Re-Writeable CDs.

[TheAnimus]

So every now and again i have to re-install a PC, this time its the latest Ubuntu going onto a spare box, problem is the installer kept hanging/crashing. Now i knew this PC was fine, as it had worked before and no problems showed up in memtest86+.

So i thought oh well, still got an XP license spare on the MSDN, i'll burn one of those off (to the same CD). Low and behold, that starts complaining about corrupt files.

Then the penny drops that its a dudden re-writeable.

Oh how i hate this optical technology! Given that usb sticks are cheap as chips, how come we are still using this? Why isn't the defacto method a USB image....

[Funkstar]

I think i've used re-writables about twice in all the years they have been available. They aren't as compatible with writers or readers, they are less reliable, and given the cost of single use media, I find them fairly pointless.

I really need to read up on creating bootable USB installers. Any good links, articles, guides? Going to be re-building my laptop, htpc, htpc client and building a brand new Vista 64bit box when i get home so now is the time for me to sort this stuff out

[kidzer]

Funkstar - this will help if you want a Linux/BSD OS installed on any of those machines - http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/

I've used it a few times to create Ubuntu/FC USB Installers, worked well for me

[Funkstar]

Linux? nah, you're ok

Laptop is Vista Business 32bit, the two HTPCs are XP Pro and the new quad box will be Vista 64bit.

[Tidus]

I didn't think people still used re-writeable's with the current CD-R / DVD-R prices, but I've never tried to boot anything from a USB stick I just use them for storing the odd office document.

[Saracen]

I've never had much faith in RW either. I use CDR and DVDR for one shot stuff, for convenience, but for changing data, or for archiving, I swear by DVD-RAM and MO/PD discs. They're not exactly fast, but far, FAR (did I say far) more reliable ....... IMHO, of course, and your mileage may vary. I've yet to have a DVD-RAM, MO or PD disc die and cost me data.

It won't help much for discs to boot from though, 'cos that's not what I use them for.

[Stringent]

Did you do a quick erase on the RW or a full one?

Don't think RW have ever got up to beyond like 10x write speed which makes them so sloooww.

[Virtual Monkey]

I've never been able to use a RW for more than one use anyway, thanks to dodgy disks and corruption. I use usb sticks/sd cards for most things now, and cds for the rest.

Better than floppy disks though!

[greencross]

I agree totally, RW are just pants. I thought I'd help save the planet by getting some, but they seem to give trouble after the 1st erase. They also sometimes don't work in other drives. Saving the planet will have to wait another day.
USB sticks, now that's a good idea, I just need to use up my pile of unused disks first.

[idimmu]

i've never used them, never really had the need!

[Hicks12]

I havent had issues with them , i have about 10 RW philips ones and use them for copying data that needs to be verified and checked to work on it then ill put onto a dvd/cd as i dont waste any then

Still cant beat the external hard drives or usb sticks though .

[TooNice]

I've got a CD-RW disk that is years old (almost a decade, I think it came with my 4x CDRW drive). It's basically the disk I would save utilities and other things I want on a PC right after a reformat. I would update the disc before a reformat, hence it was handy to use a RW disc (CD-R were not cheap enough for me not to care about the usage). I also trusted it more than floppy disks when I was working on computing projects. Overall, it hasn't let me down and it still worked last time I looked through it not that long ago.