On Wed, 23 Jul 1997 13:33:25 -0500 Tom Phillips
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

My understanding is that CD's can
> now be written to in multiple sessions so you don't need to fill an entire
> disk at once.

This is true, though both the writer and reader need to
have drivers that can read multisession disks.  There is
also considerable overhead with multisession, since each
session requires a large chunk of space for a FAT.

Furthermore, it is my understanding that a disk of TIFF
> images should be readable by both IBM/WINTEL and Mac/PowerPC types
> computers.  Is anybody actually doing this?

We are doing this, with great success.  People take their
CDROMS to whatever machine they have and read them.

Comments on how reliable are
> the recorders, which ones are best, pitfalls, etc would be appreciated.

>Does anyone have a problem with CD-ROMs crashing as new
>data is written to them.
>This happens to me a lot and the disk becomes totally
>unusable.  Any tips
>on how to avoid this.  I am using Philips CDD2000 and
>Corel CD creator.

We have a Pinnacle RCD-5040, which is a rather old one, (4X
read, 2X write) running under Corel CD Creator on a Wintel
Pentium under Windows 95. We write ISO9660 format CD
ROMs.  Our problems (including the occasional creation of
frisbees) are of our own design - not understanding SCSI
and PCI interfaces.  We have learned that plug and play
required moving the SCSI card to a different slot every
time hardware is changed.   Once it works under a
particular configuration, it continues to work until we
change some other hardware.  It also helps to have a large
disk to hold the files so that they can be written on a
single track. We also find that it helps to simulate before
writing.  Problems usually are due to buffer underruns.

We also have heard that the CD Writer should be on it's own
SCSI chain, but have been unable to get two SCSI cards (one
P&P, the other ISA) to work in the same machine.  But we
have no trouble running the disk & CD Writer on the same
chain.

I would not use any other storage medium.

Herb Geller.

Please note new area code.
----------------------------------------------------------
Herbert M. Geller, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Pharmacology           voice -  732-235-4084
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School     fax -  732-235-4073
Piscataway, New Jersey 08854   Internet - [log in to unmask]
www: http//www2.umdnj.edu/~geller/lab/