DVD RW - Easy Blank Disk Writing

GTrip · #1 4th January 2010, 08:41 PM

I've used dvd+rw-format -format=full /dev/sr0 and K3B to format a blank DVD RW. I reinsert the disk and it's not seen or auto-mounted as writeable media. In the past, I've written one file to a blank DVD RW in Windows XP, insert the disk back into Linux and I can use Dolphin to read and write to the disk as though it had been auto mounted as a removable storage media device in KDE4.

Is there a solution to use a blank DVD RW as an easily accessible, writeable media in Linux?

Magickman · #2 4th January 2010, 10:52 PM

On some cheap DVD-RWs, if you manually format the disc, it will no longer be usable. This has happened to me several times, mostly with Memorex media. Try Maxell instead. And, you don't have to format a DVD every time, just record over whatever is on it.

GTrip · #3 4th January 2010, 11:31 PM

Thank you Magickman . It is very possible that I was not clear in the description of my problem. If you have ever "had" to use Windows XP, you can place a blank DVD RW in the drive and simply use a file manager to place files, update, rename or delete files as if the DVD was a hard drive/ directory/ memory stick/ second hard drive or etc. There is no need to format or prepare the disk.

Under Fedora Linux, I've researched everything I can find about DVD RWs. I've not found any way to have a DVD RW work as simply or easily. I can use K3b to write files to an RW DVD. Works fine, but thereafter, no renaming of files, deletion or etc.

If I write one simple notepad file to a DVD RW from Windows XP, then the disk is recognized in Linux and auto-mounted as if it was a memory stick or other recordable device.

In short, I wish to place a new, blank DVD RW in the drive and manipulate files as if from one directory to another.

I hope this description is clear and understandable.

Thank you.

marcrblevins · #4 5th January 2010, 01:09 AM

Basically want to treat a blank DVD as a hard drive. Done that in Windows platform, not Linux yet.

Magickman · #5 12th January 2010, 01:23 AM

Yeah, GTrip , I did misunderstand you. I have never head of such a thing as using a DVD-RW as a tempory hard drive, to rename, delete, and add files anytime. When I wish to burn a Data DVD onto a used DVD-RW, one with files or an operating system on it, I call up K3B and it automatically formats the DVD-RW and writes whatever files or iso I want to it. Call up K3B, and click on
Settings/Configure K3B, and Advanced. Click "Automatically erase CD-RWs and DVD-RWs" Then close settings. Now when you go to burn anything, K3B will automatically prepare the CD/DVD for you. Be aware that some of the cheaper media will not withstand a format, the good media will, again and again. The edition of Fedora I am writing this from was burned onto a Maxell DVD-RW that previous have Fedora 10, and 11 on it before. K3b formatted the media, and burned the iso like it was a brand new disc. Good luck you, and I hope you get it working right. When I first started with Fedora 6, I knew nothing about it, and it has been a learning experience for me. Just today, for a customer, I installed Fedora 12 on a fresh hard drive, Gnome and KDE, updated during the install, ran Easylife, installed a few packages, extensions and a few themes for Firefox, configured Thunderbird, and did all that in three hours flat. Two years ago that little number would take me three days to get all done.

SaGS · #6 12th January 2010, 05:44 AM

A quick Google search suggest you need to format the DVD using cdrwtool from the udftools package. (I did not check this.)

GTrip · #7 2nd February 2010, 06:08 PM

I tried the cdrwtool. It seems to only run as "root". I didn't try a CD r/w, only a DVD r/w. There were errors and it didn't seem to function. Possibly with more effort, there may be a way, but in searching the web, I only found difficulties others experienced as well.

Thank you for finding this utility. We'll keep searching for an easy to use and functional way of real-time read/write to DVDs within Linux.