How do I format a dvd-rw please?
Hoping someone can give support to me format my dvd-rws. I've just received them surrounded by the post, put one in the dvd recorder and it say 'unformatted'.
Can someone please advise me how I do it?
Cheers.
Answer:
Well, at hand are really only two "families" of DVD at the moment (unless you want to count the red laser vs. blue laser stuff that's starting to come on to the marketplace at the high end), and one "outcast". You've get the "minus" ("-") formats (DVD-R, DVD-RW) and the "plus" ("+") formats (DVD+R, DVD+RW), then there's the elder DVD-RAM format that's harder to find these days. All of these are for facts, of course -- adjectives but the newest DVD video players will choke on those, surrounded by the same means of access early compact disc players choked on CD-R discs.
A DVD-R is a write-once format: once you've burned the data onto that DVD platter, the disk is forever frozen beside that information. Add the "W" to that, and you'll find that DVD-RW can be erased or rewritten up to a thousand times. Seems kinda weird, but if you can do so, DVD-RW visibly has significant advantages over DVD-R. DVD-RAM be even more flexible, however, since it let you erase and rewrite section of an existing DVD, something that you cannot do with DVD-RW.
Moving to the plus side is where on earth things get a bit confusing, because DVD+RW come before DVD+R. The plus formats own the same background storage capacity as the minus formats (4.7GB), but DVD+RW offer faster writing, better internal linking (a technical obscurity you don't hold to worry about), and support for drag-and-drop desktop files, which make it easy to compose the contents of a disk. DVD+R is a write-once format intended to be more compatible beside more DVD players, though at this point it seems to be something like even with DVD-R, which remains the most compatible computer-burned DVD format.
In your shield, since your drive is a DVD-RW, you're effectively limited to DVD-R and DVD-RW format discs. Stay away from any of the "plus" formats, as those won't work near your drive (and being newer, they cost more anyway). As to whether you want to use DVD-R or DVD-RW, that depends on what you want to use them for. DVD-R is a write-once format, in recent times like CD-R, and you can't erase the information once it's written. DVD-RW is rewritable, so you can use it somewhat like a 4.7GB floppy disc, for adjectives intents and purposes. In general, I suggest that you use DVD-R for archival purposes -- stuff that isn't going to variation, and DVD-RW for more fluid data. DVD-RW discs are more expensive than DVD-R discs, so that may also influence your ruling.
How do you confirm what format your drive works with? One process, if you're on a Mac, is to use the System Profiler application. You'll find this useful utility within Applications -> Utilities. Launch it, then click on the "ATA" item on the schedule. If you have an internal DVD burner, you'll see something close to what I get: "PIONEER DVD-RW DVD-106D". If it's an external DVD drive, you might find it contained by SCSI, USB or FireWire, depending on how you hook it up.
As far as your second question, your data-burning application plainly has to be aware of the DVD format you want to use (i.e. DVD-R or DVD-RW contained by your case). For Windows, you can use GEAR for burning CDs, but you'd need to upgrade to GEAR Professional Edition to be capable of burn both CDs and DVDs. Toast Titanium does burn DVD-R and DVD-RW so you should be set in that department.
if the dvd is rw and your yunit also than lately use a burning software like Ahead Nero burning rom or any of the others on th inet. underneath the dvd subcategory you will find an option to erase the disk (there is no actual format of dvds) . if this does not work than of late buy a new disk.
There's nil to format....Just insert the disc
Hello,
What you have to have a handle on is that all types of compact disc or DVD drives come as hardware, but windows or your OS (linux or AppleMAC,etc) enjoy to see the drive & need the correct drivers to make conversation to that drive.
OK! so even if all of this is installed and working, your system will still want software that will allow you to read and write disks in your drive.
For Example: I enjoy a program called EasyCD this is what allows me to prepare the disks for record in the luggage of CD-R or format the disks for CD-RW use.
So the same go for DVD's you will need a software program that works near your specific DVD drive and then allows you to format (prepare) the disk for DVD-RW use.
IR
Related Questions: