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  1. #1
    adric22 is offline Registered User
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    How do you format or write to a DVD-RAM?

    I've recently switched to Mac from Windows. I use a lot of DVD-RAM for storage. I held my breath as I inserted a DVD-RAM into my new aluminum iMac (running Leopard) and saw that it mounted the disc and I could read it. But my heart sank when I realized I couldn't write to it, or even reformat it. The disc utility tells me I can't erase the disc, and I'm guessing the UDF format used by Nero's In-CD is incompatible for writing?

    I've searched all over google and can't find much on this.

  2. #2
    ElDiabloConCaca's Avatar
    ElDiabloConCaca is offline U.S.D.A. Prime
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    I think support for DVD-RAM was dropped around 10.3 or 10.4. Apple used to include those drives in their early PowerMac G4 towers, but it was soon replaced by DVD-R and DVD+R.

    I don't think Mac OS X natively supports writing to DVD-RAM anymore. You may want to look into Roxio's Toast software -- maybe contact them, as I couldn't find anything on their site with a quick search that led me to believe that Toast does indeed support writing to DVD-RAM.

    You may also have luck re-formatting the DVD-RAM drive to the Mac-native format of HFS+.
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  3. #3
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    Mikuro is offline Crotchety UI Nitpicker
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    I don't think the issue here is OS X so much as the drive. Most DVD burners do not support DVD-RAM, just R and RW. If you open System Profiler (in /Applications/Utilities) and go to the Disc Burning section, it should list all types of media that the drive can write to.

    Apple makes no mention of DVD-RAM on their tech specs page. You might need an external drive. I know that most (perhaps all) Blu-ray burners support DVD-RAM.
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  4. #4
    MisterMe is online now Registered User
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mikuro View Post
    I don't think the issue here is OS X so much as the drive. ...
    I believe that you are correct. MacOS X 10.4 supports floppy diskettes which are much older than DVD-RAM discs. To remove support for DVD-RAM would effectively remove support for the early Power Mac G4s while maintaining support for older G3s. That makes no sense and I don't believe that Apple did it.

 

 

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