TECH: Copying CD

Subject: TECH: Copying CD
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 29 Jul 02 - 09:24 PM

I've been running of a few copies-produced CD. I use Adaptec, with a CD copying facility. Only thing is, every now and again it decides to stop copying the disc after onlyt some of the tracks are done. Maybe it'll copy all except the last one; maybe it'll just copy the first one. And maybe it'll go sweetly ahead and copy them all.

It occurred to me that I might be making too heavy demands on the PC's memory, so I avoided asking it to do anything else - such as visit Mudcat or browse around on the Internet; and I shut down any programs that might have been running in the background. But it still seems to happen, randomly.

Has anybody got any idea what might be the problem, and if there is anything I can do to avoid it?

Subject: RE: TECH: Copying CD
From: GUEST,Dale
Date: 29 Jul 02 - 09:36 PM

I know it is an extra expense, but have you thought of adding a writer with burn-proof capabilities? At work we use Plextors, and have burned several thousand CDs with no more than a couple of failures. Read more about it here ~~ http://www.techtv.com/products/hardware/story/0,23008,3320213,00.html

Subject: RE: TECH: Copying CD
From: Justa Picker
Date: 29 Jul 02 - 09:42 PM

Kevin,
I think what you're describing is referred to as the notorious "buffer underrun" - which means the read material isn't being written as fast as its read, and usually happens when making a CD to CD copy.

Best solution, is to always copy the tracks to your hardrive first, and then burn from the hardrive to your burner.

Also, shut down anything else thats running in the background (chewing up resources, memory, etc.) If running Windows, the only 2 programs you should have running (before launching the burn program) are Explorer and Systray. Everything else should be closed.

The newer versions of Adaptec Easy CD Creator have buffer under-run protection" which is a little bit of added insurance - but best to copy the tracks to you hard drive first, and then burn them to the CD. Hope this helps.

Subject: RE: TECH: Copying CD
From: Robin2
Date: 29 Jul 02 - 09:47 PM

Not sure if this is the same problem, but I too was having bad disks (some disks would copy all the tracks, some would not)...I slowed the copying speed down to 8X (I have a 24X speed burner) After I slowed the speed down, the problem has gone away.

Robin

Subject: RE: TECH: Copying CD
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 29 Jul 02 - 10:14 PM

Thanks helpful friends.

Well, my burner is only 8x to start with, but I think I'll try slowing it down to 4x and see if that helps. As well as closing any other files that are running in the background. (Though how about createcd and directcd ?)

Since I've only got one CD drive, Adaptec copies the tracks to a file on the hard drive anyway. I suppose I could copy to an ordinary file myself, and load it across "by hand", but would that be any more likely to avoid the problem.

Subject: RE: TECH: Copying CD
From: Robin2
Date: 29 Jul 02 - 10:25 PM

I also found that downloading the Cd to my hardrive and copying from there helped

Robin

Subject: RE: TECH: Copying CD
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Jul 02 - 10:28 PM

Justa Picker is wrong about what buffer underrun is.

Buffer-Underrun

When writing a CD, the data has to be written continuously, i.e. there may be no breaks in the data flow. At e.g. 2x burn speed this means that the data is written at 352 KB / second. As of course the computer can not supply a constant stream of data (as it transfers it block by block), the CD recorders have got a buffer which temporarily stores the data sent by the computer and then sends it on to the writer at the correct speed.

If the computer does not manage to keep refilling the buffer during the write process (i.e. the buffer is emptied completely), then the write laser does not have any more data to write so the write process has to be interrupted. This situation is called a "Buffer Underrun". Unfortunately it is not usually possible to "restart" the write laser (unless the recorder is "Burn-Proof"-capable), which means the CD can not be written on any more after a Buffer-Underrun, it is defective. (the parts which have already been recorded can usually be played)

Subject: RE: TECH: Copying CD
From: Justa Picker
Date: 29 Jul 02 - 10:28 PM

Shut down Direct CD but leave createcd...(along with Explorer and Systray. (Everything else shut down.) Burn at 4X - regardless of your burner's speed capabilities. Leave the faster burn speeds for archiving data and non music files.