You CAN create multi-session CDs with Mac OS X, no additional software required!

[simX]

I thought this was interesting. You actually CAN burn multi-session CDs through the use of Disk Copy. The original hint was posted at Mac OS X Hints.

Here's the entire hint:

To make multi-session CD-Rs in OS X, you do not need the CLI or the hdutil (as explained in previous hints 1 and 2).

First burn a CD as usual in the "Finder" with whatever data you want on it. Then when you want to add data, just create a blank DMG (using Disk Copy) of whatever size you need to hold that data. Of course, the size you specify must fit on the partially burned CD. Put the files you wish to burn on the DMG. Unmount the DMG and then use "Disk Copy" to "Burn Image". Put in the CD to which you wish to add the data.

"Disk Copy" now says "Click the "Append" button to burn", and the button says "Append" instead of "Burn". And there you go, a multi-volume multi-session CD-R or -RW burned in OSX with no additional software required!

Yay! That's what I always wanted! Now if Apple could only integrate this into the Finder somehow...

 

[voice-]

I don't like the complicated way tyhis is done in, but I love the fact the OS X can put more on the CDs after they are burned...thanks simX

 

[senne]

Does that mean that you can add extra data on a cd that you burned? So when you've forgotten something you can append it afterwards?


senne.

 

[senne]

It doesn't work on my computer. . . The reason?




senne.

 

[rharder]

Cool. Now maybe we'll get that image-burning technology that's coming out in Japan where an actual image (I mean a graphic, an icon) can be burned on the left-over part of your disc. That's cool. Flip over the CD and actually see an image in the burned area.

-Rob

 

[simX]

Originally posted by voice-
I don't like the complicated way tyhis is done in, but I love the fact the OS X can put more on the CDs after they are burned...thanks simX

It's not THAT complicated. You just create a disk image with what you want, and then burn it to the end of the CD. The only difference between this and the Finder is that these steps are basically automated. But it's so few steps that it saves you only a little time.

senne: You're right. I tried it and it didn't work with a CD-RW. I'm gonna post in the forum and see if anyone else was successful.

 

[voice-]

Simple would be dragging files to the burned disc and getting a pop-up asking if I wanna add these files. I see this as a complicated way, but I'm glad you CAN do this.

 

[senne]

Originally posted by simX
senne: You're right. I tried it and it didn't work with a CD-RW. I'm gonna post in the forum and see if anyone else was successful.

But i also tried a cd-r, and that didn't work either.... Strange




senne.

 

[~~NeYo~~]

Are we talking CDRW Type CD's here?!

...Just wondering, Because, although i Dont "love" XP, its been in it since Whistler Beta 2, and works GREAT!

"nevermind" ...i still think my PC Stinks!

NeYo

 

[simX]

It's common (I think) knowledge that you can use the Disk Utility to erase a CD-RW and then reburn it.

But doing multiple sessions with Disk Copy was previously unknown, Neyo. This should apply to all CD-RW and CD-R media.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work. Can everybody try it and see if someone can get it to work? I REALLY want this feature!

 

[fryke]

What Neyo meant was that in Windows XP this works as advertised. You put a CD-R with, say, 100 MB into the CDRW drive and you can just add data to the drive in the 'Finder' equivalent.

I think Apple *should* add that as a feature, too. The user interface trouble with this is that on the Mac, second (and further) sessions are usually mounted as separate volumes, which renders the (visual) act of dragging files to volume 1 to burn a volume 2 irritating. If, however, Apple starts to mount multiple volumes as folders inside the same volume (Finder), we'll lose the ability to give the whole CD an icon.

 

[simX]

I'm on my mom's iBook, so I don't want do any modifications (and I don't have a CD-R on hand here at work, either), but it looks like some of the users over at www.macosxhints.com may have found a solution.

In ~/Library/Preferences/ , find the file called "com.apple.DiskCopy.plist". Open it up in a text editor, and add these lines to the end of the file (before the </dict> and </plist> tags, though):

(key)Burning Force Disc Close After Burn(/key)
(false/)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Because of the stupidity of these boards automatically interpreting HTML, I cannot display the exact code that you need to add to the .plist file. What's displayed above has one small difference from the correct thing to add to the .plist file. You need to change all the parentheses to their < and > counterparts.

This should make it work.

The other comment is that it seems the Finder may be making full 650 MB disk images when you use the Finder to burn, so it's just burning empty data to the disk. The solution is to ONLY use Disk Copy when burning disks. Because you can control the size of the disk image, it won't start burning extraneous empty data to the disk, which makes it unreadable.

(One user noted that you do not need to add the above keys to make Disk Copy work in this fashion. Another noted that even adding the keys didn't make it work, but was not clear if he was trying to add something to a Finder-burned disk.)

If this is true, Apple should simply modify Finder burning so that it doesn't make full 650 MB disk images when it burns – only the size that is needed for the data.

 

[~~NeYo~~]

Originally posted by fryke
What Neyo meant was that in Windows XP this works as advertised. You put a CD-R with, say, 100 MB into the CDRW drive and you can just add data to the drive in the 'Finder' equivalent.

I think Apple *should* add that as a feature, too. The user interface trouble with this is that on the Mac, second (and further) sessions are usually mounted as separate volumes, which renders the (visual) act of dragging files to volume 1 to burn a volume 2 irritating. If, however, Apple starts to mount multiple volumes as folders inside the same volume (Finder), we'll lose the ability to give the whole CD an icon.

You Got it Fryke!! I hate to be the one who ALWAYS Points out ..."Windows XP Does this" lol, makes me feel ALL THE MORE of a Black Sheep! haha! But i am very much looking forward 2 getting my iBook back sometime this week, or early next!

NeYo

 

[boi]

let's pretend i have toast. can i do it with that?

 

[cabbage]

Of course you can do it with Toast. This thread is for the cheap people who won't buy Toast!

I remember somewhere in the /System or the /Library there is a 650mb.dmg file which I'm pretty sure is used to make the CD Disc Image. I find it retarded that I have to copy the files I want into the Disc Image not to mention I have to make 2 copies of my files - 1 for the disc image and 1 are the originals. Plus if you get a coaster your image disapears. Then you have to copy everything again into a new image. It takes to much time. With Toast I open drag the files in there and burn. It's much quicker.

 

[hugheba]

How do you get finder or Toast to burn a multisession disk that doesn't come up as a different disk for each burn?

I burn three multisession disks and when I stick the disk in my mac three cd's pop up on my desktop for each session I did. And on my PC only the first session shows up...

I heard that the technology isn't here yet for Mac/OSX, that allows Nero and CDCreator burn disks in sessions that show up as one. Forgot the method it uses..."packet" something or rather...

Anyone?

 

[kainjow]

So does stuff you guys are talking about mean that I/we could burn a disc that has music and data on it? I'm talking about how lots of audio CD's you buy have like the music part and then it also comes up with like the movies of the band and stuff. Is this what you guys are talking about? I'd love to learn how to do this.

 

[earector]

Originally posted by simX

IMPORTANT NOTE: Because of the stupidity of these boards automatically interpreting HTML, I cannot display the exact code that you need to add to the .plist file. What's displayed above has one small difference from the correct thing to add to the .plist file. You need to change all the parentheses to their < and > counterparts.

Well, there is a way...but it's a pain. Use ampersand el tee semicolon (less than) and ampersand gee tee semicolon (greater than) like this:

<key> Burning Force Disc Close After Burn </key>
<false/>

 

[Krevinek]

Originally posted by kainjow
So does stuff you guys are talking about mean that I/we could burn a disc that has music and data on it? I'm talking about how lots of audio CD's you buy have like the music part and then it also comes up with like the movies of the band and stuff. Is this what you guys are talking about? I'd love to learn how to do this.

Well, you do this: setup to burn an audio CD that won't fill the disc and go to burn (this is Toast I am referring to), instead of hitting 'burn disc', click 'burn session'... then go back and setup your data CD so that it doesn't exceed the remaining space, go to burn, and click 'burn disc' to finish the disc. Works for me (I took the 99 cent Oni soundtrack and turned the cruddy pressed version into a nice CD+MP3 version this way)