Why can't I delete files on a CD-RW

[Alan Holmes]

I have transferred several files to a CD-RW disc, but I'm unable
to delete those I no longer want, I keep getting told they are
marked for 'read only'.

I'm unable to change that, so how the devil can I change the
properties so they are no longer read only, so I may delete them
without clearing the whole CD?

 

[george]

You seem to want to use your CD-RW the same way you would use a hard disk.
In that case you cannot write to the CD the same way you would burn a (audio
or data) CD.
The CD first needs to be specially formatted to allow this type of action.
One tool that you could use to do this is Nero InCD
(http://www.nero.com/en/631898241930156.html), but there are others too.
After formatting (which can take a little while) you have your CD in the
drive and access it like a harddisk.
The fact you are keeping 'read-only' messages indicates you haven't done so
and basically just burned a CD.
And, when having done that the data is now contained on a (basically)
read-only media, so this is a justified warning.
The fact you are using rewritable media doesn't change this, because if you
would 'rewrite' to the same media, the 'new' data would be tagged onto it,
meaning you would indicate from your compilation what you wanted 'removed'
and/or added.
Stuff you want removed isn't physically deleted, only made 'no longer
available' in the (new) current track-index data.

hth in getting to grips with this.

cheers

george




What you are trying to do i

 

[Guest]

You can erase files from a cd,to see the info,go to microsoft.com,search,
type:306641

 

[Miss Perspicacia Tick]

You can erase files from a cd,to see the info,go to
microsoft.com,search, type:306641

Once again, ****wit Face completely fails to read the question and responds
with a reference to a completely irrelevant KB article.

Andrew what I have I told you (and I really don't know why I'm bothering to
repeat myself ad nauseam et ad infinitum, but I live in hope that the
message may eventually penetrate whatever it is you have that passes for a
brain...) about only answering questions when you're 100% sure you have the
*RIGHT* answer?!

I am going to be forwarding every one of your posts to Microsoft from now on
for your own good. To save you from irreparably damaging someone's system
and being sued for it!

Posting the first thing that comes into your head isn't helpful. A newbie
will think you are knowledgeable (when, in reality, my five year old
neigbour knows more about computers than you do) follow your 'advice' and
end up in a worse mess than when they started!

 

[Miss Perspicacia Tick]

I have transferred several files to a CD-RW disc, but I'm unable
to delete those I no longer want, I keep getting told they are
marked for 'read only'.

I'm unable to change that, so how the devil can I change the
properties so they are no longer read only, so I may delete them
without clearing the whole CD?

Alan - first a caveat

*NEVER* heed the advice of Andrew the Eejit. The guy doesn't have a clue
what he's on about. I think his parents must have been very closely
related...

With the native burning applet, I'm afraid it's all or nothing. You either
reformat the disc, or you don't. If you wish to delete files selectively,
you would need to use a 3rd-party application.

 

[Michael Stevens]

I have transferred several files to a CD-RW disc, but I'm unable
to delete those I no longer want, I keep getting told they are
marked for 'read only'.

I'm unable to change that, so how the devil can I change the
properties so they are no longer read only, so I may delete them
without clearing the whole CD?

You would need to install packet writing software to accomplish what you
want.
Nero, Roxio, and other third party burning software have packet writing
sofware included in the package. You cannot do this with the XP native
burning software.

--
Michael Stevens MS-MVP XP
(e-mail address removed)
http://michaelstevenstech.com
For a better newsgroup experience. Setup a newsreader.
http://michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm

 

[keithdisco]

andrew probably works for pc world

 

[Sky King]

I have transferred several files to a CD-RW disc, but I'm unable
to delete those I no longer want, I keep getting told they are
marked for 'read only'.

I'm unable to change that, so how the devil can I change the
properties so they are no longer read only, so I may delete them
without clearing the whole CD?

You may be able to right click on the file and change them from read
only by unclicking a box.

 

[Husky]

You can't change something once it's on the CD. Best you can hope for is to
over write it.
In this case he can't do anything but READ from it. which means no writing.
Changing read to write, requires writing to disk.
IOW: he can't get there from here.

 

[Harry Ohrn]

XP's built in burning software treats a CD-R/W just as though it were a CD-R
with the exception that you can erase the entire disc. You can't delete
individual files. There is third party software that one can use that
preformats a CD-R/W so it can be used like a giant floppy or small hard
drive. Common programs such as InCD from www.nero.com or DLA from
www.sonic.com will assist you in preformatted your CD-R/W's

Alex Nichol's has an excellent primer here that you may wish to read an
bookmark http://www.aumha.org/a/xpcd.htm I have more info and links at this
page on my site http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/cdr_info.htm

 

[Alan Holmes]

You seem to want to use your CD-RW the same way you would use a hard disk.
In that case you cannot write to the CD the same way you would burn a
(audio or data) CD.
The CD first needs to be specially formatted to allow this type of action.
One tool that you could use to do this is Nero InCD

I was under the impression that the CD needed to be formated, but when
I put that question to my local repair shop I was told it wasn't neccessary.

I'm sure I was able to format CDs when using either win95 or win98, but
there doesn't seem to be that facility with win xp, although in the help
file it says it can be done, but it wont let me.

(http://www.nero.com/en/631898241930156.html)

As I'm very careful with my money (aka mean!) is this free?

 

[Raymond J. Johnson Jr.]

|
| | > You seem to want to use your CD-RW the same way you would use a hard
disk.
| > In that case you cannot write to the CD the same way you would burn a
| > (audio or data) CD.
| > The CD first needs to be specially formatted to allow this type of
action.
| > One tool that you could use to do this is Nero InCD
|
| I was under the impression that the CD needed to be formated, but when
| I put that question to my local repair shop I was told it wasn't
neccessary.
|
| I'm sure I was able to format CDs when using either win95 or win98, but
| there doesn't seem to be that facility with win xp, although in the help
| file it says it can be done, but it wont let me.
|
| > (http://www.nero.com/en/631898241930156.html)
|
| As I'm very careful with my money (aka mean!) is this free?
|
| --
| alan
|
| reply to alan(dot)holmes27(at)virgin(dot)net

There was no packet writing ability native to 95 or 98 or any Windows
version. You had to have had third-party software. It might have come
bundled with a CD burner or as part of an OEM package, but it wasn't part of
Windows.
InCd and Roxio's Drag-to-Disk are two examples of software that will do what
you want, but they're not free. Do a Google search. You should be aware
that packet writing is a method of kludging a system into doing something it
wasn't designed to do, and if you do enough of it with important data you
will sooner or later come to grief.

 

[André Gulliksen]

I was under the impression that the CD needed to be formated, but when
I put that question to my local repair shop I was told it wasn't
neccessary.

If you wish to use the UDF file system, which allows overwriting and
deletion of files on rewritable CDs (and even simulation of such on normal
writable CDs) you will need to to format, and you will need a suitable
packet writer. To write ordinary ISO CDs (this is what you get with XPs
built in burning function) you don't have to format.

 

[Alan Holmes]

You seem to want to use your CD-RW the same way you would use a hard disk.
In that case you cannot write to the CD the same way you would burn a
(audio or data) CD.

That is correct and is something I used to be able to do, but WIN XP
seems to have been built to stop me doing that.

The CD first needs to be specially formatted to allow this type of action.
One tool that you could use to do this is Nero InCD
(http://www.nero.com/en/631898241930156.html), but there are others too.

Tried to download this and had a message telling me it was going to take
four hours as I only have a PAYG line!

 

[Alan Holmes]

|
| | > You seem to want to use your CD-RW the same way you would use a hard
disk.
| > In that case you cannot write to the CD the same way you would burn a
| > (audio or data) CD.
| > The CD first needs to be specially formatted to allow this type of
action.
| > One tool that you could use to do this is Nero InCD
|
| I was under the impression that the CD needed to be formated, but when
| I put that question to my local repair shop I was told it wasn't
neccessary.
|
| I'm sure I was able to format CDs when using either win95 or win98, but
| there doesn't seem to be that facility with win xp, although in the help
| file it says it can be done, but it wont let me.
|
| > (http://www.nero.com/en/631898241930156.html)
|
| As I'm very careful with my money (aka mean!) is this free?
|
| --
| alan
|
| reply to alan(dot)holmes27(at)virgin(dot)net

There was no packet writing ability native to 95 or 98 or any Windows
version. You had to have had third-party software. It might have come
bundled with a CD burner or as part of an OEM package, but it wasn't part
of
Windows.

Now I am aware that my senile decay is well advanced, but I have,
in the past, been able to format cds using either win95, win98 or
winme without having extra software to do it, I have several
rereadable/writeable cds to show for it.

Having written all that I decided to show how clever I am, so I
got out the paperwork for the previous settings on this machine
which was provided by Time, on looking through the book which came
with the machine I found a cd marked CD Recording software, EasyCD
creator V4, which had been installed before I got the machine which
led me to believe that it was included in Win ME!

So I tried to install it, but no good it gave me a message saying
there were incompatibilities and I should get the updates but this
was also impossible to download using my connection, so I went off
to me local Computer Repair and assistance shop. where I obtained
Roxio Creator 7 and all is now fine.

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions as to how to solve this
problem.

 

[Gordon]

Now I am aware that my senile decay is well advanced, but I have,
in the past, been able to format cds using either win95, win98 or
winme without having extra software to do it, I have several
rereadable/writeable cds to show for it.

Well you must have had a third-party application installed then. NO VERSION
OF WINDOWS before XP has had ANY CD-R or CD-RW function in it. Period.

 

[Gord Dibben]

NOT!!

Gord

 

[george]

I hear you.
With a 56Kbps phone connection (payable on top of that!) getting around 8-9
MB file downloaded (that's about the size of InCD) is no joy.
Can't help you with that!
(Got a friend with some kind of broadband connection. cable, ADSL)?

cheers
george

 

[george]

"but WIN XP seems to have been built to stop me doing that."

You should be quite flattered that MS has gone out of it's way just to be
sure this would be the case!
(Just pulling your leg )

Incidentally, even if you have got that type of software to 'pre-format'
your rewritable CD to uses a 'just another jarddisk', the pre-formatting
action will take quite a while too ) for every CD-RW you'd like to use that
way!
Just a little 'forwarning'.
)
george