Using multi session on CD-R

[dian]

Hello all..., long not meet you all here, must pass alot of great pics you dudes have posted here :O Ishould check them all later :G.

Btw, I need you help on how to burn photos with CD-R (NOT RW), is it OK if I'm using the multi session (not finalized) mode instead of single session?, so I could add more/another fileslater..?

Are there any risks on the files or the CD-R if I'm using this mode ?, btw I'm using Nero to burning photos to the CD-R.

Your opinion and advices much much appreciated,

Best Regards,

-dian-

[LoveLife]

dian wrote:

Hello all..., long not meet you all here, must pass alot of great pics you dudes have posted here :O Ishould check them all later :G.

Btw, I need you help on how to burn photos with CD-R (NOT RW), is it OK if I'm using the multi session (not finalized) mode instead of single session?, so I could add more/another fileslater..?

Are there any risks on the files or the CD-R if I'm using this mode ?, btw I'm using Nero to burning photos to the CD-R.

Your opinion and advices much much appreciated,

Best Regards,

-dian-

Yes but make sure your reader if not a computer supports multi-session.

[seemolf]

Hi dian,
I don't use nero, but please be careful!
Your burning software has to read the old session(s) and is able to add a new one.
But (!) it can also deleted old sessions, you have to know excactly what you are doing!
Multisession is not first choice for archiving, but for some temporary sessions.
TMO archiving should be done in a single session lateron.
Sven

[slipe]

I've been into burners since 2X was the latest and greatest. I've never had problems with multi-session if it is set up properly. The software has to write the lead in for the next session with the previous one. If the software doesn't do that you can read only the last session and people get the impression the previous one was removed. If it is set up properly the software writes the necessary code to read all of the sessions and there is no problem.

I think all burning software anymore is defaulted to write multi-session. Nero is, and the built-in XP software only writes multi-session to the best of my knowledge.

Even if you set it up wrong the data is still there. There is freeware to recover the data you can't see, but I've never had to use it.

You lose about 15Mb in housekeeping with each session. So you will lose a lot of space if you put 20 sessions on a CD. Other than that I see no disadvantage to multi-session. It is better IMO to add smaller sessions if you have no other backup compared to having all of the data at risk until you accumulate 680 or so Mb to write to CD. CDRs are cheap.

Once you get a working multi-session CD, the only advantage I see to consolidating it into a single session is the redundancy of having a second CD for archive. I don't find multi-session CDs any less reliable than single session.

[Idle]

The only objection I have to multi-session is that a lot of the CD's I burned in 2X days (circa 1997) on discs that then cost up to $10 each are now proving unreadable.

This despite their being stored under cool, dark and dry conditions.

Some of the single session ones are as well, but not nearly as many.

If I'm archiving something important nowadays I make two discs (and cross my fingers...)

[dian]

Thanksmany much LoveLife, Sven,Slipe!!for the very useful explanations.

LoveLife, my computer using Windows Xp, but still one of my CD/DVD drawer can't read last session I have made..:?, gladly another one just read them fine.:-)

Sven and Slipe.., I already havesome examples of CDRs (single-session CD) full of photos burned with multisession mode (not finalized yet),but actuallyI don't have any plans to even add the second session to these CDRs as they're already full, and I have stored them as archival CDRs for me.

As I dont want to add anything to these CDRs, what should I do ???,

1. finalizing these CDRsso they'll be a real singlesession (is this too late?)

2.or let these CDRsasImake them??(singlesession CD/CDRswithmultisession ability)

3.is itbetter toburn our CDRs (singlesession CD) only with singlesession mode by software??

Any differences of files quality and reliabilitybetween the three options above??

Which is better, to use Nero or built-in XP software, or another software, again, what are the differences..?

I'm so sorryfor these long posted guys..!:shock:as I'm so confusedonburning my first digital archives, as what I knowCDRs is for singlesessioncds , and CDRWs is for multisessioncds but in the application (with software) they can be reversed, wrong..???

[dian]

Thanks Idle,do you mean you used the CD multisession (CDRWs)or multi session mode in software, or both..?

This is my idea, makethemfifteen discs, with five different brands,each brand (two of them are CDRs,one CDRWs) burn with different modes (single & multi session).

[Idle]

Software multi-session -- RW's are handy at times, but have never been a long-term storage option.

BTW, indications are that writeable DVD's will have the same problems over time -- some of my earlier burns are already becoming quite iffy.

A great deal depends upon the media quality, of course, and upon how well a particular batch of discs suits your burner.

[Narmer]

Thanks to all of you, espec. to IDLE

in a recent post I also rehearsed the importance to have at least 2 backups-

I recently erased from my 2nd HDisk about 20 directories with trekking photos and before doing that I made a second backup of the files (on good type/maRK CD).

Recent researches seem to show that MAGNETIC tapr is far more reliable than CD-DVD-HDfor archiviation purposes: the latter can loose their opacity or their shape and become partly or totally unreadable within a few years or at best after 2-3 decades (which would be already very good).

This is why also digital photography has ultimately a cost (archiviation of backup photos) and it's better not to really shoot and keep thousands of pics, but only the best ones

[seemolf]

Magnetic Tape? ok, but please tell me which tapes were used 10 (20)years ago. I bet you will not find a new tape device for these tapes.....

These are my steps up to now:

SD-card

- temporary copy to mobile harddisk (vosonic)

- transfer to PC harddisk

- preliminary copy - DVD - (multi-session if needed)

- formatting SD card

- postprocessing, sorting

- archiving - best quality DVD / CD - slow speed, single layer

- second DVD backup (diff. brand) as soon as files are deleted from harddisk.

So there are at least two copies at any time.

After reading this thread there will an intensive evaluation of DVDs and an anual test procedure for archived DVDs.

Sven