Creating the medium

dvdisaster Version 0.72.4 / 0.72 (pl4) | To the Internet version

Contents
News
Overview
Howtos
· | The big picture
· | Scanning media for errors
· | Putting error correction data on a separate file
· | Putting error correction data on the medium
| - | Decision help
| - | Basic settings
| - | Creating the medium
| - | Advanced settings
· | Recovering media images
· | Getting information about images and error correction data
· | Testing image compatibility
· | Dialogs and buttons
Download
Questions and Answers
Bug reporting
Augmenting images with error correction data |
Walkthrough
dvdisaster is specialized in working with error correction data and reading of defective media. Creating ISO or UDF images and writing them to a medium is a totally different business, and also bears high complexity. We do not want to re-invent medium writing in dvdisaster. Instead we continue using the CD/DVD/BD writing software which you have got when purchasing your drive.
|  | First create an ISO image using your CD/DVD/BD writing software. Select the files you want to write to medium, but do not start the writing process yet. Instead, create an ISO image on your hard disk. Click on the image to the left to see a detailed walk-thorugh.
Detailed example: Creating an ISO image on hard disk. Since there are many different media writing programs available we are demonstrating the required steps by using the popular GNU/Linux software K3b as an example. If you are using a different software you should be able to figure out the required actions from the descriptions below.
Begin a new project. First open your media writing application. Many programs expect you to start a new project. Within the project you will then make the selections for the new medium. Using K3b: Begin a new project by clicking into the highlighted field ("New Data CD project") in the main window. |
Start new project
Select the files to be written on the medium. Typically there is a file selection dialog from which you can select files or drag them into the project. Using K3b: Choose the required files in the upper half of the window. In the example the files backup.tar.gz, win.zip and work.tar.gz have been selected for writing onto CD. The currently selected files are shown in the lower window half. Important: Do not completely fill the medium. Make sure to keep at least 20% of the medium space for the error correction data. Using K3b: The currently used medium space is shown in the green bar at the bottom of the window (558,9 MB). |
File selection
Configuring the writing software. The software will let you choose the writing target before the actual writing process is invoked. Do not select the CD/DVD/BD writing drive here, but configure the creation of an ISO/UDF image on hard disk as described below. Hint: Remove all media from the drives before proceeding to make sure that you do not inadvertently start the writing process. Using K3b: Open the writing dialog tab by clicking on the "Burn" button near to the left edge of the window. |
Configuring the writing software
Selecting image writing. Most writing programs will simply let you click an option for creating the ISO image on hard disk. If your program seems to be missing this option you might have to select an "image recorder" instead of the actual CD burner. Using K3b: Select the "Writing" tab". Activate the "Only create image" option (marked in green). |
Selecting image creation
Select image file and type. Select the target directory, name and type for the image file. Use image files of type ".iso" or ".udf" only! Other image formats like ".nrg" are not supported by dvdisaster; processing such image files with dvdisaster will render them unusable without further notice or error messages. Using K3b: Choose the "Image" tab. Enter the target directory for the file (the example file "medium.iso" will be put into the sub directory "/var/tmp/cg"). K3b will always create .iso images so there are no choices to be made for the image type. |
Image file selection
|  | When you have prepared the image switch over to dvdisaster. Make sure that it has been configured as described in the basic settings.
|  | Select the directory and file name of the ISO image which you have just created.
|  | Augment the image with error correction data by clicking on the "Create" button.
|  | Please wait while the error correction data is created. This may take a while depending on the image size and the available free space on the medium. Processing a DVD image with about 20-30% free space should take about 5-10 minutes on recent hardware.
|  | Please note: dvdisaster does not create a new image, but will rather augment the existing one. Look at the image in the file manager before and after processing it with dvdisaster and note how its size increases.
|  | Write the augmented ISO image on the medium. Select the augmented image in your writing software and start the writing process. Click on the screen shot to the left for a detailed example.
Detailed example: Writing the ISO image on the medium.
Select writing of the image. Now open your media writing software again. Invoke the mode for writing pre-existing .iso images on the medium. Using K3b: Click on the highlighted field ("Burn CD image") in the main window. |
Select image writing
Image selection. Select the image you have just created and augmented with dvdisaster. Using K3b: Use the field marked in green to select the image file or enter its name directly. |
Image selection
More settings. Select the "DAO" ("disk at once") writing mode if supported by your drive. This improves the compatibility between the medium and the error correction. In addition this prevents you from accidentally adding more sessions to the disc which would destroy the error correction data. Using K3b: Choose "DAO" in the field marked yellow. |
More settings
Writing the medium. Now start the writing process. Using K3b: Click on the "Start" button in the window from the previous screen shot.
Screen shot: Writing the medium
|  | Finished! You have now created a CD which is protected by error correction code.
Related information Check whether the writing process has affected the error correction data. It is recommended to perform this test once every time you change to a new version (or vendor) of your media writing software to make sure that it interoperates well with dvdisaster.

Copyright 2004-2012 Carsten Gnörlich. Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium, provided this notice is preserved.