CD with disappering files?

[paulie_smith1]

<p>Burned a CD for a friend, gave it to him and we checked out the images on it on his computer. He had it for a week and then got busy setting up his webpage. When he put the CD in the computer to get the images there was nothing on it. His computer said it was blank. He took it home and tried it on two more computers with the same result.<br>

How does a CD lose information totally so it shows on a computer that nothing at all is on it?<br>

I thought it could get corrupted or scratched or unreadable, but showing nothing on it? We know it is the same one because it is one particular CD brand I use and had my writing on it for ID purposes.</p>

 

[dennis_oconnor6]

<p>Was it an RW CD? Did his machine do an 'automatic' quick format of the disc when he inserted it, or did he accidentally erase the files thinking it was another CD?</p>

[peterbcarter]

<p>Sounds like you didn't close the session. Until you do, the directory does not become active.</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>Paulie, it can happen, typically not this fast though. I would ask your friend to check if he made any changes to the machine, though probably it's just easier to create the CD again.</p>

[Matt Laur]

<p>Yup - an un-closed session on the CD, and your other user isn't using software that can see the tracks without the fully mastered TOC present on the CD.</p>

[waltflanagan]

<blockquote>

<p>Burned a CD for a friend, gave it to him and we checked out the images on it on <strong><em>his</em></strong> computer.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Just to clarify, did you check the CD on your computer or his computer as you posted? If you checked it on your computer then all the stuff about unclosed sessions is probably correct. If you checked it on his computer and now a week later his same computer can't read it then the CD has probably gone bad. I would check the CD on your computer though. Normally one might expect that to go bad after 5-10 years not 5-10 days but however unlikely it is possible and it is possible that a critical portion has gone bad so that nothing is readable.</p>

[paulie_smith1]

<p>Hey folks, I wish it were as simple as an unclosed session. That is not the case. I have my copy here and open it without a problem.<br>

I opened his at his shop and we both looked at the images.<br>

The burning program finalizes the thing each time I close a CD when burning. I don't do any CD's in more than one session. No, it was not a re-writable CD. I don't have any of them<br>

So, I did burn a copy again and got it to him and this one is working OK.<br>

Just can't figure out why a CD that would open fine has no information on it later, after we had both opened and looked at the images on each of our machines when I took it to him.</p>

[peter_mounier]

<p>I've burned cds of <strong>tiff</strong> images that were saved with the Macintosh byte order, that couldn't be opened on a pc. Now I always save tiffs with the pc byte order if I'm burning them for someone else, regardless of which computer they're using.</p>

<p>Peter</p>

[bob_sunley]

<p>Burnt CD's just die sometimes, esp when written at xx speed your burner defaults to. I've seen them last less than an hour, others from the same spindle are still good more than a decade later.</p>

<p> </p>

[Ed_Ingold]

<p>A defective CD might show errors, but not completely blank. You're leaving something out of this story. In all probability, it was recorded with an incompatible format, or re-recorded accidently by the individual. Discs which have not been closed can have data added to them. If the directory to the original data is not copied correctly, the disc may appear empty.</p>

<p>You don't say what software was used, but in the future you need to be more careful. Data discs should be recorded in ISO or UDF format and closed at the end of the burn. Drag-and-drop writing is usually packet based to emulate a floppy disc, and is not universally readible and subject to data loss if further data is added.</p>

[chris_letts]

<p>We've had plenty of situations where a CD burned correctly on one machine is readable on some, but not on others.<br>

Our conclusion there was that the drive burning the CD was a little out of alignment and some readers could cope with that, some couldn't.</p>

[paulie_smith1]

<p>Went to the friends yesterday and we checked out the new one I burned. It is OK this time - BUT, the first one showed the images on his machine when we put it in last time. This after it showed the images in Photoshop on my computer after burning the first time.<br>

He has thrown the cd out so can't check it. But I am still wondering what could come up to show the CD empty and without information after we both saw the images on his computer when I took it to him.<br>

Just one more glitch and computer mystery?</p>