle Systems purchased
VOB in October 2002. ]

COM/ActiveX interface to CD writing functions.  Not cheap.


Subject: [6-6-5] Dialog Medien - ACDwrite.OCX
(1999/12/19)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.dialog-medien.de/html/acdwrite.ocx.html  (demo available)

ActiveX/OCX interface for writing audio CDs.  Develop audio CD recording
applications with Visual Basic or other ActiveX environments.


Subject: [6-6-6] ECI - The Engine
(2001/09/26)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.eciusa.com/theengine.htm

A utility that can be integrated into other software to provide "one-click"
recording.


Subject: [6-6-7] NUGROOVZ - CDWriterXP
(2007/10/16)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, ME, XP, NT, 2K)
See http://www.nugroovz.com/

[ This product line was taken over by NuMedia Soft in January 2003.  It
continued as CDWriterPro, eventually replaced by NMSDVD Burning SDK (see
section (6-6-9)). ]


Subject: [6-6-8] Ashampoo - DiscForge Plug & Burn
(2003/11/29)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, ME, 2K, XP)
See http://tech.ashampoo.com/plugburn.php
See http://www.ashampoo.com/

C library for adding recording features to applications.  Supports audio
and data CDs and CD copying.  User interface code included.


Subject: [6-6-9] NuMedia Soft - NMSDVD Burning SDK
(2007/10/16)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, ME, NT, 2K+)
See http://www.numediasoft.com/

CD/DVD recording SDK available in three forms: ActiveX, .NET, and C++.


Subject: [6-6-10] Sonic Solutions - AuthorScript
(2004/08/10)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.sonic.com/

A collection of APIs for CD and DVD authoring.


Subject: [6-7] What software is available for doing backups?
(2002/01/27)

See section (3-20) for commentary.  Remember, if you're backing up less
than 650MB of data and don't need fancy features like incremental backups,
you don't *need* special backup software.  Just write the files to a CD-R
and put it in a safe place.

For fast, occasional backups of a disk partition or an entire disk, Norton
Ghost is a good way to go for PCs.  If you have a second disk or multiple
partitions it can be a useful way to back up your C: drive before installing
something that could muck up your system (like the drivers for a Creative
Labs sound card).  If you want full-featured incremental and remote backups,
Veritas Backup Exec is probably a good place to start.


Subject: [6-7-1] Adaptec - Easy-CD Backup
(1998/06/14)

Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95)
See http://www.adaptec.com/

[ no longer available ]

Backup software designed to store data on CD-Rs.  Allows incremental
backups via multi-session writes, but backups aren't allowed to span
multiple volumes.  Doesn't support long filenames.


Subject: [6-7-2] D.J. Murdoch - DOSLFNBK
(1998/06/14)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT)
See http://www8.pair.com/dmurdoch/programs/doslfnbk.htm

Saves the long filenames, so that you can use backup software that only
knows about short "8.3" filenames.  This is an alternative to the LFNBK
program that comes with Win95.

Old versions are free, new versions are inexpensive.


Subject: [6-7-3] Dantz - Retrospect
(1999/12/18)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT), Mac
See http://www.dantz.com/

Dantz's Retrospect 4.0 can make use of CD-R and CD-RW by using packet
writing.  Useful for backing up multiple machines on a network.


Subject: [6-7-4] Veritas - Backup Exec
(2000/04/23)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT)
See http://www.veritas.com/products/

This was originally adapted for use with CD-R by Seagate Software, who
appeared to have developed it out of Arcada Backup Exec.  The Seagate
Network and Storage Management Group was sold to Veritas in June 1999.

The consumer "Backup Exec Desktop 98" version works with Win95 and Win98.
Separate versions are available for WinNT Workstation and WinNT Server.


Subject: [6-7-5] Symantec - Norton Ghost
(2002/01/27)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP), OS/2
See http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/ghost_personal/

(Looks like Ghost Software got purchased by Symantec.)

Ghost was created as a way to create boilerplate software installations and
distribute them.  It currently works rather well as a way of backing up an
entire disk partition quickly.  A "ghosted" image file can be spanned across
multiple CD-Rs, and the backup set can be a bootable CD-ROM.  Individual
files can be extracted from the .GHO image files from a Windows application.


Subject: [6-7-6] PowerQuest - Drive Image Special Edition for CD-R
(2001/03/03)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT4, 2K), DOS
See http://www.powerquest.com/

Drive Image 4.0 is a hard drive cloning program that includes CD-R/CD-RW
support.  Images may span multiple discs.  It comes with "DataKeeper"
to make automatic backups easier.


Subject: [6-7-7] Centered Systems - Second Copy
(1999/03/07)

Platforms supported: Windows (3.1, 95, NT)
See http://www.centered.com/  (shareware)

Second Copy maintains a duplicate of your files on a different system
or removable media.  It runs in the background and constantly updates
the backup.  Useful for maintaining an archive of a few files; not
meant for full-system backups.


Subject: [6-7-8] FileWare - FileSync
(1999/03/07)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT)
See http://www.fileware.co.uk/products.htm  (shareware)

Similar to Second Copy, but with a different feature set.


Subject: [6-7-9] Novastor - NovaDISK
(1999/06/05)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT)
See http://www.novastor.com/backup/datasheets/cdrw.html

Backup software that is "CD-R aware".  Requires drive-letter access to
the drive, which has to be provided by another program (e.g. DirectCD).


Subject: [6-7-10] Roxio - Take Two
(2001/01/04)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT)
See http://www.roxio.com/

Image-based backup software.  Included with Easy CD Creator 4.


Subject: [6-7-11] NTI - Backup NOW!
(2002/02/27)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K, XP)
See http://www.ntibackupnow.com/

Full backup software for CD-R/CD-RW.  Includes data compression and
automatically spans multiple discs.  Supports file-level and image-level
backups.


Subject: [6-7-12] CeQuadrat - BackMeUp LT
(2000/04/17)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT)
See http://www.cequadrat.com/

(CeQuadrat was purchased by Adaptec in July 1999, and is now part of Roxio.)

Backup software, included as part of WinOnCD v3.7.


Subject: [6-7-13] Duncan Amplification - disk2disk
(2000/09/21)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K)
See http://www.duncanamps.com/disk2disk/  (demo available)

Inexpensive backup software for Windows.  Requires drive-letter access to
backup media, i.e. you need to have DirectCD or PacketCD installed.  Does
incremental and differential backups, and handles disc spanning.


Subject: [6-7-14] Pinnacle Systems - InstantBackup (was VOB)
(2001/01/04)

Platforms supported: Windows (95, NT, 2K)
See http://www.pinnaclesys.com/

Packet-based backup software, included with VOB's InstantCD (6-1-35).
[ I can't see info for it on the Pinnacle Systems page. ]


Subject: [6-7-15] Microsoft - Backup
(2002/01/03)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.microsoft.com/

Right click on a hard drive icon, select "Properties", click on the "Tools"
tab, and then click on "Backup".  With a packet-writing program installed,
this should work for simple tasks.


Subject: [6-7-15] Portlock Software - Storage Manager
(2002/05/28)

Platforms supported: Novell
See http://www.portlocksoftware.com/dvd.htm

Supports access to various formats (CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+RW) via Novell NetWare.
Useful for backups and disaster recovery.


Subject: [6-7-16] Willow Creek Software - Backup To CD-RW
(2003/05/23)

Platforms supported: Windows
See http://www.willowsoft.com/

Easy-to-use software for backing up data files.  Supports file compression
and spanning of large files across multiple discs.

You must have packet-writing software already installed in your system.


Subject: [6-7-17] TeraByte Unlimited - Image for Windows
(2003/06/05)

Platforms supported: Windows (98, NT, 2K, XP)
See http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/  (shareware)

Hard drive partition imaging software.  Creates block-by-block image
snapshots to recordable CD and DVD formats.


Subject: [6-8] How do I get customer support for bundled recording software?
(2000/03/30)

When you buy retail software, you are paying for a license to use the program.
Generally you are also paying for customer support that is provided at
little or no additional charge.

When you buy a drive with bundled software, you are buying a version of the
program for which customer support fees have not been paid.  The software
was provided to the hardware vendor at a reduced cost, so that the price
of the package you buy is lower than the price of the drive plus the price
of the software.

If you go to the store and buy the latest version of Fubar Software's Disc
Writing Thing, you should contact Fubar Software for customer support.  If you
buy a new Frobozzco 12X SkyWriter that comes bundled with Disc Writing Thing,
you will most likely be expected to contact Frobozzco with any problems you
may have, because Fubar Software isn't being compensated for support costs.