Cannot format a DVD+R

Gordon wrote:
> On 25/08/2010 19:17, Buffalo wrote:
>
>>
>> Thanks for the replies. The computer tries to format them when I use
>> the Backup feature in the "Bsckup and Restore" feature
>
> I didn't think that the built-in Windows backup feature was able to
> use a writable DVD....certainly the prior versions couldn't.
> Try making the backup to your HDD and then burning the file to a DVD
> using Windows Explorer or a third-party burning application...

Sounds like a good idea. I will try that and report back.
Windows Backup lets me choose the DVD drive and it also states, in the help
section, that I could use an UDB drive or a DVD for backup.
Thanks
Buffalo

Buffalo wrote:
> Gordon wrote:
>> On 25/08/2010 19:17, Buffalo wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Thanks for the replies. The computer tries to format them when I use
>>> the Backup feature in the "Bsckup and Restore" feature
>>
>> I didn't think that the built-in Windows backup feature was able to
>> use a writable DVD....certainly the prior versions couldn't.
>> Try making the backup to your HDD and then burning the file to a DVD
>> using Windows Explorer or a third-party burning application...
>
> Sounds like a good idea. I will try that and report back.
> Windows Backup lets me choose the DVD drive and it also states, in
> the help section, that I could use an UDB drive or a DVD for backup.
> Thanks
> Buffalo

Whoops, of course I meant an USB drive.
Buffalo

Gene E. Bloch wrote:

> To answer Crash Dummy's question: what I have against RWs is that
> when I used CD and DVD RWs for backup, I found that the disks would
> fail after a few, maybe 10, reuses. Of course, they're OK up to that
> point :-)

I've never had that problem, but I don't use DVD's for backup. I use an
external drive. For long term storage, a remote site. I use rewritable
DVD's for file and image storage, though, and never had any lost data
problems.

--
Crash

"Something there is that doesn't love a wall, that wants it down."
~ Robert Frost ~

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:51:01 -0600, "Buffalo" <>
wrote:

>I have a bunch of DVD+Rs right now.
>Do they not work with Win7 Home Premium or is it just this laptop or ?
>Thanks
>Buffalo
>

DVD+R's work fine with Windows 7. To see if they work with your
laptop, check the laptop's specs, but chances are very nearly 100%
that they work fine with your laptop. So that leaves the application
you're using, and of course the possibility of user error.

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:20:58 -0400, Dave "Crash" Dummy wrote:

> Gene E. Bloch wrote:
>
>> To answer Crash Dummy's question: what I have against RWs is that
>> when I used CD and DVD RWs for backup, I found that the disks would
>> fail after a few, maybe 10, reuses. Of course, they're OK up to that
>> point :-)
>
> I've never had that problem, but I don't use DVD's for backup. I use an
> external drive. For long term storage, a remote site. I use rewritable
> DVD's for file and image storage, though, and never had any lost data
> problems.

Because of the problems I had, and because USB hard drives got pretty
cheap, I gave up on DVDs & CDs maybe 5 years ago. It wouldn't surprise me
if the disks and drives are better today. And for all I know I was using
cheap RW disks (I just don't remember any more).

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

Char Jackson wrote:
> On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:51:01 -0600, "Buffalo" <>
> wrote:
>
>> I have a bunch of DVD+Rs right now. Do they not work with Win7 Home
>> Premium or is it just this laptop or ? Thanks Buffalo
>>
>
> DVD+R's work fine with Windows 7. To see if they work with your
> laptop, check the laptop's specs, but chances are very nearly 100%
> that they work fine with your laptop. So that leaves the application
> you're using, and of course the possibility of user error.

I believe the DVD+R's work fine for general file saving, it is only when
you try to use them with the Windows Backup program that problems arise.
--
Crash

What happens online, stays online.

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:41:46 -0400, "Dave \"Crash\" Dummy"
<> wrote:

>Char Jackson wrote:
>> On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:51:01 -0600, "Buffalo" <>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I have a bunch of DVD+Rs right now. Do they not work with Win7 Home
>>> Premium or is it just this laptop or ? Thanks Buffalo
>>>
>>
>> DVD+R's work fine with Windows 7. To see if they work with your
>> laptop, check the laptop's specs, but chances are very nearly 100%
>> that they work fine with your laptop. So that leaves the application
>> you're using, and of course the possibility of user error.
>
>I believe the DVD+R's work fine for general file saving, it is only when
>you try to use them with the Windows Backup program that problems arise.

In that case, the fault lies with the brain dead application, and my
advice would be to use a different backup app, (there are many, some
of which are free), or to save the backup to different media such as a
hard drive. Once saved, it can still be burned to DVD's, if desired.

On 25 Aug 2010, "Buffalo" <> wrote in
alt.windows7.general:

> Nothing at this time, but I have a bunch of DVD+Rs right now.
> Do they not work with Win7 Home Premium or is it just this laptop
> or ? Thanks

It's not a question of whether they work with Win7 or not, or with the
laptop or not. It's a question of what kinds of disk the optical drive
itself will support. Some take +Rs, some take -Rs, some take both. You
have to look at the drive's specs.

There are many online essays about the differences between the discs
themselves:

<http://www.google.com/search?q=dvd%2Br+vs+dvd-r>

Nil wrote:
> On 25 Aug 2010, "Buffalo" <> wrote in
> alt.windows7.general:
>
>> Nothing at this time, but I have a bunch of DVD+Rs right now.
>> Do they not work with Win7 Home Premium or is it just this laptop
>> or ? Thanks
>
> It's not a question of whether they work with Win7 or not, or with the
> laptop or not. It's a question of what kinds of disk the optical drive
> itself will support. Some take +Rs, some take -Rs, some take both. You
> have to look at the drive's specs.
>
> There are many online essays about the differences between the discs
> themselves:
>
> http://www.google.com/search?q=dvd%2Br+vs+dvd-r

Thanks,
The optical drive is supposed to take this kind of DVD.
Buffalo
PS: I can't even burn a simple data disk with this computer and look at it
on the same or on another computer.
I cab see (visually) that something was recorded, but the computer(s) read
the disk as empty or needing to be formated
Damn, I thought Win7 was supposed to make things simpler and more operator
friendly.
Buffalo

On Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:23:39 -0600, Buffalo wrote:

> Nil wrote:
>> On 25 Aug 2010, "Buffalo" <> wrote in
>> alt.windows7.general:
>>
>>> Nothing at this time, but I have a bunch of DVD+Rs right now.
>>> Do they not work with Win7 Home Premium or is it just this laptop
>>> or ? Thanks
>>
>> It's not a question of whether they work with Win7 or not, or with the
>> laptop or not. It's a question of what kinds of disk the optical drive
>> itself will support. Some take +Rs, some take -Rs, some take both. You
>> have to look at the drive's specs.
>>
>> There are many online essays about the differences between the discs
>> themselves:
>>
>> http://www.google.com/search?q=dvd%2Br+vs+dvd-r
>
> Thanks,
> The optical drive is supposed to take this kind of DVD.
> Buffalo
> PS: I can't even burn a simple data disk with this computer and look at it
> on the same or on another computer.
> I cab see (visually) that something was recorded, but the computer(s) read
> the disk as empty or needing to be formated
> Damn, I thought Win7 was supposed to make things simpler and more operator
> friendly.
> Buffalo

What you wrote there is a typical result of not finalizing the disk, which
is usually done during the burn process. I.e., *before* you start the burn,
you tell the software whether or not to finalize the disk.

But there is this caveat: it *should* still be readable on the same
computer if you use the program that wrote it.

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)