Using DVD as a "big floppy"

A while ago I used a computer which had software enabling you to use

a DVD RW disk as basically a "big floppy drive", i.e. you could read

and write to it just like it was a regular system disk.

 

This would be useful for archiving and I wonder if anyone knows the

name of such a software package (even better if it's freeware!).

 

I do have software to write to the DVD, but you have to load it up,

go though menus, select files etc. It would be much more convenient

to be able to treat it as "just another drive" for writing.

 

I looked around on Google but didn't dig up much.

Bob,

 

The Roxio Easy Media Creator Home software does what you need; and even more... See it at www.roxio.com.

 

Best, George

Bob; I think I used In-Cd; it was abit slow. Sometimes this stuff will conflict or cripple other burning software; so you might want to have copies of the drivers you are already using for your burners.

The terms you want to search for are "DVD-RAM" and "Mount Rainier".

First of all, writing large amounts of data this way is very slow, and secondly the results aren't archival, third, you'll most likely have numerous compatibility problems trying to read the disks on other computers.

<I>It would be much more convenient to be able to treat it as "just another drive" for

writing.</I><P>

 

That's the way Macs work - just drag your files over.

this isn't an answer to your question but one of those portable usb storage devices will do what you want, i have seen them as big as 2.5 gigs which isn't quite as large as a dvd but it will certainly work better.

My LG DVD (re)writer came with a program I had never heard of: B's Recorder Gold. One of the parts of the program is B's clip which has this possibility. I have used it only a few times, as far as I remember it's just drag and drop. I have no idea about compatibility issues.

 

In fact I'm writing this text on another PC, just inserted the DVD-RW in question in the DVD drive, it reads the (B's clip) DVD without any problems.

 

BTW as far as I remember all CD burning software I have used contained a similar feature.

Bob,

 

Two ways to do it; UDF packet writing software, and Mt. Ranier. Both will reduce the space available on disc. Mt. Ranier is quicker, but few drives support it. Nearly all of them support packet writing.

 

Nero's InCD 4 packet writing system, part of the Ultra package available for $10 to $40, will accomplish your goals nicely. In use, it's nearly transparent. DVDs behave as if they were slow hard disks.

 

DI

Thats interesting - I haven't even installed any DVD writing software and I'm using Windows XP (I don't believe I just said that) to do exactly that. Basically I can drag files to the disk or I can right click them and say send to DVD, then I tell Windows to write it out...DVD-R or DVD-Ram I get the same results. Quick and painless.

 

Andrew

Andrew - is that XP Professional or XP Home?

 

I'd read about the feature, but either I'm too dumb to find it or it's one of the XP Professional features that they left out of XP Home.

Andrew:

 

XP doesn't natively support packet writing. It will burn multisession discs, which is to say that you can add files in more than one burning session, but it won't let you delete from the disc. Each additional session uses more space strictly for formatting. And burning isn't immediate; 'Send to DVD' just copies the files to a hard drive image. You must then tell it to burn.

 

Bob, you've spent more on glass than I have on four years of computer hardware. Surely you can afford to spend $20 on proper burning software.

 

DI

Well I have "Record Now" and it works just fine. There's no "drag and drop", but that's more of a convenience than a necessity.

 

I did try CDBurnerXP Pro, and it seemed to write OK (at least it thought it did) - the only problem was that my system wouldn't read the disk!

 

Actually "Record Now" didn't work with DVD+RW disks either until I updated the firmware on my DVD writer (HP 300c).

 

Maybe I should quit while I'm ahead...

<B><a href=http://www.techsunny.com/.sc/ms/dd/1111896405242671/9/nc/ee/1306/Nero%20Suite%206%2E3%20New%20vision%20DVD^2FCDRW%20Software%20w^2FSerial>Nero OEM. $4.</a></b>

<p>

Come on Bob. Four bucks. It upgrades to 6.6 without issue. No shipping, and the note about requiring a hardware order is not enforced.

<p>

DI

Bob; our old HP 2.5Ghz XP-Pro Box had the HP "Record Now" software; which I didnt bond well with. This was almost two years ago; with a CD writer. The steps seemed too many; or not as logical; for my Engineer brain. :) The drive was a 32x unit; I always wrote at full tilt; and with rare cases was too fast for a "too cheap ammo pack CD"; used just for temporary work. This box had the bad IDE controller; so it might have been this too. With the same CPU and CD writer on a new motherbaord; Win2000; and Nero; it writes at 40X; and rarely goofs up at all. The HP "record Now" would sometimes not do a multiple session burn; sometimes it would; almost like flipping a coin; random..

Nero is the Photoshop of optical storage software; highly recommended!