[SLUG] DVD virgin

[Martin Webb]

john at johnallsopp.co.uk wrote:
> Here's another in a seemingly endless series of questions I really
> ought to know the answer to but don't.
>
> I'm backing up my data. I've a DVD drive
> <http://www.nec.co.uk/DVD_RW_ND3520.aspx>, so I went to Quaytec and
> asked for DVDs for backup, asked what different technologies there are
> (- and + and for backup it makes no difference) so I bought some and
> came home and tried to back up my work directory which, as I've
> described before, is an 8.5Gb partition based on the fact that my DVD
> drive spec says that's what it delivers.
>
> I got an error .. please insert a drive with 7.5Gb of capacity. When I
> look at the 8x speed DVD-Rs that I've bought, they say 4.7Gb capacity.
>
> Where did I go wrong in all that? How can I get 8.5Gb capacity out of
> my drive if the DVDs are only 4.7Gb?
I frequently use DVDs for backup.  Having a Fedora4 in Whitby and a 
Fedora3 (soon to be Fedora5) in London, I need to carry good backs-up 
from one to the other, so that I can work in both places.  The device on 
both machines in an inexpensive DVD writer, costing, I think, in the low 
£30s.
For most purposes, I use K3b for the burning software, and 8x - 4.7GB -R 
discs.  K3b shows you graphically if you are trying to shove too much 
data onto the disc than its capacity.  I've tried +R with equal results, 
and occasionally use both + and -RW.  People say that the + technology 
is better than the -.  Don't know why, and get good results with -.
When there's a v large amount of data, relatively cheap 8.5GB +R discs 
have worked fine, although one proved faulty.  I've not tried -R or 
+/-RW 8.5GB discs (if they exist).  Again, K3b handles the dual layer, 
larger capacity discs, just fine.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/dvd.htm

Martin