How to Format / Burn blank CDs, DVDs, etc?

[untz]

Hello there!

I have several questions... Suppose I downloaded some ISOs or just full CDs (of software, such as Linux) from the Internet....

Now, I put in a blank CD-R in my G4 PowerBook, and as soon as OS X started up, it stated, something like, "Couldn't recognize your disk, click 'Enter' to ignore"...

What software do I use to format / burn the blank CD? Obviously, OS X ignored it, so how do I access it?

Also, how if I download a bunch of mpgs, mov files, avis, etc...

What should I use to burn them onto a DVD? Should I use iMovie or iDVD?

Thanks again,

[Zammy-Sam]

If you are using a blank CD and macosx doesn't recognize it as such then you should change the media. Obviously your drive doesn't like that media. Also: you won't be able to format a blank CD. You can only format/erase RW media.
If you want to store data on a DVD or CD, you can use the Finder for that. Once you insert a proper blank CD it will be mounted as such. Simply drag&drop the files onto the mounted drive and once you are done, you can simply burn the data (look for a nuclear icon). However, if you want to burn a DVD which will playback your movies on any standalone DVD-player then you need iMovie or iDVD.
Last but not least: I think the currently best burning tool is toast titanium. If you gonna burn a lot of DVDs or CDs in different formats you'll love it.

[untz]

What brand name CD-Rs does OS X support / recognize?

Also, what is the difference between iDVD & iMovie? What are they both used for?

Thanks again, Zammy-Sam...

[Zammy-Sam]

There is no list of "supported" CD-R brands. You will need to test on your own. However, mostly it's bad luck when a certain brand doesn't work with your drive. For me Verbatims work quite fine.
iDVD is a nice tool to creat/burn a DVD that will be playable on most standalone DVD-players. You can use beautiful themes, make nice slide-shows or videos.
iMovie is a rather "professional" tool to creat/edit your own movies, insert effects, insert text...

[Tetano]

in some cases i've found that a cd not recognized by the OS X could be burnable in toast....

[albloom]

Did you say you put the CD-R in the drive *before* starting
OSX? Try doing it after OSX is up and running.

That should be salutary.

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Originally Posted by untz

Now, I put in a blank CD-R in my G4 PowerBook, and as soon as OS X started up, it stated, something like, "Couldn't recognize your disk, click 'Enter' to ignore"...

I don't know why people are telling you that this is wrong -- in fact, this behavior is perfectly normal. OS X is asking you if you want to ignore the CD-R or format the CD-R you just inserted -- that's perfectly normal.

To burn an .ISO image to a CD-R, open "Disk Utility" (Applications > Utilities) and then drag the .ISO file into the left-hand sidebar (where the hard drive/drives are listed). It should appear at the bottom of the list. Next, highlight it, click on the "Burn" icon at the top of the window, and insert a CD-R. When the "Burn" button becomes highlighted, click it, and the ISO should be burned to the CD-R.

Mac OS X also allows you to burn CD-R disks from the Finder. When you insert a CD-R disk and are asked "I don't recognize this disk... what to do? [Ignore] [Format] etc..." you can click "Ignore" and nothing will happen, or you can click "Format" and the CD-R will be prepared for Finder burning (meaning you can drag and drop files on the CD-R, and it will be burned when you eject it.

You can change the behavior of Mac OS X asking you what to do by opening the System Preferences, then clicking the "CDs & DVDs" icon. Once there, you can change the setting for "When you insert a blank CD:" to either "Ignore," which will do nothing when you insert a CD-R (but you can still burn it through Disk Utility or software like Toast) or "Ask what to do" (which is most likely what it's set on now). If you set it to "Open Finder," then the CD-R will automatically be prepared for drag and drop burning within the finder (I don't recommend this).

Good luck!

[perfessor101]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloConCaca

<snip...>
Mac OS X also allows you to burn CD-R disks from the Finder. When you insert a CD-R disk and are asked "I don't recognize this disk... what to do? [Ignore] [Format] etc..."

Actually OS X should recognize that you have inserted a blank CD and rather than saying that it does not recognize the disk, it will say,

"You have inserted a blank CD. Choose what to do from the pop-up menu"

Then there will be drop down "Action" menu offering options to "Open Finder, Open iTunes, Open Other application, and run script." There is also a blank to give the CD a name.

• Finder is a good choice for data CDs or DVDs, because it produces a hybrid HFS+/ISO 9660 formatted CD that is compatible with either Macs or PCs. I use it all the time even though I have Toast on my machine, because it is so simple. Finder CDs are not compatible with stand-alone CD players however.
• iTunes produces a music CD that is formatted to be compatible with commercial stand alone CD players.
• Disk Utility is useful for burning image files to a CD as ElDiabloConCaca has already described and can be used to make copies of CDs, but the process is cumbersome.
• iPhoto will burn a photo CD
• iDVD will burn a DVD that is compatible with stand-alone DVD players, if you have an internal SuperDrive
• Toast 6 Titanium will handle all of these chores and a few more besides, but it has an msrp of $99.95, but right now you can order it from Roxio at $79.95.

For the "cook's mix" of data formats you are describing, the cheapest and easiest solution is Finder, provided you want to use these files on both Macs and PCs.