Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
there.
Unfortunately, Windows versions up through Windows XP don't support packet writing or the UDF
file system directly, so drivers must be loaded to read packet-written discs, and a packet-writing
application must be used to write them. Fortunately, though, these typically are included with CD-RW
and DVD rewritable drives The ISOBuster data recovery program reads the contents of damaged CD,
DVD, and BD discs and can also be used as a UDF reader.
Windows Vista and newer all support UDF much more thoroughly than previous Windows versions.
They are able to format optical media using the Live File System (LFS—Microsoft's term for UDF
2.01), older UDF versions (1.02, 1.5), and the new UDF version 2.5, as well as Mastered. UDF 2.01
discs can be read by Windows XP or later, and they support drag-and-drop file copying on Windows
8, 7, or Vista. UDF version 1.02 is designed for use with DVD-RAM media and is supported by
Windows 98 and many Apple computers. UDF version 1.5 works with Windows 2000/XP and Linux
systems using kernel version 2.6 or greater. UDF version 2.5 is supported by Windows 8, Windows
7, and Vista. For Linux kernel 2.6.20 and later support of UDF version 2.5, install the UDF-2.50
patch available from http://sourceforge.net .
Note
By default, Windows Vista and newer use the LFS (UDF 2.01) to format optical discs. To
choose between LFS and Mastered (copies all files at once; does not support drag-and-drop
file copying), select Show Formatting Options in the Burn a Disc dialog box. To choose a
different UDF version, select Show Formatting Options and then Change Version in the Burn a
Disc dialog box.
Note
Windows XP also has limited CD-RW support in the form of something called IMAPI (image
mastering application program interface), which enables data to be temporarily stored on the
hard drive (staged) before being written to the CD in one session. Additional sessions can be
written to the same disc, but a 50MB overhead exists for each session. This gives some of the
appearance of packet writing, but it is not really the same thing. To read packet-written discs in
the UDF 1.5 or later format, you must install a UDF reader just as with previous versions of
Windows. Instead of using IMAPI, I recommend installing a third-party CD-mastering program
that also includes packet-writing UDF support, such as Roxio Creator 2012 or Nero.
When you remove a packet-written disc from the drive, the packet-writing software first asks whether
you want the files to be visible in all drives. If you do, you must close the session. Even if the session
is closed, you can still write more to the disc later, but there is an overhead of wasted space every
time you close a session. If you are going to read the disc in a rewritable drive, you don't have to
close the session because it will be capable of reading the files even if the session isn't closed.
Caution
If you are not sure what type of drive will be used to read the media, I recommend closing the
media. This enables users of various types of drives to read the media, although a compatible
 
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