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The following table describes and compares
the duplication and backup capabilities of Easy CD Creator and DirectCD.
| Application
Program |
Media
Type |
Duplicate Audio Disc |
Duplicate
Data Disc |
Backup
Disc |
| Easy CD Creator |
CD-R |
Direct Copy: CD Copier
Deluxe; Rearrange Track Order: EasyCD Creator |
Use CD Copier Deluxe |
Multi-session allows more data to be added
later; cannot erase disc |
| CD-RW |
Will work, but you cannot play disc in car
audio/home stereo player |
Allows CD to be erased (if you make a mistake such as buffer underrun, etc.) |
Multi-session allows more
data to be added later; disc can be erased and you can start over |
| DirectCD |
CD-R |
Will not work |
*Formatted CD-R has lower capacity (about 620
MB); just drag and drop entire CD contents AFTER formatting CD-R disc |
*Can add files as if
writing to a hard disk (for example, drag and drop) |
| CD-RW |
Will not work |
*Formatted CD-RW has lower capacity (about 530
MB) |
*Can add files AND ERASE as
if writing to a hard disk drive (drag and drop) |
* Moving disc to another computer requires UDF reader to be installed on the target system.
The highlighted boxes indicate
recommended use for the specific task. The CD-RW disc that came with your system was
preformatted. Retail CD-RW media (not purchased through Dell) will require formatting
prior to use (if you intend to use this media with Direct CD).
Using Easy CD Creatorâ on a special write-once media allows you to permanently
store data in a format which is readable on virtually all CD-Recordable (CD-R) and Compact
Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) drives. Additionally, you can create audio CDs with your CD
recorder which are readable in your home or car CD player. You can also use a special
erasable media that allows you to rewrite information on a CD if you are using a
CD-ReWritable (CD-RW) drive.
The Universal Disk Format (UDF) is a file
system standard enabling a CD-Recordable drive to be used as a logical device on a
computer system. UDF lets you read files from and write files to a CD in your CD-R or
CD-RW drive. DirectCD creates discs with the UDF format to make the reading and writing
possible. Look for the udfrinst.exe file in the root directory of the installation CD for
your recordable CD software.
Using Easy CD Creatorâ Deluxe, you can copy files from your computer to a
recordable compact disc (CD). Using a special write-once media, Easy CD Creator allows you
to permanently store data in a format that is readable on virtually all CD-Recordable
(CD-R) and Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) drives. In addition, the audio CDs you
create with your CD recorder are readable in your home or car CD player. If you are using
a CD-ReWritable (CD-RW) drive, you can also use a special erasable media that allows you
to rewrite information on a CD.
You can use Easy CD Creator to:
- Compile CDs of your favorite music
- Archive data
- Back up your hard drive
- Disseminate information to field offices
- Distribute databases
- Create a test copy of a multimedia CD
- Make a master CD for disc duplication
- Duplicate a CD
- Erase and rewrite the contents on a CD
- Make a custom jewel case insert
- CD Spin Doctorä-allows you to make audio CDs from
traditional music sources including LPs and cassette tapes and to clean up the sound
quality before recording songs to CD.
- Picture CD Creator-allows you to make CDs containing your favorite photographs.
- Video CD Creator-allows you to make CDs containing videos or still images.
- Sound Editor-allows you to make changes to sound files on your hard drive before
recording them to CD.
- Session Selector-allows you to view any previous session of a multisession CD, not just
the last session.
If you have a CD-RW drive, you can use two
types of discs to make your own CDs:
- CD-Recordable (CD-R) discs
- CD-ReWritable (CD-RW) discs
CD-RW is a new technology and like CD-R, it
allows you to record information to a CD. What is new is that with CD-RW you can also
erase the contents of a CD and rewrite new information to it. Depending on how you want to
use your CD, each disc type offers unique advantages.
- Good for permanent data storage
- Less expensive per CD than CD-RW discs
- Readable on virtually all CD-ROM and CD-R drives
- Allows you to erase the data and rewrite new information (for example, updating files)
- Allows you to make a practice CD or to test the contents of a CD before making a
permanent one
- More cost effective for near-line data storage requirements than CD-R
 |
Note:
Only CD-RW drives can read and write data
to CD-RW discs. |
Easy CD Creator supports the following CD-R
formats which are used to make data and audio CDs:
|
|
|
This is the standard
for recording data CDs. |
|
|
|
XA stands for
Extended Architecture. CD-ROM XA is based on CD-ROM but adds better audio and video
capabilities so CD-ROMs can more easily be used for multimedia applications. |
|
|
|
Compact Disc-Digital
Audio. This is the original compact disc standard and is used to record music CDs. |
- CD Extra
Audio and Data CDs
|
|
This format allows
you to combine audio and data on a CD. The audio tracks are recorded in the first session
and one CD-ROM XA data track is recorded in the second session to make a multisession CD.
The audio tracks on CD Extra discs can be played on home or car CD players. |
- Mixed-Mode
Data and Audio CDs
|
|
This format allows
you to combine data and audio on a CD. Mixed-Mode differs from CD Extra in that the data
is recorded in the first track followed by one or more audio tracks, and both the data and
audio tracks are combined in a single session. Mixed-Mode CDs should be used on CD-ROM or
CD-R drives only. |
