[Rob8UrChips]

Hi Folks,

I've been using a Lite-On external DVD writer for about a year now and only today noticed I may have been making a BIG mistake when burning to DVD (and CD).

I use 4.7GB discs and usually fill them to around 4.3GB before finalising. Today I finalised a disc with 4.1GB on it and the finalisation box indicated for the first time ever that it was 100% finalised.

On all previous discs the finalisation info box either just flashed up and was gone, or indicated a percentage less than 100%.

I've been assuming all this time that the finalisation was still being completed to 100%, but I'm not so sure now.

So, is there a safe MAXIMUM that can be burnt to a 4.7GB disc and still have sufficient space for 100% finalisation?

And similarly for 700MB CD's?

Thanks folks (and please feel free to ).

[cbell]

What program are you using to burn? Every program I've ever used tells me if I'm trying to put too much data on the dvd/cd. If you don't get a warning, then you're not over-filling it. It's possible to overburn a cd or dvd, but you usually have to set that up manually in the options, and it should still warn you if you're about to do an overburn. I wouldn't worry about it if you're not getting any warnings

[Rob8UrChips]

Thanks for responding cbell, I was beginning to get a complex about being ignored

The burn prog is the one that came with the drive. It does refuse to burn anything that overfills the disc, but after seeing this finalisation box indicating a full 100% for the first time in a year, it got me wondering if the prog allows too much to be burnt to disc then leave insufficient space to fully finalise.

It would be a disaster if I found the few hundred discs were unplayable on a different or new writer because they weren't finalised fully or properly.

Short of prematurely buying a new Writer, I've no access to see if my suspicions are well founded - and I sincerely hope they're not.

Can a disc be only partially finalised anyway?

Thanks again, my friend.

[cbell]

I'm pretty sure that all 'finalizing' means is simply to close off the disk so that it can't be written on any further. If you write to the end of the disk, then logically there's no real need to finalize it. Finalizing doesn't do anything to the actual data on a cd/dvd (I'm basing this on the fact that if you start burning a cd, and pull the power plug on the computer half way through, before it finalizes, the data you burned up to that point still works). So I wouldn't worry about it. But you could probably test it by making a completely full audio cd, and trying it in a cd player.

[Rob8UrChips]

Aha, yes!! Good idea cbell. Can do that with mp3's and try playing the disc on my DVD/VCR attached to the telly/TV.

You're a saviour
- THANKS