Posted by Citizen Bob on 12/18/06 12:28

On Sun, 17 Dec 2006 23:50:57 GMT, "Stuart Miller"
<stuart_miller@shaw.ca> wrote:

>Complete claims to do a complete erase, but it is not clear if it erases the
>whole disc or just what the disc says was written this session, and I have
>not got the tools to test that.

I use DVD Decrypter to do a full erase and it always takes the same
amount of time regardless of how much content there is on the disc.

>There is a security vs media life issue here - each complete erase counts as
>another write cycle. How many cycles can the media support before it starts
>to wear out?

I have found that 10 cycles is about all my Verbatim 4x DVD+RWs can
handle. I can squeeze a few more cycles out of a disc if I burn at
2.4x.

>As I understand the process, 'format' is only required for packet writing
>programs like 'drag to disc' which need to know where to put things. For a
>regular complete burn, I just use 'fast erase'. Best thing is to try the
>simple way first and see if it works

When a disc starts to go bad, I use full erase. Otherwise quick erase
works.


--

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a
few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving,
regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
--Ronald Reagan

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