Science2 mins ago
Problems accessing archive CDs
If I bring home a CD containing archive copies of personal files from work, I always have problems in accessing the disk on my PC.
After inserting the CD, the drive appears to be indexing files, and this can continue for up to 10-12 minutes, during which time it is almost impossible to access any other program on the PC.
I tried holding down the shift key to stop the auto play feature, but this appears to have no effect.
Putting the same CD into my work PC there is no problem, and after a few seconds spin up, you can access the contents using explorer etc.
Does anyone have any idea what may be happening here, as I am completely baffled. This happens on all disk which have large numbers of files, i.e. anything between 300-500 Mb.
After inserting the CD, the drive appears to be indexing files, and this can continue for up to 10-12 minutes, during which time it is almost impossible to access any other program on the PC.
I tried holding down the shift key to stop the auto play feature, but this appears to have no effect.
Putting the same CD into my work PC there is no problem, and after a few seconds spin up, you can access the contents using explorer etc.
Does anyone have any idea what may be happening here, as I am completely baffled. This happens on all disk which have large numbers of files, i.e. anything between 300-500 Mb.
Answers
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I think what you have is an old - slightly out of adjustment drive
the question is .... which one?
the burner should read it's own work .... however out of kilter it is .... ...
the easiest option is a usb mem stick - for short term storage.
one of these
http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?prod uct_id=9754&category_id=583&manufacturer_id=0& tid=zeus-4-cibox
is a faster (than a memory stick) far more permanent solution ... a 1" usb HDD for a tenner ... (I just bought 4)
the question is .... which one?
the burner should read it's own work .... however out of kilter it is .... ...
the easiest option is a usb mem stick - for short term storage.
one of these
http://www.cclonline.com/product-info.asp?prod uct_id=9754&category_id=583&manufacturer_id=0& tid=zeus-4-cibox
is a faster (than a memory stick) far more permanent solution ... a 1" usb HDD for a tenner ... (I just bought 4)
Hi ACT,
As far as I am aware, the drive works perfectly well in all other respects. It still burns perfectly and can read software discs and other material with no problem, so I'm not sure I quite accept the suggestion that it is "slightly out of adjustment".
Yes of course I could use a memory stick for short-term storage, but as I said this is permanent long-term archive.
My feeling was, that there is some sort of automatic indexing routine which is attempting to read all the files on the CD, and is therefore taking a long time. Guess I'll never know.
As far as I am aware, the drive works perfectly well in all other respects. It still burns perfectly and can read software discs and other material with no problem, so I'm not sure I quite accept the suggestion that it is "slightly out of adjustment".
Yes of course I could use a memory stick for short-term storage, but as I said this is permanent long-term archive.
My feeling was, that there is some sort of automatic indexing routine which is attempting to read all the files on the CD, and is therefore taking a long time. Guess I'll never know.
There is no indexing as such ... when you insert a disc ... the O/s reads and verifies the FAT/CDFS/DVDFS/NTFF routing table which is the directory of what's in there ... this should take 2 or three passes (1 second or less)
it then will execute any autorun instructions (if they exist)
then it sits waiting for you to do something.
you say that the disc sounds to be indexing ... what it's most likely doing is trying to access the table (which is about 20Mb in size) - this only takes a discernable time if the drive generates errors in which case the drive will "Hunt" (which is probably what you are hearing)
Errors tend to be down to two factors ... physical damage and misalignment.
pd is obvious ... Mis is less obvious ... because the tollerancies are quite tight ... but self regulating to some extent... so some disks will work on some drives sometimes ... some won't read at all.
Misalignment is actually two factors ... the placing of the tracks ... and the intensity of the burn laser ... which determines the depth of the deformity ... (too weak ... no refraction ... too strong ... just one groove)
generally though the drive that wrote it will read it (unless it was written some time ago) ... and comercial discs are stamped and more reliable all round
you say THE drive ... which is THE drive ... the one that wrote it .... or the one that's (not) reading it? if both are 1 unit out ... that's a 2 unit difference ....
whether you accept the explanation or not ... the reality is that for whatever reason disc is unreadable in some circumstances .... thus its not a reliable backup .... the only way of proving the faulty drive is to try to read the disc on a number of drives ... if they all read it it's your reader ... if fewer read it ... it's your writer.
either way the only soloution is to transfer the data to a more reliable medium.
it then will execute any autorun instructions (if they exist)
then it sits waiting for you to do something.
you say that the disc sounds to be indexing ... what it's most likely doing is trying to access the table (which is about 20Mb in size) - this only takes a discernable time if the drive generates errors in which case the drive will "Hunt" (which is probably what you are hearing)
Errors tend to be down to two factors ... physical damage and misalignment.
pd is obvious ... Mis is less obvious ... because the tollerancies are quite tight ... but self regulating to some extent... so some disks will work on some drives sometimes ... some won't read at all.
Misalignment is actually two factors ... the placing of the tracks ... and the intensity of the burn laser ... which determines the depth of the deformity ... (too weak ... no refraction ... too strong ... just one groove)
generally though the drive that wrote it will read it (unless it was written some time ago) ... and comercial discs are stamped and more reliable all round
you say THE drive ... which is THE drive ... the one that wrote it .... or the one that's (not) reading it? if both are 1 unit out ... that's a 2 unit difference ....
whether you accept the explanation or not ... the reality is that for whatever reason disc is unreadable in some circumstances .... thus its not a reliable backup .... the only way of proving the faulty drive is to try to read the disc on a number of drives ... if they all read it it's your reader ... if fewer read it ... it's your writer.
either way the only soloution is to transfer the data to a more reliable medium.
A truly comprehensive argument ACT, and I don�t doubt that what you say is technically correct, but I think this is a case of looking too deeply and technically at what is in actual fact a more simple problem.
I recall something similar some time ago, which related to the creation by Windows of .db files, and as now, whenever a CD was inserted with .db files on the CD, it caused the same problems I described.
Remembering this, I copied the suspect CD to my hard drive, and then searched for, and removed all instances of .db files (3 in total), then burnt a new CD with the same data files (less the .db�s)
The new CD then worked as normal, i.e. within 1-2 seconds I could use windows explorer to view all files no problem at all.
So this proves that a) the original CD was not faulty, and that b) there is some routine somewhere on my PC which detects these .db files when a CD is inserted, which then causes the problems I described.
I have also since discovered that you can prevent Windows from creating these .db file in the first place, by checking the �do not cache thumbnails� line under the �folder options� menu.
I recall something similar some time ago, which related to the creation by Windows of .db files, and as now, whenever a CD was inserted with .db files on the CD, it caused the same problems I described.
Remembering this, I copied the suspect CD to my hard drive, and then searched for, and removed all instances of .db files (3 in total), then burnt a new CD with the same data files (less the .db�s)
The new CD then worked as normal, i.e. within 1-2 seconds I could use windows explorer to view all files no problem at all.
So this proves that a) the original CD was not faulty, and that b) there is some routine somewhere on my PC which detects these .db files when a CD is inserted, which then causes the problems I described.
I have also since discovered that you can prevent Windows from creating these .db file in the first place, by checking the �do not cache thumbnails� line under the �folder options� menu.
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