PC Hardware Annoyances

PERFORMANCE ANNOYANCES

NO SPACE AFTER FORMATTING

The Annoyance:

Why do I see 0MB of usable space after I format a CD-RW disc?

The Fix:

The trouble is often in the writing software itself. For example, this issue occurs with Nero’s InCD Version 4.0.3.2 and some AOpen CD-RW drives (DRW2412Pro) under Windows XP (SP1). Check with the writing software maker for a patch or update. For InCD, update to 4.0.1.11 or later to resolve the problem (http://www.nero.com/en/nero-up.php). If no suitable patch or upgrade exists, try an alternate RW utility, such as Roxio’s Drag-to-Disc (http://www.roxio.com).

MOVING TO 80 MINUTES AND BEYOND

The Annoyance:

Why can’t I burn 80 minute CDs with my drive? Do I need an upgrade? Can I upgrade the drive I have?

The Fix:

Ordinary CD-R discs can fit 74 minutes (650MB) of music onto a single disc. CD manufacturers normally leave the last six minutes blank to prevent fingerprints and other goop along the edge of the disc from interfering with reading or writing. If you want to use all 80 minutes (700MB), you’ll need a disc specifically marked for 80-minute use. You’ll also need a drive and writing software (such as Nero 6) capable of burning 80 minute discs (check the specifications of your drive and software).

However, that only gets you an extra six minutes (50MB). What about those funky discs that promise 90 or 99 minutes? To pack even more data on a CD, you can use a technique called “overburning,” which ignores the stated storage limit of the CD. As with oversized ...