Best brand cd's?

Rozmataz

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Joined
Jun 13, 2002
Posts
2,773
Loc
Fingerlakes Region of NYS
Does anyone have a favorite brand/format of cd to use to burn to?

I had some - that all seemed faulty and haven't ventured to use the burner again. But I am ready to attempt it again, now.

Pros? Cons? Cost? Etc.

Thanks

Roz
 
I like memorex myself.
 
We use Verbatim here. In addition to be known for good longevity, the ones we get some with printable tops, so you can throw them in a compatible inkjet printer and label them that way rather than with a sharpie (acidic ink).
 
I’ve honestly seen no difference in CDs whatever the brand. I get whatever is the cheapest – usually at Staples.

I’ve never had a problem, but, in fairness, I only use the CDs for weekly data backup, and for storing images. I’ve never (well, only once) used it for MP3, but it played well.

It might be your burner, Roz.
 
We have been using Imation for some time now after a dodgy run with Sony which used to be exceptional, I undersatnd the Verbatim ones are also very good. With the Imation CD's we have had only 3 coasters in the last 1000 burned that were [possibly] due to faults with the disk itself.

If you're after short term storage the cheap stuff is fine, if you want your files to last more than a few months then step up to a quality disk. The worst rate we've had [name forgotten] was returning nearly 20% as failed burns or unreadable a week later.

What software are you using to burn them?
 
I hope it isn't my burner... but yesterday I was experimenting. One cd burned just fine. The other one (from this same batch) did not.

I was downloading images. Previously just files. Nothing heavy.

I also had MAJOR trouble last year trying to load in my Lieberman's 4 cd set for the new data base. 1 cd would load fine. 2nd would be in the middle or near the end and a "corrupt installation file" note would appear. L's sent me a total of 3 sets and I had trouble with all 3. Without success on any of them.

Is this the cd "part" of my tower? Does it need a new one? suggestions welcome!!

Thanks,

Roz
 
Yea it's likely the drive. They're inexpensive to replace. You can get a dual layer cd & dvd burner for under $40, and have the newest technology.

I know of about 5 people that had problems loading the Lieb cd's and each of them had fairly old cd readers. Some early PC cd drives and consumer electronic devices (cd players, dvd players) have problems reading or were never designed to read burned cds. Commercially produced cd's are stamped, while the ones we burn in our pc's are thermally burned using a dye process. Even though they look the same, the process is very different. There was a thread on here, a couple months ago, that went into greater detail.

The dual layer dvds will hold about 12x as much info on a single disc, or you can continue using the inexpensive CD-R type cd's that are about 5-10 cents each (often on sale).

Mike
 
Mike,

Thanks... especially for the explanation about L's cd's! I guess I need a new cd drive...

Roz
 
I agree with Mike. The drive itself sounds like the culprit, especially since you are having troubles reading discs. When it comes to burning a CD or DVD, bad things can happen if the buffer runs dry when you are trying to write (especially audio CDs). Sometimes all you need to do to get things to work is get out of extraneous programs and refrain from loading the CPU. But reading indicates a different sort of problem (because it won't error due to latency the way it will during writes). Replace the drive. It's a fairly straightforward process once you get the case open.
 
Almost all the cd burner problems I have ever heard of was solved by burning them slower. Either the cd can't take the image at the speed the writer is trying or the writer doesn't write well at high speeds, but slowing down the burn has solved it most of the time. I burn music cds (for archival purposes only) at 2x. They play in anything.
 
Either the cd can't take the image at the speed the writer is trying or the writer doesn't write well at high speeds

Or your system has difficulty supplying the data fast enough to keep up with the burner. The problem with audio CDs is that there's no mechanism to skip over incorrectly burned tracks as with a CD burned with files. If you run out of data the sector is ruined. In a CD of files, you simply marke the sector as NFG and rewrite the data in another place. With audio it's just streaming bits so you can't screw up entire sectors (though there there is an error correction mechanism that allows you to recover from bit errors.)
 
Originally posted by TheDoctah:
Replace the drive. It's a fairly straightforward process once you get the case open.
Does that mean - I could do it myself!??!

Scary but exciting thought!

Roz
 
If you can frame, you can replace the drive yourself. To make it easy, locate the user manual for the computer. This will help you open the case without guessing.
Once the case is open and the front panel has been removed (you usually have to do this, but check the manual; they usually give you instructions on how to do this) make sure you touch the metal of the case to discharge any static electricity you may have built up. Then you can disconnect the data and power cables from the back of the old drive (put them directly on the new drive). It's really quite straightforward. But definitely find the manual first and find the place where they describe what to do. If you can't locate your hard copy, check the mfg's website. They may have it in .pdf.
 
Originally posted by TheDoctah:
If you can frame, you can replace the drive yourself.
Sounds good to me... my concern was the "static"...

Now - what kind of cd drive should I be looking at? I have Windows 2000 on my 4 year old computer...
 
My internal drive is a Pioneer (in a Mac). It’s about three years old but I’ve not had any problems with it.

I would suggest that you get a “super drive” i.e. one that burns and reads both CDs and DVDs. I never thought I’d have a use for burning DVDs, but with their massive storage capacity and the neat ability to produce vacation “videos” and stuff, I love it.
 
Sounds good to me... my concern was the "static"...

In a perfect world, you'd have a well grounded wrist strap. (You oughtta see the precautions we take here!) But you can get away without one, so long as you touch the case and refrain from dragging your feet on the carpet.


Now - what kind of cd drive should I be looking at?

I'd agree with Bill's suggestion of a combo drive.
Here's one, for less than $30, delivered!

http://3btech.net/bllg48cddvdc.html
 
TheDoctah,

Thanks. Is that a site you have used and recommend? And, ahem, the drive is "black" - my tower is beige/almond.... not that is shows!!
 
I have not used that particular site, though I have bought parts over the internet before (without issue). I'm sure they have ivory versions of the same (or a similar) drive. I wouldn't want you to upset your aesthetic sensibilities. ;)
 
If you wanna spend a little more, here's one from a company I trust heavily (They shipped me an XBOX 360 today in fact). Their price for the drive is $40, INCLUDING Fedex 3 day shipping:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152058

This is for the highly rated NEC dual layer multipurpose drive.

NEC Black 16X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 16X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2M Cache IDE/ATAPI DVD Burner - OEM
Model #: ND-3550A BK OEM
 
Got SLAMMED and the cd burner has been put on the back "burner" til after the holidays!! But thanks for askin'!!! Input still welcome!!

Happy Happy!
 
I burned my first CD when they first came out. 9 years ago. It was "Verbatim" Still works perfect to this day despite the many scratches. Stick with the blue!
 
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