# DVD-RAM vs. DVD±RW



## KaIIen (Mar 30, 2005)

Recently I burnt some files (on my Toshiba Satelite A105 laptop, XP) onto DVD-RAM. When I try to edit/copy/delete files TO this disk using my desktop (XP) it show that the disk is completly full and is not writable. However, before the drive gave out on my Toshiba, same disk is still editable. I have a couple CD-RW and a few DVD±RW that i can edit on either machine. So what is it about the RAM? Once burnt, only the originating machine can write to it? And if i wanted to erase it using my desktop, how do I? (And yes, the desktops DVD drive does support RAM).
Thanks


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Are you sure about the DVD-RAM? DVD-RAM media is totally different than the stuff you're used to using. Here's a picture of DVD-RAM media, note the individual sector marks.


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## KaIIen (Mar 30, 2005)

John-
I've never seen one in a cartridge like that before (I think it's called Type2), but otherwise I am absolutly certain it's RAM. It's labeled "DVD-RAM", it's not in that cartridge, and the sector marks are visible on the writable side, and has the exact same dimensions as other DVD media.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I suspect your XP system does not have a drive that is capable of burning DVD-RAM media. Download Nero Info Tool v4.03 and post a screen shot of the Drive tab. Here's a sample from this machine which does have DVD-RAM read/write capability.


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## KaIIen (Mar 30, 2005)

I am not logged onto that machine at this moment, but I know for certain that the LiteON drive in that system is a DVD-RAM drive. It can read and write DVD-RAM. But until I got this laptop, the RAM disks I had been using were only used in that machine. Now that I have a laptop, I discovered that the disks are only editable on the machine that formated and wrote data to it. So a disk I've written to on my desktop is viewable but not editable on my laptop and vice versa. I can copy files off and otherwise access them, play music, view photos, etc. But I can not delete a file, record a new file, and so on. So the DVD-RAM disk i created on the desktop will show say 1.23GB free if viewed on the desktop. On the laptop tho, it will show the correct used space, but show no free space. And the same appears to be true of a DVD-RAM I create on the laptop if accessed on my desktop. Is that normal, or does XP somehow write protect these disks? DVD±RW do not do this, and honestly, I am still fairly new to the RAM media. 

Thanks


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

With DVD+/-RW disks, you are creating multi-session disks that can be updated with new sessions. With the DVD-RAM with a packet writing driver, you're creating a disk that can only be updated if the same driver is installed on the other machine. I just used Nero to burn some files to a DVD-RAM disk in my laptop in a conventional manner, then moved the DVD-RAM to my desktop, and added some more files. I used "standard" DVD burning just like I would with a DVD+/-RW or DVD+/-R disk, and it worked exactly the same.


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## KaIIen (Mar 30, 2005)

JohnWill said:


> With DVD+/-RW disks, you are creating multi-session disks that can be updated with new sessions. With the DVD-RAM with a packet writing driver, you're creating a disk that can only be updated if the same driver is installed on the other machine. I just used Nero to burn some files to a DVD-RAM disk in my laptop in a conventional manner, then moved the DVD-RAM to my desktop, and added some more files. I used "standard" DVD burning just like I would with a DVD+/-RW or DVD+/-R disk, and it worked exactly the same.


Really...? So, I may have different drivers installed? I'll have to check that. In both cases, I have the same version of Roxio installed, but am writing to the dink using Windows Explorer.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I couldn't get XP to write to the DVD-RAM directly, it got confused when I tried and wanted a new disk.


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