Erase files off CD-RW disk?

I know I can erase a CD-RW disk but is it
possible to delete individual files from
a CD-RW disk?

Thanks,
Robert

On 27/06/2015 22:05, Mark Twain wrote:

I know I can erase a CD-RW disk but is it
possible to delete individual files from
a CD-RW disk?

Thanks,
Robert


Only if the disk is not "finalized".

As you may know that all CD-RW disks needs to be finalized so that no
new files can be added and no files can be deleted. this effectively
means that the disk is locked for any new entries. Also, the finalized
disks can be accessed on any independent devices while un-finalized
disks can't

On 27/06/2015 23:15, Good Guy wrote:
On 27/06/2015 22:05, Mark Twain wrote:
I know I can erase a CD-RW disk but is it
possible to delete individual files from
a CD-RW disk?

Thanks,
Robert


Only if the disk is not "finalized".

As you may know that all CD-RW disks needs to be finalized so that no
new files can be added and no files can be deleted. this effectively
means that the disk is locked for any new entries. Also, the
finalized disks can be accessed on any independent devices while
un-finalized disks can't




Just to clarify one more thing is that if you want to reverse the
finalization process, your only option is to wipe the disk clean and
start again.

I guess I should have said ' what is
the procedure, if any, for deleting
individual files off a CD-RW disk.

Thanks,
Robert

On 27/06/2015 23:45, Mark Twain wrote:
I guess I should have said ' what is
the procedure, if any, for deleting
individual files off a CD-RW disk.

Thanks,
Robert



The only way is to copy the entire disk content on to your HD and then
delete the files from the copied folder on your HD before putting them
back to your Disk. Unfortunately, there is no other way to do it if the
disk is finalised. No wonder CDs and DVDs are becoming obsolete because
of their small disk size, difficult to manage the files and no guarantee
of lifetime security of the files on them. CDs and DVDs can be damaged
pretty quickly if not used for 12 to 18 months. Don't know why but this
happens quite a lot with users.

I have started recommending the use of cloud based storage on Microsoft
onedrive or Google-drive because the files are quite secure because of
their habit of creating backups frequently, all free of charge if the
storage is within the limits allocated.

Good luck.

On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 14:05:19 -0700 (PDT), Mark Twain wrote:



I know I can erase a CD-RW disk but is it
possible to delete individual files from
a CD-RW disk?

Did you format it or write an iso file to it? If you formatted it so
that you could use it like a big floppy disc you just go to it in
explorer and delete the file as if it was on a disc. If you wrote an
iso to it you need to copy the file to your drive and then delete what
you don't want, then create an iso and write it to the CD-RW.

--
Faster, cheaper, quieter than HS2
and built in 5 years;
UKUltraspeed http://www.500kmh.com/

In message t.me.uk,
Rodney Pont writes
On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 14:05:19 -0700 (PDT), Mark Twain wrote:



I know I can erase a CD-RW disk but is it
possible to delete individual files from
a CD-RW disk?

Did you format it or write an iso file to it? If you formatted it so
that you could use it like a big floppy disc you just go to it in
explorer and delete the file as if it was on a disc. If you wrote an
iso to it you need to copy the file to your drive and then delete what
you don't want, then create an iso and write it to the CD-RW.

I can't say I've ever finalised a CD-RW. This is something you do with
video DVDs - and I've only ever tried making a video CD 'for fun'.

If the OP is talking about a CD-RW with ordinary computer files on it,
is there actually a process which finalises it? It should be already
readable on any computer. You can make the files 'read' only', but you
can still erase them (after being asked if you really want to do it). Or
am I missing the point?
--
Ian

On 28/06/2015 16:32, Ian Jackson wrote:


I can't say I've ever finalised a CD-RW. This is something you do with
video DVDs - and I've only ever tried making a video CD 'for fun'.



Try this link:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/close-finalize-cd-dvd#1TC=windows-7

Good luck.

On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 14:05:19 -0700 (PDT), Mark Twain wrote:
I know I can erase a CD-RW disk but is it
possible to delete individual files from
a CD-RW disk?

Thanks,
Robert

Yes, using specially prepared CD-RW.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packet_writing

It works like (but not exactly like) common disk (i.e. create/delete
folders, copy/delete files).

It's not compatible with ISO. You can't burn an ISO onto it to copy the ISO
contents, or raw copy the media to an ISO. It'll need a special device
driver for it (would be part of the Packet Writing software package).

This format has two major disadvantages:

1. It has larger file system overhead. i.e. the total free space of an empty
prepared CD-RW in this format is lesser than the one in ISO format.

2. Deleting files/folder doesn't actually free te allocated space. It simply
replace the containing directory list without the deleted the file/folder,
and the actual deleted file data is still there. So, it'll eventually have
no more space to even delete anything, since technically, deleting a
folder/file actually adds a new directory (replacing the old one). Once
full, the only this to do is to reformat the media, or transfer the current
files to another CD-RW.

Note: don't use low grade CD-RW with this format, because the media
reusability will be fully utilized, since you'll be doing media erase more
frequent than when using ISO format.

In message , Ian Jackson
writes:
In message t.me.uk,
Rodney Pont writes
On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 14:05:19 -0700 (PDT), Mark Twain wrote:



I know I can erase a CD-RW disk but is it
possible to delete individual files from
a CD-RW disk?

Depends what you answered when you first loaded the blank CD-RW and your
system asked you how you wanted to use it. If you chose the option
something like "make a disc readable on any PC", then you'll have made
(finalised) the CD, and the only way is to copy the other files off,
erase the CD-RW, then write the files back. If you chose the option
something like "use the CD-RW like a giant floppy", then you just erase
the file same as you would any other. If that option seems not to be
available, then you chose the other option.

You can "finalise" the "use-as-floppy" type, which turns it into the
other type - i. e. makes something that is fixed (other than erasing the
whole disc).
[]
I can't say I've ever finalised a CD-RW. This is something you do with
video DVDs - and I've only ever tried making a video CD 'for fun'.

If the OP is talking about a CD-RW with ordinary computer files on it,
is there actually a process which finalises it? It should be already
readable on any computer. You can make the files 'read' only', but you
can still erase them (after being asked if you really want to do it).
Or am I missing the point?

When they're in the "giant floppy" mode, this is a special ("packet", or
"UDF") mode that's _not_ readable on any computer, only ones that know
about the UDF format - which came as part of the OS, I _think_ from XP,
but isn't, for example, guaranteed to be legible on, for example, the
DVD recorder under your TV. (OSs prior to XP _could_ handle packet mode
if they had special drivers - usually loaded as part of the software
that came with a CD-writer drive. If that software was made by Adaptec
[which became Roxio], it's known as DirectCD; if Nero, InCD.)

I used to use CD-RWs for file transfer between computers, but found it
unreliable - they'd usually fail on about the seventh to ninth use,
requiring the disc to be "reformatted" again. Nowadays, I'd use a USB
memory stick for such transfers between computers that aren't networked
- quicker, more convenient (this netbook has no internal optical drive)
and more reliable; I can't remember when I last used a CD-RW for
anything. The only time I think I might nowadays use one is to test
something (audio CD, or software that auto-loads) that would eventually
go onto CD-R (and then I'd be using the plain mode, not UDF).
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"When _I_ saw him, he was dead." "uh, he looked exactly the same when he was
alive, except he was vertical." (The Trouble with Harry)

In message , "J. P. Gilliver
(John)" writes
In message , Ian Jackson
writes:
In message t.me.uk,
Rodney Pont writes
On Sat, 27 Jun 2015 14:05:19 -0700 (PDT), Mark Twain wrote:



I know I can erase a CD-RW disk but is it
possible to delete individual files from
a CD-RW disk?

Depends what you answered when you first loaded the blank CD-RW and
your system asked you how you wanted to use it. If you chose the option
something like "make a disc readable on any PC", then you'll have made
(finalised) the CD, and the only way is to copy the other files off,
erase the CD-RW, then write the files back. If you chose the option
something like "use the CD-RW like a giant floppy", then you just erase
the file same as you would any other. If that option seems not to be
available, then you chose the other option.

You can "finalise" the "use-as-floppy" type, which turns it into the
other type - i. e. makes something that is fixed (other than erasing
the whole disc).
[]
I can't say I've ever finalised a CD-RW. This is something you do with
video DVDs - and I've only ever tried making a video CD 'for fun'.

If the OP is talking about a CD-RW with ordinary computer files on it,
is there actually a process which finalises it? It should be already
readable on any computer. You can make the files 'read' only', but you
can still erase them (after being asked if you really want to do it).
Or am I missing the point?

When they're in the "giant floppy" mode, this is a special ("packet",
or "UDF") mode that's _not_ readable on any computer, only ones that
know about the UDF format - which came as part of the OS, I _think_
from XP, but isn't, for example, guaranteed to be legible on, for
example, the DVD recorder under your TV. (OSs prior to XP _could_
handle packet mode if they had special drivers - usually loaded as part
of the software that came with a CD-writer drive. If that software was
made by Adaptec [which became Roxio], it's known as DirectCD; if Nero, InCD.)

I used to use CD-RWs for file transfer between computers, but found it
unreliable - they'd usually fail on about the seventh to ninth use,
requiring the disc to be "reformatted" again. Nowadays, I'd use a USB
memory stick for such transfers between computers that aren't networked
- quicker, more convenient (this netbook has no internal optical drive)
and more reliable; I can't remember when I last used a CD-RW for
anything. The only time I think I might nowadays use one is to test
something (audio CD, or software that auto-loads) that would eventually
go onto CD-R (and then I'd be using the plain mode, not UDF).

Well....

Having formatted a CD-RW (using Nero's InCD), and copied some files to
it, I now realise that the OP is absolutely right. On a different
computer, you CAN'T simply erase individual files! That is something I
never knew. I'm using XP, but the same obviously applies when using W7.
I'll have to investigate (as advised), both on XP and on my W7 laptop.
--
Ian

"Good Guy" wrote in message
...
On 27/06/2015 23:15, Good Guy wrote:
On 27/06/2015 22:05, Mark Twain wrote:
I know I can erase a CD-RW disk but is it
possible to delete individual files from
a CD-RW disk?

Thanks,
Robert
Only if the disk is not "finalized".
As you may know that all CD-RW disks needs to be finalized so that no
new files can be added and no files can be deleted. this effectively
means that the disk is locked for any new entries. Also, the
finalized disks can be accessed on any independent devices while
un-finalized disks can't


Just to clarify one more thing is that if you want to reverse the
finalization process, your only option is to wipe the disk clean and
start again.


YES
jus remember not to finalization

"Ian Jackson" wrote in message
news

Having formatted a CD-RW (using Nero's InCD), and copied some files to it,
I now realise that the OP is absolutely right. On a different computer,
you CAN'T simply erase individual files! That is something I never knew.
I'm using XP, but the same obviously applies when using W7. I'll have to
investigate (as advised), both on XP and on my W7 laptop.

Uses
http://www.deepburner.com/