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1993-02-03
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From: rab@cdrom.com Newsgroups:
alt.cd-rom,comp.multimedia,comp.answers,news.answers Subject:
alt.cd-rom FAQ Summary: Frequently asked questions about CD-ROMs
Message-ID: <1k0agp$3h7@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: 25 Jan 93 09:05:29 GMT
Reply-To: rab@cdrom.com
Followup-To: alt.cd-rom
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 1777
Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu
Xref: prlhp1 alt.cd-rom:6103 comp.multimedia:4176 news.answers:4626
NNTP-Posting-Host: jaywalk.berkeley.edu
Archive-name: cdrom-faq
Last-modified: 1993/01/25
========================= FAQ alt.cd-rom ===================================
FAQ for the alt.cd-rom usenet newsgroup. This list is posted to
alt.cd-rom every month. The latest version is available via anonymous
ftp from cdrom.com (192.153.46.254): /pub/faq. This file is freely
redistributable.
============================================================================
1. What are some good sources of CD-ROM discs?
1a. What are some good sources of CD-ROM discs in North America?
1b. What are some good sources of CD-ROM discs in Europe?
1c. What are some good sources of CD-ROM discs in the Mid-East?
1d. What are some good sources of CD-ROM discs in Asia?
1e. What are some good sources of CD-ROM discs in Australia and New Zealand?
2. Can you recommend a good CD-ROM drive?
3. Where can I get caddies?
4. Are there any good periodicals and publications on CD-ROMs?
5. Why are CD-ROM drives so slow?
6. Is it important to have a fast CD-ROM? Does 300ms vs. 700ms really matter?
7. Is it important to buy a fully SCSI compatible drive?
8. Where can I get information on SCSI controllers for CD-ROM drives?
9. How much does it cost to make a CD-ROM?
10. Where can I get a CD-ROM published?
11. Where can I find equipment to make my own CD-ROMs?
12. Are there any organizations of CD-ROM Publishers?
13. How much information will fit on a CD-ROM?
14. Why doesn't MSCDEX work with DOS 5.0?
15. Where can I get the latest version of MSCDEX?
16. I bought a used drive at a garage sale. Where can I find a driver for it?
17. What is the difference between `High Sierra' and ISO-9660?
18. Where can I get a copy of the ISO-9660 standard?
19. What is an HFS disc?
20. Can you give a short explaination of ISO-9660?
21. What the heck does `Red Book' and `Yellow Book' mean?
22. What is CD-I?
23. What is CD-ROM/XA?
24. What are the Rock Ridge extensions?
25. Is a short technical introduction to these standards available?
26. Who comes up with these standards? Can I have any input to the process?
27. Are there any ftp sites with good stuff related to CD-ROMs?
28. How do I write an MSDOS program that can access a cdrom using MSCDEX?
29. How do I mount an ISO-9660 disc on a Sun?
30. How do I use a CD-ROM with OS/2?
31. Which CD-ROM Drives will work with MicroSoft Windows-NT?
32. How do I read an audio cd track as digital data?
33. Why do CD-ROMs cost so much?
34. Why do all the bundle deals require me to buy a drive? What if I
already have a drive?
35. Are alt.cd-rom archives available anywhere?
36. What is the shelf-life of a CD-ROM?
37. How should I handle my CD-ROMs? How do I clean them?
38. Which drives will work with Kodak Photo CD?
39. What is a "Multisession" CD drive?
40. How does Photo CD work?
41. Where can I get more information about the Kodak Photo CD?
42. Where can I get maps of the US on CD-ROM?
43. How do I put a CD-ROM Drive on a Novell network?
44. Are any CD-ROM Jukeboxes available?
45. Can I speed up my CD-ROM by using a cache?
46. Do you have any info about the CD-ROM filesystems for Amigas?
47. What are the most popular CD-ROMs?
48. ???? Please send any other questions (and answers) that should
be included in this FAQ to rab@cdrom.com.
==========================================================================
1. What are some good sources of CD-ROM discs?
Jim Raehl has compiled an excellent list of sources for inexpensive
CD-ROMs. His list is periodically posted to alt.cd-rom, and is available
via anonymous ftp from cdrom.com:/pub/faq_disc.
You can get a list of about 85 CD-ROM titles by sending a blank message
to CD-ROM@micromed.net.netcom.com [ Several people have had trouble
getting the list, so I have made it available for anonymous ftp from
cdrom.com:/pub/micro.med ]
==========================================================================
1a. What are some good sources of CD-ROM discs in North America?
---------------------------------
Buckmaster Publishing
Route 3, Box 56
Mineral, VA 23117
703-894-5777 or 800-282-5628
A ham radio callbook database and 5000 public domain programs: $50
---------------------------------
Bureau of Electronic Publishing
141 New Road
Parsippany, NJ 07054
1 800 828-4766, 201-808-2700, Fax: 201-808-2676
Publish lots of CD-ROM titles. Call them for a catalog.
----------------------------------
CD-ROM INC
1667 Cole Blvd, Suite 400
Golden, CO 80401
1 800 821-5245
Many discs, drives and accessories. Call for free catalog.
------------------------------------
The CD-ROM Source
PO Box 20158
Indianapolis, IN 46220
Phone: (317) 251-9833
------------------------------------
CDROMS Unlimited
P.O. Box 7476
Fremont, CA 94537-7476
1 510 795-4286 Call for catalog
------------------------------------
CD-ROM User's Group
Post Office Box 2400
Santa Barbara, CA 93120
805-965-0265
Bundle of 10 discs for $99.
------------------------------------
Compustuff
2759 Medina Rd., Plaza 71
Medina, OH 44258
216-725-7729
------------------------------------
Computer Man
18546 Sherman Way, Suite B
Reseda, CA 91335
818-609-0556
------------------------------------
Computers At Large
18728 Cabernet Drive
Saratoga, CA 95070-3561
(408)255-1081, (408)255-2388 - FAX
------------------------------------
Crazy Bob
ERM Electronic Liquidators
37 Washinton
St. Melrose, Mass 02176
Order line: 800-776-5865
Sells mostly outdated or surplus discs at low prices
------------------------------------
EBSCO Subscription Services (CD-ROM Handbook)
P.O.Box 325
Topsfield, MA 01983
508-887-6667 800-221-1826 508-887-3923 (Fax)
------------------------------------
EDUCORP
7434 Trade Street
San Diego, CA92121-2410
1-800-843-9497
------------------------------------
Faxon Co., Inc. (Access Faxon)
15 Southwest Park
Westwood, MA 02090
617-329-3350 800-225-6055 617-461-1862 (Fax)
------------------------------------
Knowledge Media
436 Nunneley Rd Suite B
Paradise, CA 95969
+1 916 872 3826, +1 916 872 3826 FAX, email: pbenson@ecst.csuchico.edu
Graphics software CD-ROM, Audio Resource Library CDROM
------------------------------------
Mail Boxes Etc.
7657 Winnetka Ave.
Conoga Park, CA 91306
818-700-1800
------------------------------------
Mr. CD Rom
PO Box 1087
Winter Garden, FL 34777
800-444-mrcd
407-877-3834 FAX
------------------------------------
NASA Space Science Data Center
Code 933.4
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, MD USA 20771
Phone (voice) 301 286 6695
CDROMs of data from Voyager, Magellan and Viking for $6 each.
If you have ftp capability, you can sample images from the two currently
mounted CDROMS at ames.arc.nasa.gov in the directory SPACE/CDROM.
------------------------------------
Nautilus
7001 Discovery Blvd
Dublin, OH 43017-8066
1-800-637-3472
Provides a CD-ROM of the month subscription. 13 CD-ROM's for $138.
------------------------------------
Oxford University Press
2001 Evans Rd
Cary, North Carolina 27513
800 451-7556
Oxford English Dictionary on CD-ROM
------------------------------------
Pacific HiTech, Inc.
4530 Fortuna Way
Salt Lake City, UT 84124
(800) 765-8369, (801) 278-2042, FAX: (801) 278-2666
71175.3152@CompuServe.com.
Info-Mac Sumex-aim Macintosh CDROM, Educational Gameland CDROM (for PCs)
------------------------------------
Prime Time Freeware
370 Altair Way, Suite 150
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
(408) 738-4832, (408) 738 2050 FAX, ptf@cfcl.com
UNIX-related source code on CD-ROM
------------------------------------
ProComp Computer
12503 Sherman Way
No. Hollywood CA 91605
------------------------------------
Profit Press
2956 N. Campbell Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85719
602-577-9624
MEGA-Rom, 600+ meg MSDOS, $79
------------------------------------
Raynbow Software, Inc.
P. O. Box 327
Rapid City, SD 57709
(605) 394-8227, louis@ce.ucsc.edu, CompuServe: 70410,413
5000 GIFs on CD-ROM with Search Engine for $55
------------------------------------
Reed Reference Publishing
Bowker Electronic Publishing
121 Chanlon Road
New Providence, NJ 07974
1-800-323-3288
908-464-6800, 212-645-9700, 1-800-323-3328, info@bowker.com
"Books in Print" on CD-ROM, bi-monthly subscription $1095, w/reviews $1595
------------------------------------
ROM-BO
1300 Mohawk Blvd
Springfield, OR 97477
800-536-DISK
------------------------------------
Sound Electro Flight
4545 Industrial St. 5N
Simi Valley, CA 93063
800-279-4824
------------------------------------
Stanford University Press
415-723-1593
CD-ROM with authoring system containing four books illustrating its use: $17
------------------------------------
Sterling Software
1404 Ft. Crook Rd. South
Bellevue, NE 68005-2969
800 643-NEWS, 402 291-2108, 402 291-4362, cdnews@Sterling.COM
uunet!sparky!cdnews, ftp.uu.net:/vendor/sterling
NetNews/CD: Usenet news on CD-ROM
------------------------------------
TechCity
17706 Chatsworth St.
Granada Hills, CA 91344
------------------------------------
TigerSoftware
800 Douglas Entrance
Executive Tower, 7th FLoor
Coral Gables, Florida 33134
24-hour FAX: (305) 529-2990
------------------------------------
Updata Publications, Inc. (CD-ROM Guide)
1736 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-474-5900 800-882-2844 310-474-4095 (Fax)
------------------------------------
Walnut Creek CDROM
1547 Palos Verdes Mall, Suite 260
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
1 800 786-9907, 1 510 947-5996, 1 510 947-1644 FAX
Snapshots of major internet archives on CD-ROM
------------------------------------
Wayzata Technology Inc.
P.O. Box 807
Grand Rapids MN 55744
1 800 735-7321 Call for catalog
------------------------------------
Yggdrasil Computing, Incorporated
PO Box 8418
Berkeley CA 94707-8418
(510) 526-7531, fax: (510) 528-8508, yggdrasil@netcom.com
Linux Operating system on CD-ROM
==========================================================================
1b. What are some good sources of CD-ROM discs in Europe?
------------------------------------
Apex Software
PO Box 174
Battle
East Sussex
TN33 9AQ
International: +44-424-830025 (voice or fax), UK: 0424-830025 (voice or fax)
email: vincea@cix.compulink.co.uk
------------------------------------
British Software Licensing
280 (T/L) West Princes Street
Woodlands
Glasgow G4 9EU
United Kingdom
+44-41-339-7264, Fax +44-41-334-1675, graham@gimble.demon.co.uk
------------------------------------
CD-ROM Jacob
Aarstrasse 98
CH-3005 Bern
Switzerland
------------------------------------
CD ROM (UK) Ltd
8 Sheep St, Highworth
Swindon, Wiltshire SN6 7AA
United Kingdom
44-0793-861146, 44-0793-765331 (Fax)
------------------------------------
EBSCO Subscription Services
3 Tyers Gate
London SE1 3HX
United Kingdom
44-71-357-7516
------------------------------------
Faxon Europe, B.V.
Postbus 197
1000 AD Amsterdam
The Netherlands
31 (20) 91-05-91, 31 (20) 91-17-35 (Fax)
------------------------------------
Micro Haus Limited
P.O. Box 149
Gloucester
GL3 4EF
United Kingdom
------------------------------------
Mountain Rose Multi Media
Kikkerveen 331
3205 XC Spijkenisse
The Netherlands.
Phone: +31 1880 33083 / Fax: +31 1880 41551 / Email: sterbbs@sus.eur.nl
------------------------------------
Public Domain & Shareware Library
Winscombe House,
Beacon Road. Crowborough,
Sussex, TN6 1UL, United Kingdom
+44 892 663298, +44 892 667473 FAX
Entire Library of PD/Shareware on CD-ROM
------------------------------------
STARCOM
International Computer Services
Limburggasse 45
A-9073 Klagenfurt-Viktring
Austria
+43 (463) 29 67 22, +43 (463) 29 67 24 FAX
------------------------------------
UNICA Ltd
39a Hall St, Stockport
Cheshire, SK1 4DA, UK
+44 61 429 0241, +44 61 477 2910 FAX
------------------------------------
WasaWare Oy
Palosaarentie 31
SF-65200 VAASA
Finland
Telephone & Fax: +358 61 173365, Email: hv@uwasa.fi
==========================================================================
1c. What are some good sources of CD-ROM discs in the Mid-East?
ACTCOM - Active Communication Ltd.
14 Pinsker St., Haifa 32715, Israel
+972-4-326857, +972-4-231211 (FAX)
E-mail: amir@actcom.com
==========================================================================
1d. What are some good sources of CD-ROM discs in Asia?
------------------------------------
Software Studio
Shop 217
Olympia Shopping Center
255 King's Road
North Point
Hong Kong
+852 510 7470 FAX
------------------------------------
UniForce System Ltd.
903 Kin Tak Fung Comm. Bldg
467-473 Hennessy Road
Hong Kong
Voice: (852)838-6048 Fax: (852)572-4778
------------------------------------
Cache Computer
Shop 29, G/Fl., Golden Shopping Centre
146-152 Fuk Wah st., Shamshuipo
Kowloon
Hong Kong
Voice: (852) 361-9975, FAX: (852) 387-9935
==========================================================================
1e. What are some good sources of CD-ROM discs in Australia/New Zealand?
------------------------------------
The Cave MegaBBS
PO Box 2009
Wellington
New Zealand
BBS: +64 4 5643429 V22b, +64 4 564-5307 FAX, clear@cavebbs.gen.nz
------------------------------------
CompuCD
GPO Box 1624
Canberra City
ACT 2601
Australia
fax: +61 06 2319771
------------------------------------
Ilb Computing
48 Nebo Drive
Figtree Heights
NSW 2525
Australia
+61 42 28 5827
------------------------------------
Logicware
1 Riverbank Off. Vil.
Cnr 1st St. & O'Shea Ter.
Katherine, N'rn Terr. 0850
Australia
fax: +61 89 72 3412
==========================================================================
2. Can you recommend a good CD-ROM drive?
------------------------------------
The NEC CD-ROM drives 336,37,73,74,83, etc. have received many favorable
recommendations. NEC CD-ROM drive information can be FAX'ed to you. Call
NEC Fastfacts at 800-366-0476, and then follow the directions. You will
be prompted for a Catalog or Product Number. Catalog Number 2 is for
CD-ROM and Product Number 730101 is for the CRD-73M and 730100 is for the
CDR-73. Similarly for the CDR-37. No information was available on the
CD-74. You will be prompted for your 10-digit FAX number and your local
voice telephone number. If you haven't received your FAX with 30 minutes
try again. For international callers, the Fastfacts FAX number is
+1 708 860-9500x2621. You can get documents, and drivers, from the NEC
BBS at +1 508 635-6328.
------------------------------------
You can get information on Matsumi drives by calling their US HQ at
(516) 752-7730. The Mitsumi office dealing with the SouthEast is in
Dallas. (214) 550-7300, FAX: (214) 550-7424. In California, call
(408) 970-0700.
-----------------------------------
Here is a matrix of information on a number of CD-ROM drives. Please
send me any additions or corrections.
Column
A. Manufactuer
B. Model Number
C. Internal/External/Both
D. Caddies N=No, S=Sony, P=Philips, X=NEC, O=Other
E. Seek time in milliseconds
F. Transfer rate in kilobytes/second
G. SCSI - Y/N
H. CDROM XA / PhotoCD compatable (N=No, S=Single-Session, M=multi-session)
I. OS/2 Compatible - Y/N
J. Windows NT Compatible - Y/N
K. MPC Compatible - Y/N
L. Quicktime Compatible - Y/N
M.
N. Approximate Street Price, in US dollars
O. Recommended #yes/#no (Send email to recommend either yes or no)
P. Phone #
Q. Comments
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N 0 P Q
===== ======== = = === === = = = = = = = === === ============ ==========
Apple CD 150 - S --- --- Y - - - - - - --- 0/0 ------------
Apple CD 300 - S --- --- Y M - - - - - --- 0/0 ------------
Apple CD 300i - S --- --- Y M - - - - - --- 0/0 ------------
Apple CD SC - S --- --- Y - - - - - - --- 0/0 ------------
Apple CD SC+ - S --- --- Y - - - - - - --- 0/0 ------------
CDRM Inc CR 1000i - - --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 ------------
Chinon 435 E S 350 150 Y S - - Y Y - --- 0/0 800-441-0222
Chinon 435 I S 350 150 Y S - - Y Y - 369 0/0 800-441-0222
Chinon 431 - S 350 --- Y S - Y Y Y - --- 0/0 800-441-0222
Denon DRD-253 - - --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 ------------
Hitachi CDR-1700S - - --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 1-800-HITACHI
Hitachi CDR-1702 E N 450 40 N N N N N N 200 0/1 1-800-HITACHI Obsolete
Hitachi CDR-1750S - - --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 1-800-HITACHI
Hitachi CDR-3600 - - --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 1-800-HITACHI
Hitachi CDR-3650 I S 350 50 Y N - - N - - 300 1/0 1-800-HITACHI workhorse
Hitachi CDR-3700 I - 300 --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 1-800-HITACHI
Hitachi CDR-3750 - - --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 1-800-HITACHI
Magnavox CDD461RS E N 700 --- - - - - - - - 329 0/0 ------------
Magnavox CDD462RS E N 400 --- - M - - Y - - --- 0/0 ------------
Matsushita CD-521 I - 390 --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 ------------
MediaVis PAS B - --- --- Y S - N - - - 129 1/0 ------------
MediaVis PAS-16 B - --- --- Y S - N - - - 150 1/0 ------------ 16-bit sound
Mitsumi - N 500 150 N - N N - N - 169 0/2 ------------
MtOptech SI-680 - - --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 303-444-2851 Ruggedized
NEC CDR 36 - - 500 150 Y - - - - - - --- 0/0 800-NEC-INFO Portable
NEC CDR 37 - - 450 150 - - - - - - - --- 0/0 800-NEC-INFO Portable
NEC CDR-73 E S 300 150 Y - - - - - - 649 0/0 800-NEC-INFO
NEC CDR-73M E S 280 300 Y - - - - - - --- 0/0 800-NEC-INFO Fast
NEC CDR-74 E S 300 300 - S - - - Y - --- 0/0 800-NEC-INFO
NEC CDR-80 - X --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 800-NEC-INFO
NEC CDR-83 I S 300 150 Y - - - - - - 599 0/0 800-NEC-INFO
NEC CDR-83M I S 280 300 Y - - - - - - --- 0/0 800-NEC-INFO
NEC CDR-84 I S 300 300 - S - - - Y - --- 0/0 800-NEC-INFO
NEC CDXG1 E - 500 --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 800-NEC-INFO
Philips CDD-461 E N --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 800-722-6224
Philips CDI-601 E - --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 800-722-6224
Philips CDI-602 E - --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 800-722-6224
Pioneer DRM-600 E O 600 150 Y S - - - - - 925 1/0 bbs4087482150 jukebox(x6)
Pioneer DRM-604X E O --- 300 Y S - - - - - --- 1/0 bbs4087482150 jukebox(x6)
Sanyo ROM 3000 E S 650 40 N N N N N N - --- 0/1 ------------ slow
Sony CDU-531 I S --- 150 N S - - - - - --- 0/0 800-352-7669
Sony CDU-535 I - 340 150 - - - - - - - --- 0/0 408-944-4335
Sony CDU-541 - S --- 150 Y - - - - - - --- 0/0 408-434-6644
Sony CDU-561 - S 300 300 Y M - - - - - --- 0/0 408-434-6644
Sony CDU-6201 - S --- 150 N S - - - - - --- 0/0 408-434-6644
Sony CDU-6205 - - --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 408-434-6644
Sony CDU-6211 - S --- 150 Y - - - - - - --- 0/0 408-434-6644
Sony CDU-7204 - - --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 408-434-6644
Sony CDU-7205 E - --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 408-434-6644
Sony CDU-7211 - S --- 150 Y - - - - - - --- 0/0 408-434-6644
Sony CDU-8012 - S --- 150 Y S - - - - - --- 0/0 408-434-6644
Talon TA-100 - - 360 150 - - - - - - - --- 0/0 ------------
Talon TA-200 - - 280 300 - - - - - - - --- 0/0 ------------
Tandy CDR-1000 I N 800 175 N N - - - - - 200 1/0 ------------ Nice, Cheap
Texel DM3021 - - 340 --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 800-886-3935
Texel DM3024 I - 265 300 Y S - - - - - 439 0/0 800-886-3935
Texel DM5024 E - 265 300 Y S - - - - - 549 0/0 800-886-3935
Toshiba TX-M3301 - - --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 714-455-0407
Toshiba XM3300 - - --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 714-455-0407
Toshiba XM3301 - - 325 150 Y - - - - - - --- 0/0 714-455-0407
Toshiba XM3301B I S 325 150 Y S - - Y - - 499 2/0 714-455-0407 Works great
Toshiba XM3301E1 - - --- --- - - - - - - - --- 0/0 714-455-0407
Trantor T128 B - --- --- Y S - N - - - 100 1/0 ------------
The NeXT CD-ROM is a Sony CDU-541.
The Sony CDU-6211 is the same as the Sony CDU-7211.
==========================================================================
3. Where can I get caddies?
Here are a few sources of caddies:
---------------------------------------------------------------
CD-ROM INC
1667 Cole Blvd
Suite 400
Golden, CO 80401
1 800 821-5245
Call for the latest price.
----------------------------------------------------------------
EDUCORP
7434 Trade Street
San Diego, CA 92121-2410
1-800-843-9497
$55 for 10
----------------------------------------------------------------
QB Products
1260 Karl Court
Wauconda, IL 60084
+1 800 323-6856 +1 708 487-3333
Sony Caddies "Made in USA", 10 for $54, 1000 for $3900
----------------------------------------------------------------
Walnut Creek CDROM
1547 Palos Verdes Mall, Suite 260
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
+1 800 786-9907, +1 510 947-5996, +1 510 947-1644 FAX
Sony caddies "Made in Japan" - $4.95 each, $450 for 100
==========================================================================
4. Are there any good periodicals and publications on CD-ROMs?
------------------------------------------------------------
A catalog describing CD-ROM publications and the "Multimedia and Videodisc
Monitor" newsletter is available from
Future Systems
P.O. Box 26
Falls Church, VA 22040
Telephone 800-323-DISC or 703-241-1799
One of their books contains a list of about 1500 CD-ROM's.
------------------------------------------------------------
CD-ROM Professional is a bi-monthly magazine with product reviews,
technical articles, industry news, etc. This is a "must read" for
anyone in the CD-ROM business. $39.95/year
CD-ROM Professional Magazine
462 Danbury Road
Wilton, CT 06897
+1 800 248-8466
------------------------------------------------------------
"CD-ROM Collecion Builder's Toolkit, 1992 Edition"
Paul T. Nicholls
Eight Bit Books, Weston, CT
ISBN: 0-910-96502-1
$39.95
------------------------------------------------------------
CD-ROMS IN PRINT 1992
An International Guide to CD-ROM, CD-I, CDTV & Electronic Book Products
Meckler Publishing
11 Ferry Lane West
Westport, CT 06880
------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups and mailing lists:
On the internet, the best source of information is the newsgroup
alt.cd-rom, which is linked to the BITNET list CDROM-L.
Those subscribing to CDROM-L may now choose to receive a daily digest
of CDROM-L postings or an index to the daily digest. From the index
one may easily request the full text of a posting.
To receive the INDEX, send the following note to listserv@uccvma or
listserv@uccvma.ucop.edu (the subject is ignored):
set cdrom-L index
To receive the DIGEST, send the following:
set cdrom-L digest
***DO NOT*** send to cdrom-L. Because of the high noise level of
this list, I recommend that people try the index.
The newsgroup aus.cdrom provides a forum for discussion of cdrom
related issues to Australian users that are otherwise lost in the
morass of postings in the US based groups.
The internet newsgroup comp.multimedia is a good source of information
on multimedia topics.
CDROMLAN (available on usenet as bit.listserv.cdromlan) covers the
use of CD-ROM products on local area or wide area networks. You can
join the list be sending the following command to
LISTSERV@IDBSU.IDBSU.EDU:
SUBSCRIBE CDROMLAN Your full name
CD-ROMs are in heavy use in libraries and government document
repositories, both for access to indexes and for distribution of
government data. The relevant lists are PACS-L
(bit.listserv.pacs-l) and GOVDOC-L (bit.listserv.govdoc-l).
Send to LISTSERV@PSUVM.PSU.EDU:
SUBSCRIBE GOVDOC-L Your full name
Send to LISTSERV%UHUPVM1.BITNET@VM1.NODAK.EDU
SUBSCRIBE PACS-L Your full name
Discussions of music on CD can be found in rec.music.cd.
==========================================================================
5. Why are CD-ROM drives so slow?
Compact discs were originally designed for music. When you are
listening to "Willie Nelson's Greatest Hits", you are accessing the
data sequentially and at a very regular speed. The only time you need
to seek is when you decide to skip over a song, or back up and listen
to "Always on my Mind" one more time.
In order to fit as much music as possible onto the disc, the data
is recorded at the same linear density near the outer edge of the disc
as it is near the center, so there is more information in the outside
tracks than in the inside tracks. In order to deliver a steady rate
of data, the linear velocity of the disc moving under the head is
constant, so the angular velocity of the disc changes when the head
moves from the center toward the outside tracks. This is no big deal
when you are playing music, but when you are trying to do random access
to a CD-ROM, the need to accelerate and decelerate the disc is the biggest
obstacle to making it faster. Most magnetic discs spin at a constant
angular velocity, so the data density decreases toward the outside of the
disk, but seeks are faster.
A few other reasons that CD-ROMs are slow: Optical disc heads tend to be
heavier than magnetic disk heads, so they have more inertia, and take
longer to stablize onto a new track. Many CD-ROMs contain too much data
to make effective use of RAM caches.
As time goes by, CD-ROM drives will get a little faster, but don't expect
any miracles.
==========================================================================
6. Is it important to have a fast CD-ROM? Does 300ms vs 700ms really matter?
It depends on what applications you will be using. Many CD-ROMs
are just big archives of stuff, and you can copy individual programs
to your hard disk before using them so speed is not really very
important. But if you are going to be using large ramdom-access
databases, or any kind of interactive multi-media applications, then
the speed difference is very noticeable.
==========================================================================
7. Is it important to buy a fully SCSI compatible drive?
Several CD-ROM drives only support a sub-set of SCSI, and usually
come with their own semi-SCSI controller card. Full SCSI compatible
drives usually cost more, but are better if you already have a SCSI
controller and want to daisy chain several devices, or if you want to
be able to use the drive on different machine types.
==========================================================================
8. Where can I get information on SCSI controllers for CD-ROM drives?
Many SCSI drive vendors recommend the Adaptec 1542-B SCSI Card.
The phone number for Adaptec is 800-959-7274 or 408-945-2550.
[ If anyone sends me info on other scsi controllers, I will include
the info here. ]
==========================================================================
9. How much does it cost to make a CD-ROM?
You can get a master made for about $1300, and then about $1.50 per
disc for duplication. So to make 1000 discs, it will cost you about
($1300 + (1000 * 1.50)) = $2800. Publishers often have `first-timer'
specials with steep discounts off the list price. For instance, DMI
recently had a special of mastering, 50 discs, and two hours of tech
support for $750.
If you only want a few discs, you can have single ISO-9660 `one-offs'
made for about $200 for the first disc, and $100 for additional copies.
==========================================================================
10. Where can I get a CD-ROM published?
I have used both of these companies, and highly recommend either:
Digital Audio Disc Corporation
1800 North Fruitridge Avenue
Terre Haute, IN 47803
812-462-8100, 812-466-9125 FAX
Disc Manufacturing Inc.
4905 Moores Mill Road
Huntsville, AL 35810
800-433-DISC, 205-859-9042, 205-859-9932 FAX
DADC is a subsidiary of Sony, and DMI is a subsidiary of Philips.
A more detailed list of 25 publishers in 8 countries is available via
anonymous ftp in cdrom.com:/pub/publshrs.
There are now over 10 manufacturing facilities active in CDROM in North
America, and another growing collection of write-once service bureaus.
These are listed in MFG.TXT in Lib #8 of the Compuserve CDROM Forum.
If you only want to make one disc, or just a few copies, there are
several companies that offer this service:
On-Site CD
Saratoga, CA
(408) 867-0514
ISO-9660, Mac HFS, Call for price
Optical Media International
San Jose, CA
(408) 376-3511
omi@applelink.apple.com
ISO-9660, Mac HFS, Call for price
Walnut Creek CDROM
1547 Palos Verdes Mall, Suite 260
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
1-800-786-9907, +1 510 947-5996, FAX: +1 510 947-1644, rab@cdrom.com
ISO-9660, Rock Ridge (Unix), $195, $95 each for additional copies
Young Minds Inc.
1910 Orange Tree Lane, Suite 300
Redlands, CA 92374
714 335-1350, 714 798-0488 FAX, yngmnds!ayoung@ucrmath.ucr.edu
Rock Ridge (Unix), $950
==========================================================================
11. Where can I find equipment to make my own CD-ROMs?
If you want to do single copy `one-offs', or low volume CD production,
there are recorders announced by JVC, Philips, Sony, Yamaha and Pinnacle
Micro.
JVC Personal ROM-Maker $12500 (complete system, including software)
Philips CDD-521 $5500 (+ $1900 for software)
Sony CDW-900E $10000 (???)
Yamaha ???? ????
Pinnacle Micro $3995 ISO 9660 and HFS software for Macs
Kodak remarkets the Philips drive as their PCD Writer 200.
You can buy the Philips drive with CDGEN software for ISO-9660
discs from DataDisc (1-800-328-2347, FAX: +1 703-347-9085) for $7895.
They recommend that you use it with the Adaptec 1542 SCSI Card.
Optical Media International (1-408-376-3511, omi@applelink.apple.com)
has Macintosh HFS premastering software for the Philips CDD-521. The
program is called "Quicktopics" and the cost is $2500.
The JVC drive comes with software for making ISO-9960, Apple HFS, and
hybrid ISO-9660/HFS discs. [ If anyone knows anything more about these
hybrid discs, please let me and I will include the information here.]
Additional third party integrators are: Meridian Data 408-438-3100;
CD-ROM Strategies 714-733-3378; and Interactive Support Group 818-709-7387.
Pinnacle Micro announced at MacWorld Expo in San Francisco a new,
recordable CD-ROM drive with a list price of $3,995! This price
includes ISO 9660 and HFS software for Macs. PC interface kit and
software is extra $200.
Here are some phone numbers you can call for more info:
JVC Product Information: +1 714 965-2610
Philips Consumer Electronics: +1 615 475-8869
Sony Computer Peripheral Products: +1 800 352-7669
Pinnacle Micro +1 800 553-7070, +1-714-727-1913 (fax)
The blank discs for these drives cost about $30 each. They are not
the same as a normal CD. The metal data surface is gold instead of
aluminum. The recorder uses a high powered laser to modify a dye layer
which is between the gold and the plastic. This dye is somewhat photo
sensitive so write once CDs should be stored in a dark place. It takes
about half an hour to burn each disc.
Here are several sources for blank discs:
DataWare (1-510-942-3111, ask for Jeff Caplan). 74 minute (650 meg) blanks
for $31 quantity ten, $29 quantity 100, and $27 quantity 500.
Sonic Solutions 415-485-4800. Their April 1992 price list shows CD-R74
quantity 100 as $27.50, CD-R63 quantity 100 as $25.00.
The U.S. sales office for DIC (a Japanese ink and chemical company) can
be reached at 201-224-9344. I don't have any prices, but I would guess
that their prices would be lower. DIC claims a useful life in excess of
75 years for their discs.
APDC sells blanks discs, magneto-optical disks, 8mm and 4mm tapes.
800-522-7232, ask for Susan Bradley.
==========================================================================
12. Are there any organizations of CD-ROM Publishers?
The Optical Publishing Association is a non-profit trade and professional
organization for CDROM and other digital media publishers. They have been
around since 1988, publishing newsletters and backgrounders for publishers,
and promoting profitable practices for the business.
OPA, PO Box 21268, Columbus OH 43221 USA, 614/442-8805, 614/442-8815 (fax)
CIS address 71333,1114, 71333.1114@compuserve.com, AppleLink r.bowers.
==========================================================================
13. How much information will fit on a CD-ROM?
It depends on the drive. Almost all CD-ROM drives will handle up to
620 megabytes with no problems. Many newer drives can read discs with
over 700 megs.
The CD-ROM Users Group (see above) has a diagnostic CD-ROM that
will tell you how much information your drive can handle.
==========================================================================
14. Why doesn't MSCDEX work with DOS 5.0?
You must use SETVER with MS-DOS 5.0, to make MSCDEX 2.20 work properly.
Otherwise you will get an incorrect DOS version message. See the MS-DOS
5.0 documentation on how to use SETVER. MSCDEX 2.21 works with MS-DOS 5.0
without SETVER.
==========================================================================
15. Where can I get the latest version of MSCDEX?
Call MS BBS at 206-936-4082. Choose F for file library, S UPDATES, F to
list files, then D MSCDEX.ZIP to download the file. (Microsoft may have
deleted this file.)
You can get the latest version of MSCDEX (2.21) in a self-extracting zip
archive via anonymous ftp from cdrom.com:/pub/cdext.exe.
It is also available in the MSL library on CompuServe, as CDEXT.EXE.
==========================================================================
16. I bought a used drive at a garage sale. Where can I find a driver for it?
NEC, Philips and Sony have BBS's where you might be able to find drivers
for their drives:
NEC BBS: +1 508 635-6328
Philips BBS: +1 310 532-6436
Sony BBS: +1 408 955-5107 or +1 408 372-7426
Toshiba operates a bulletin board in Compuserve.
Jim Rohrer, Chief Sysop, 76702,1300@compuserve.com
They promise an answer within 24 hours.
==========================================================================
17. What is the difference between `High Sierra' and ISO-9660?
Not much. When the standard was first proposed, it was given the name
"High Sierra'. Later it was adopted as an offical standard, with a few
minor modifications, and was designated ISO-9660. Usually when someone
says "High Sierra", they really mean ISO-9660.
==========================================================================
18. Where can I get a copy of the ISO-9660 standard?
You can order a copy of the ISO-9660 standard from
ANSI
Attn: Sales
11 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
212-642-4900
Cost to US destinations is $50, plus $6 shipping, check or money order.
Another source of a wide variety of standards documents is Global
Engineering Documents of Irvine CA, 714/261-1455, 714/261-7892 (fax).
Their service is often faster than ANSI. They also have offices in
Europe and Asia.
==========================================================================
19. What is an HFS disc?
HFS is the Macintosh's Hierarchical Filing System. It is unrelated
to High Sierra and ISO-9660 formats. Most CD-ROMs intended for the
Macintosh are created in the HFS format, since HFS does support the
Mac's resource and data forks and file information.
There are drivers made by AsimWare (AsimCDFS) and Xetec that allows HFS
discs to be read on an Amiga. There is a list of differences that the
drivers contends with, such as non-standard characters and 32 character
filenames (Amiga supports only 30).
------
"New Inside Macintosh: Files" published by Addison-Wesley,
has the most complete description of HFS format.
Inside Macintosh: Files
By Apple Computer, Inc.
Addison-Wesley Publishing Company
ISBN 0-201-63244-6
In Chapter 2, the section on "Data Organization on Volumes" pages 2-52 to
2-76 contains as complete a description of HFS as is available.
This book can be ordered from APDA (Apple Programmers & Developers
Association) or any bookstore.
APDA
P.O. Box 319
Buffalo, NY 14207-0319
1-800-282-2732 U.S.
1-800-637-0029 Canada
(716) 871-6555 International
(716) 871-6511 Fax
AppleLink APDA
America Online APDA
CompuServe 76666,2405
Internet APDA@applelink.apple.com
==========================================================================
20. Can you give a short explaination of ISO-9660?
ISO-9660 is an international standard that defines a filesystem for
CD-ROMs. Almost all systems support ISO-9660.
Level one ISO-9660 is similar to an MS-DOS filesystem. Filenames are
limited to eight single-case characters, a dot, and a three character
extension. Filenames cannot contain special characters, (no hyphens,
tildes, equals, or pluses). Only single case letters, numbers, and
underscores. Directory names cannot have the three digit extension,
just eight single-case characters.
All alphabetics are in UPPER case; some software maps this to lower case.
Either the file name or the extension may be empty, but not both ("F."
and ".E" are both legal file names).
There is a "File Version Number" which can range from 1-32767, and is
separated from the extension by a semi-colon. The file version number
is ignored on many systems.
Here are some examples of legal and illegal filenames:
Legal Illegal Why
TEST_1C.TXT TEST-1C.TXT hyphen
TEST1C.TXT TEST 1C.TXT space
TEST.1C TEST.1C.TXT more than 1 period
README Readme not single case
Subdirectories are allowed to nest up to eight levels deep.
Level two ISO-9660 allows longer filenames, up to 32 characters.
But many of the other restrictions still apply. Level two discs
are not usable on some systems, particularly MS-DOS.
==========================================================================
21. What the heck does `Red Book', `Yellow Book', etc. mean?
"Red Book" is the common name of the "Compact Disc Digital Audio
Standard". When a disc conforms to the red book standard, it will
usually have "digital audio" printed below the "disc" logo. Most music
CDs conform to this standard.
"Yellow Book" is the standard for CD-ROM. When a disc conforms to the
yellow book, it will usually say "data storage" beneath the "disc" logo.
"Green Book" is the CD-I (compact disc interactive) standard.
"Orange Book" is the standard for write-once compact discs.
"Blue Book" is the standard for LaserDisc.
You can get the Red Book and Yellow Book from
ANSI
Attn: Sales
1430 Broadway
New York, NY 10018
(212) 642-4900
Red Book: CEI IEC 908
Yellow Book: ISO 10149:1989
You can get the Green Book from
American CD-I Association
11111 Santa Monica, Suite 750
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(213) 444-6619
[If anyone can tell me where the other standards are available, I will
include that information here.]
==========================================================================
22. What is CD-I?
CD-I means "Compact Disc Interactive". It is meant to provide a standard
platform for mass consumer interactive multimedia applications. So it is
more akin to CD-DA, in that it is a full specification for both the
data/code _and_ standalone playback hardware: a CD-I player has a CPU,
RAM, ROM, OS, and audio/video/(MPEG) decoders built into it. Portable
players add an LCD screen and speakers/phonejacks.
If you want information about Philips CD-I products, you can call these
numbers:
US: Consumer hotline: 800-845-7301
For nearest store: 800-223-7772
Developers hotline: 800-234-5484
UK: Philips CD-I hotline: 0800-885-885
"Discovering CD-I" is a book available for $45 from:
"Discovering CD-I"
Microware Systems Corporation
1900 NW 114th Street
Des Moines, IA 50325-7077
1-800-475-9000
There are three books by Philips IMS and published by Addison Wesley:
"Introducing CD-I" ISBN 0-201-62748-5
"The CD-I Production Handbook" ISBN 0-201-62750-7
"The CD-I Design Handbook" ISBN 0-201-62749-3
==========================================================================
23. What is CD-ROM/XA?
CD-ROM/XA is an extension to the Yellow Book Standard. A track on
a CD-ROM/XA disc can contain computer data, compressed audio data,
and video/picture data. Many CD-ROM drives do not support CD-ROM/XA.
CD-ROM/XA extends CD-ROM by adding some of the CD-I disc features (such
as using Mode 2 tracks with interleaved compressed-audio and other data).
Thus CD-ROM/XA (eXtended Architecture) is often called the "Bridge" format
between CD-ROM and CD-I... though the relationship is mostly the sector
types. CD-ROM/XA applications still require specific code for each target
platform.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
CDROM-XA specifies a `bridge format' so that a CDROM-XA disc can be read
on a CD-I player as well as on a PC under MSCDEX (provided that you use
a conforming (.SYS) driver. On a normal yellow-book CDROM, a data track
contains only mode-1 data sectors. On a CDROM-XA, a (the) data track
contains only mode-2 data sectors. A mode-2 sector can be of two formats,
form-1 and form-2. A form-1 sector contains 2048 bytes of user data,
together with EDC and ECC bytes. A form-2 sector contains 2324 bytes of
raw data (e.g. ADPCM audio or video data). If the device driver delivers
2048 bytes of data when MSCDEX asks for it, regardless whether the sector
is mode-1 or mode-2/form-1, the PC is CDROM-XA compatible.
==========================================================================
24. What are the Rock Ridge extensions?
The Rock Ridge extensions use some undefined fields in the ISO-9660 standard
to allow full unix-like filenames, symbolic links, and deep directories.
"Rock Ridge" is named after the town in the movie "Blazing Saddles" for no
particular reason.
To receive a copy of the current version of the Rock Ridge specifications,
please contact Bob Niland, e-mail rjn@fc.hp.com, fax 303 229 4545. You
can ftp the Rock Ridge specs from cdrom.com: /pub/rockridge.
For information on Rock Ridge at Sun, try rrinfo@Eng.Sun.COM or
cdgroup@fantasy.eng.sun.com.
For information on Unix-based premastering software supporting the Rock Ridge
extensions contact:
Young Minds Inc.
1910 Orange Tree Lane
Suite 300
Redlands, CA 92374
714 335-1350
714 798-0488 FAX
yngmnds!ayoung@ucrmath.ucr.edu
Rock Ridge is expected to be approved as an ISO standard during the first
quarter of 1993.
==========================================================================
25. Is a short technical introduction to these standards available?
The file ftp.apple.com(130.43.2.3): /pub/cd-rom/cd-rom.summary gives
a short techie introduction to compact disc technology.
----
There is a good short general article on CD-Rom and its's many
variations (CD-XA, CD-I, CDTV, PhotoCD) called MULTIMEDIA IN A MUDDLE
by Barry Fox in the New Scientist (London, ISSN# 0262-4079) vol. 131
no. 1787 (Sep 21, 1991) pp.35-38
----
There is a very good article by Bill and Lynne Jolitz "Inside the
ISO-9660 Filesystem Format" in the December 1992 Dr. Dobbs Journal.
Detailed source code examples are provided. They are planning followup
articles covering Rock Ridge, CDI and CDROM-XA.
----
The SAMS book "Principles of Digital Audio" by Ken C. Pohlmann (ISBN
0-672-22634-0) deals primarily with audio CDs but there are sections
dealing with CD-ROM, CD-I, DVI, CD-V, CD-WO, Erasable CD, CD + G and
CD + MIDI.
----
There is a good brief explaination of all these standards in the paper
"Compact Disc Terminology"
Nancy Klocko
Disc Manufacturing Inc.
1409 Foulk Road, Suite 202
Wilmington, DE 19803
1-800-433-DISC
Here is some information from the paper:
Standards:
Red Book == CD-Audio
Yellow Book == CD-ROM
Mode-1 is for computer data
Mode-2 is for compressed audio data and video/picture data
CD-ROM/XA == an EXTENSION to Yellow Book and defines a new type of track.
CD-ROM Mode 2, XA Format, is used for computer data, compressed audio
data, and video/picture data. A CD-ROM / XA track may interleave Mode 2
compressed audio and Mode 2 data sectors. Additional hardware is needed
to separate these when playing the disc. The hardware is programmed to
separate the audio from the data, decompress the audio and play it out
through the audio jacks. At the same time, the hardware passes the data
to the computer.
NOTE: Additional hardware is needed to play a CD-ROM / XA disc. Several
vendors offer an XA interface board that will allow an existing CD-ROM
drive to play CD-ROM / XA discs.
Green Book == Compact Disc Interactive (CD-I)
Orange Book == Recordable Compact disc Standard
Part I - CD-MO (Magneto Optical)
Consists of optional Pre-Mastered (READ-ONLY) area and a Recordable
(re-writable) user area.
Part II - CD-WO (Write Once)
Orange Book Part II also defines a second type of CD-WO disk called
a "Hybrid Disc". This disc consists of a Pre-recorded Area and a
Recordable Area. The Pre-recorded area is a READ ONLY area where
the information is manufactured into the disc. (This area is written
per the Red, Yellow, and Green Book specifications, and can be played
on any CD-Player.) The Recordable areas are where additional
recordings can be made in one or more sessions. Only the first
session on the disc is readable by todays CD-Players; additional
software will be needed to read the additional sessions.
A TOC (Table of Contents) is written during each recording session.
Disc will have multiple TOCs, one for each recording session.
Photo-CD is an example of a "Hybrid Disc".
CD-Bridge Disc
The CD-Bridge Disc defines a way to add additional information in
a CD-ROM / XA track in order to allow the track to be played on a
CD-I player. the result is a disc that can be played on both a
CD-I player connected to a TV set and on a CD-ROM / XA player
connected to a computer.
An example of a CD-Bridge Disc is the new Photo-CD disc. The
Photo-CD disc will be playable in CD-I players, Kodak's Photo CD
players and in computers using CD-ROM/XA drives.
Photo-CD
The Photo CDs will be Mode 2 Form 1 sectors per the CD-ROM / XA
specifications. The disc will be written per the Orange Book Part
II "Hybrid Disc" specifications. This will allow photographs to be
written to the disc in several different sessions. Additionally,
the disc will use the CD-Bridge disc format to allow the disc to be
readable by both CD-I and CD-ROM / XA players.
The photographs written to the disc in the first session will use
the ISO 9660 format. These photographs will be readable with the
existing CD-ROM / XA players connected to a computer running new
software written for the Photo CD picture structure. Additionally,
the photographs will be displayable on CD-I Players and Photo CD
Players connected to a TV set.
Photographs written to disc after the first session will be
displayable on CD-I Players and Photo CD players. New software
and/or firmware will be needed to read these additional photographs
with existing CD-ROM/XA players.
==========================================================================
26. Who comes up with these standards? Can I have any input to the process?
The CD-ROM Architecture Working Group is an official Standards working
Group under the auspices of the IEEE Computer Society by way of the
Standards Committee for Optical Disks and Multimedia Platforms (SCODMP)
chaired and sponsored by Dr. Lawrence Welsch, PhD. Mike Rubinfeld is
presently the Chair of the working group. They are working in accordance
with a Project Authorization Request (PAR) for the development of a CD-ROM
architecture profile that hopefully will be made into an international
standard. The PAR was approved by the Standards Activity Board (SAB) of
the IEEE/CS last June and the Architecture Profile will probably be ready
for balloting by August, 1993.
For more information, contact:
Mike Rubinfeld
NIST
Bldg. 225, MS:B266
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
(301) 975-3064
Email: miker@mml.ncsl.nist.gov
==========================================================================
27. Are there any ftp sites with good stuff related to CD-ROMs?
A couple of sites with cdrom related stuff are
cdrom.com (192.153.46.254): /pub [ This site is maintained by me. ]
cs.uwp.edu (131.210.1.4): /pub/cdrom
==========================================================================
28. How do I write an MSDOS program that can access a cdrom using MSCDEX?
The MSCDEX interface documentation is available on the Microsoft Programmer's
Library CD-ROM. This also has detailed specifications for drivers that talk
to MSCDEX. It even provides solutions to a number of sticky problems.
The file mscdex21.zip contains Microsoft's info on how to talk to the
CD-ROM extensions (MSCDEX.EXE) and a sample DOS application which is crude
but effective in playing audio tracks. This file is available via
anonymous ftp from ftp.cica.indiana.edu:/pub/pc/win3/uploads/mscdex21.zip
or cdrom.com:/pub/mscdex21.zip.
MSCDEX programming information can be found in INTER31?.ZIP. Ralf Brown's
interrupt bible. The information is very complete. The interrupt list
is available via anonymous ftp from Simtel20 (wsmr-simtel20.army.mil) or
from the mirror site wuarchive.wustl.edu: /mirrors/msdos/info/inter31?.zip.
There is a book by Ray Duncan (Microsoft Press) detailing all extensions
to Dos (XMS, LIM EMS, MSCDEX etc..) which should be available in book
stores. The title is "MS-DOS EXTENSIONS" ISBN 1-55615-212-4.
==========================================================================
29. How do I mount an ISO-9660 disc on a Sun?
Su to root and run this command,
# mount -r -t hsfs /dev/sr0 /cdrom
or even better, put the following line in your /etc/fstab
/dev/sr0 /cdrom hsfs ro 0 0
and then run
# mount /cdrom
Don Trimmer, of Delta Microsystems, has written a program that allows
safe mount/umount operations without requiring super user permissions.
You can get his program by anonymous ftp from cdrom.com:/pub/mount.c
==========================================================================
30. How do I use a cdrom with OS/2?
What you need to do to make your cdrom drive work under os/2 is:
1) make a bootable msdos floppy disk which is configured so that
you can use the cdrom after booting from this floppy.
2) copy the files fsaccess.sys and fsfilter.sys onto the floppy and
then add DEVICE= statements to the CONFIG.SYS for the floppy.
3) copy the floppy disk to the os/2 hard disk using the VDISK command.
4) create an icon with the "boot from drive" option set to the name
of the file created by the VDISK command.
5) Click on the icon.
-----
OS/2 has builtin support for IBM drives, and for SCSI third party
drives. The Sony CDU 541 works well.
What you need to do if you don't have one of the supported drives, is
use the OS/2 command VMDISK to create a bootable "diskette image" on your
hard disk. On the diskette image file, you will copy a CONFIG.SYS file,
an AUTOEXEC.BAT, and the drivers you require for your CDROM. This feature
allows you use any driver with OS/2. The down side is that you can't
access the device in the image box from any OS/2 window. You have to use
the bootable image box to copy files back and forth between the image box
and any other. If you have one of the supported drives, you can access it
from any box.
-------
The VMDISK technique is only needed for unsupported, mainly non-SCSI
drives. Some unsupported SCSI drives, such as the NEC CDR-84, work
fine with OS/2
The only thing to do in order to make some unsupported SCSI CD-ROM
drives work (as a data CD-ROM, MM is another problem) is to patch the
vendor ID string into \OS2\CDROM.SYS. Simply replace "TOSHIBA " by
"NEC ", etc. i.e. with blank-padding to eight characters. This is
known to work with NEC and SONY drives. It does not work with some
Matsushita (Panasonic) drives.
==========================================================================
31. Which CD-ROM Drives will work with MicroSoft Windows-NT?
The Microsoft(R) Windows NT(TM) operating system is designed to
support a broad range of hardware. This is a preliminary list of
hardware that we have run Windows NT on to date. This is a subset of
the hardware we expect to support in the final product.
The following hardware has undergone preliminary testing for this
release. We have not tested every machine and/or device in all
possible configurations. Microsoft makes no warranties express or
implied in this document.
disk controllers:
100% Register Compatible with WD1003 - ESDI, IDE, WD1003
Compaq Intelligent Drive Array
SCSI(R)
Adaptec AHA-1540b, AHA-1542b, AHA-1640, AHA-1740
Future Domain TMC-845, TMC-850, TMC-850M(ER), MCS-700 (7), TMC-1660 (7)
TMC-1680 (7), TMC-7000EX
IBM SCSI Host Adapter (10)
Maynard 16 Bit SCSI Adapter (11)
NCR 53C700
Olivetti ESC - 1 Adapter
Built-in SCSI on MIPS ARC/R4000 systems from : Acer, MIPS and Olivetti
CD-ROM devices:
CD Technology CD Porta-Drive T-3301
Chinon CDX-431
Denon(R) DRD 253
Hitachi(R) CDR-1750S
NEC Intersect CDR-73(M), Intersect CDR-84
Pioneer(R) DRM-600
Sony(R) CDU-541, CDU-6211, CDU-7211
Toshiba XM-3201, TXM-3301
(7) A driver that supports both Setup and File I/O for the Future
Domain MCS-700, and TMC-16X0 series controllers will be posted to
CompuServe in the WINNT forum, Lib 2 "Fixes and Updates".
(10) Earlier versions of this controller have proven to have problems
with various CD-Rom drives. The Chinon CDX-431 and NEC Intersect
CDR-73 are known to work with this version of controller.
(11) The Maynard SCSI Adapter can be used as a general purpose SCSI
controller for all tasks but graphical setup.
==========================================================================
32. How do I read an audio cd track as digital data?
Most CD-ROM drives cannot decode audio information. There are
firmware and data path reasons why it doesn't work. The drive
vendors could make drives that allow this feature.
There are only two drives with the capability to read audio tracks as
date. One is the AppleCD 300, and the other is the CD-ROM drive sold by
Silicon Graphics for use with their Indigo workstation. The SGI drive is
a modified Toshiba 3301B.
Both Sony and Toshiba may support reading audio (red book) CD's on their
next generation drives (the dual speed ones), at least, as an option.
==========================================================================
33. Why do CD-ROMs cost so much?
Here are several answers, take your pick:
A. Because too many people are willing to pay the high prices.
B. They are not really very expensive when you consider how much data
they contain. Even the most expensive CD-ROMs are often cheaper
than the least expensive floppies when you figure the cost per byte.
C. Because there isn't enough competition. The prices will come down
when more people buy drives, and more CD-ROM titles are available.
==========================================================================
34. Why do all the bundle deals require me to buy a drive? What if I
already have a drive?
Many disc producers sell outdated or surplus discs at steep discounts
to be bundled with new drives. The theory is that the new drive owner
will find the discs useful, and order the latest version at full price.
There are some bundle deals that do not require you to buy a new drive.
For instance, the CD-ROM User's Group (see above) has a bundle of ten
discs for $99.
==========================================================================
35. Are alt.cd-rom archives available anywhere?
I don't know if there is an ftp site anywhere that archives alt.cd-rom,
but you can retrieve old articles via email:
For a list of files available, send the message
INDEX CDROM-L
as the first line of your e-mail message to:
LISTSERV@UCCVMA.BITNET
or the Internet form of address:
LISTSERV@UCCVMA.UCOP.EDU
To retrieve an archived message, send the e-mail message
GET CDROM-L LOGyymm
or SENDME CDROM-L LOGyymm as above
where yymm is the year and month of the archive wanted.
e.g. LOG9110 = Log of October 91 messages.
==========================================================================
36. What is the shelf-life of a CD-ROM?
If a CD-ROM is not manufactured properly, the lifetime can be very
short, perhaps only a few years. This can happen if the edge of the
disc is not properly sealed, and oxygen reaches the metal surface.
If the disc is manufactured properly, it will last a very long time.
Most CD-ROMs should last for more than a human lifetime.
Philips has proposed new standards for testing CD-ROMs that are expected
to result in discs that will enjoy a life span of more than a thousand
years. For more information see Fox, Barry "CD Makers Perform in Unison
to Stop the Rot" New Scientist 134(1815) (April 4, 1992):19.
The laser used in a CD-ROM drive is very low power, and does not
harm the disc in any way. Reading the disc will not shorten
the lifetime.
==========================================================================
37. How should I handle my CD-ROMs? How do I clean them?
The following guidelines represent the current thinking for the care
and handling of CD-ROM discs, by a number of CD-ROM disc and drive
manufacturers. The validity and usefulness of most of these
guidelines have not been substantiated by government testing and
therefore are presented for information only.
Wash your hands before contact with the disc. If available, wear
lint-free cloth gloves, finger cots, or talc-free latex gloves.
If you must wipe the disc, do so with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth in
a radial motion- that is from the inner to the outer hub- not in a
circular motion around the disc like you might do for a phonograph
record. The most devastating scratches are those which occur along a
radius of the disc which can obscure a long stream of pits.
Certain cleaning agents and solvents can damage the discs. Some of
these include: gasoline, paint thinners, benzine, acetone, carbon
tetrachloride, chlorinated cleaning solvents, ammonia, and household
detergents which contain ammonia. Do not clean with a water soaked
cloth. The use of Isopropyl alcohol, the ingredient in many
commercial CD cleaning products, as well as certain waxes and acrylic
liquids, is still questionable.
Do not clean the label side of the disc.
Use of a CD-ROM caddy is highly recommended during transport and
operation. Limit the amount of physical contact with the disc.
Always handle the disc by the outer edge and/or the inner (hole) edge.
Never touch the data surface.
Discs like to "live" in the same conditions that people do; that is:
They don't like to be manhandled
They don't like exposure to temperature extremes
They don't like exposure to excess humidity
They don't like exposure to high intensity UV light
Ron Kushnier, Chairman
Compact Disc- Reliability & Integrity of Media Working Group of
The Special Interest Group on CD-ROM Applications and Technology
Code 5053
Naval Air Warfare Center
Warminster, PA. 18974
(215) 441-1624
FAX (215) 441-7271
==========================================================================
38. Which drives will work with Kodak Photo CD?
According to Kodak, the following drives are compatible. To view more
than just the first recorded session, you need a multisession drive.
Most of these drives are single session only.
Magnavox CDD461 - single session
CDD462RS - multi session
Sony CDU-6205 - single session
CDU-535 - single session
CDU-561 - multi session
NEC CDR-73 - single session
CDR-37 - single session
Apple 300CD - multi session
The NEC CDR-74/84 works fine with PhotoCD. Older models that have a
firmware revision of 1.0 should be sent back to NEC for a FREE refit,
that upgrades the firmware to 1.0a, and may update some other components.
NEC should be called at 1-(800)-388-8888 follow the recorded messages to
get them to sent the info required for the refit (or hit 6 then 1 to get
there instantly). You will get your drive back in 3-4 business days.
The Kodak Information Center is maintaining a file on the compuserve CDROM
forum of compatible drives, and it has become quite extensive. They also
specify compatible SCSI boards, drivers, and cable configurations. There
are also a couple of subtle issues in compatibility that are still being
worked out. For example, the NEC drives are single session compatible, but
not multi. There are also drives which have been certified as compatible
which are not XA, and there is some indication that this makes them useful
for pictures alone, but not for mixed media Photo-CD productions in the
future.
==========================================================================
39. What is a multisession CD drive?
A CD has an "index" area which contains track details; this is what is
read when you first stick an audio CD into a player. Photo-CDs have a
separate index area each time they are written (because it is impossible
to "update" the index area). A multisession drive is one that knows to
look for multiple index areas. The full details are contained in the
Philips/Sony/Kodak "Orange Book" standard for writable CDs.
The issues of CD-WO and how multsessions are recorded are addressed in the
European Computer Manufacture Association (ECMA) new standard ECMA 168,
which became a standard in June of this year. The title of the standard is
"Volume and File Structure of Read-Only and Write-Once Compact Disc Media
for Information Interchange". This standard expands upon the ISO-9660
CD-ROM standard.
==========================================================================
40. How does Photo CD work?
In a nut shell, 35mm film (negative, slide, B&W, internegative) is scanned
by an image scanner and transfered to XA-formatted CD-ROM discs. These
discs are manufactured by burning (writing) -- not by pressing.
Each scanned image on the disc is kept in five resolutions. These five
resolutions are called: Base/16, Base/4, Base, 4Base, and 16Base. As
examples, Base/16 is one sixteenth the resolution of the "Base" image, and
16Base is sixteen times the resolution of "Base". (These are not simply
larger picture elements. There are in increased number of scan lines.)
The 4Base and 16Base images are are compressed using Huffman encoding. You
need the decompression software to pull the higher resolutions out of the
image. You would typically need these higher resolutions if you want
enlargements or if you intend to use an HDTV as a display device.
==========================================================================
41. Where can I get some information about the Kodak Photo CD?
To learn more about Photo CD products or other KODAK desktop color
imaging products, contact Eastman Kodak Company at 1-800-242-2424 Ext 51
or 716-724-1021, ext. 53.
Or send inquiries to the following address:
EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
Kodak Information Center
Dept. E. 343 State Street
Rochester, NY 14650-0811
Information about PhotoCD is available by anonymous ftp from
cdrom.com:/pub/photo_cd.
There is an excellent article on PhotoCD in the Sept 92 issue of
Photographic Magazine.
Eastman Kodak Co recently released Photo CD Access, which is designed
to allow users to integrate CD images into any Windows or Macintosh
Application. Requires a CD ROM XA (Extended Architecture) drive.
Most popular image formats are supported, including TIFF, GIF, TARGA
and PICT. Kodak sells the software directly. $39.95, 1-800-242-2424.
A developer's kit is available for $695 and includes source code as well
as object for PC/MAC.
--------------------
Dick Phillip's Photo-CD application for NeXTs is now loaded in the
pub/next/submissions directory at sonata.cc.purdue.edu. The following
files are available:
pCD.README
pCD.tar.Z.TAKEME application
README.pCD
photo_cd.tar.Z test data - simulated photo-CD
photo_cd.tar.Z.README
--------------------
The maximum resolution is 3072 X 2048, 24 bit color.
==========================================================================
42. Where can I get maps of the US on CD-ROM?
The USGS is producing a series of cds that contain 1:100,000 scale
digital line graph (DLG) data. Presently, only Florida is available.
Also, 1:2,000,000 DLG cd is available for the US. Call 1-800-USA-MAPS
for more info.
You can also get topo data (with AVHRR coverage) on CD-ROM for $32. This
is DEM (30" elevation data) for the whole US. Contact: EROS Data Center,
Sioux Falls, SD 605-594-6507, or 6511
==========================================================================
43. How do I put a CD-ROM Drive on a Novell network?
---------
1. SCSI Express. SCSI drives only, NLM only.
2. OptiNet by OnLine in Germantown, MD. Both NLM and separate CD-Server.
Any type of drive supported. Up to 128 drives per server.
3. CD-Net by Meridian in Colorado. Software only version of the Meridian
CD-Server. Used to be limited to 21 drives, but may have been upgraded.
Not sure if NLM version is currently available.
Also, CBIS has a hardware/software solution that supports up to 21 drives
per server. No NLM.
All the packages run about $700 for 8 users or less.
---------
Corel sell a SCSI driver package that include NLM's to put
worm drives,CD-Roms etc on a 3.1+ server. The package also includes dos
drivers for just about every device you would want to connect to SCSI.
Only costs about $70.
==========================================================================
44. Are any CD-ROM Jukeboxes available?
There is a Pioneer DRM600 CD-ROM jukebox. It will hold 6 CD's in a
cartridge, costs around $900-$1000, but has a slow drive. Pioneer also
has a new drive coming out in December that is the same 6-CD changer,
but with a 340ms, 600K/Sec drive in it. That will be more like $1400.
It is available from:
Kintronics Computer Products
3 Westchester Plaza
Elmsford, NY 10523
914-347-2530 or 800-431-1658 attention Neal Allen
It is also distributed by Peripheral Solution, in Santa Cruz, 408-425-8280
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
A jukebox that handles 240 discs is available from
Kubik Technologies Ltd.
200-3900 Viking Way
Richmond, BC V6V 1V7
604-273-0400
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
There is a German firm called NSM that sells CD-jukeboxes for bars,
etc. They have their fast 100-disk changer also available for consumer
purposes and a CD-ROM version. In Holland it is sold by:
LaserMusic Nederland
Leeuwenstein 44
2627 AM Delft, the Netherlands.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Lotus CD/Networker can have up to 28 CD-ROM drives installed in it.
Lotus Development Corporation, 55 Cambridge Parkway, Cambridge, MA 02142.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Todd Enterprises has a box that can have up to 64 CD-ROM drives mounted.
Kodak is also supposed to have a jukebox system on the market but I have
yet to see anything official.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another jukebox is available from Microboards (MBi of America), 308
Broadway, PO Box 130, Carver MN 55315, 612/448-9800, 612/448-9806 (fax),
contact Kathleen Davies
==========================================================================
45. Can I speed up my CD-ROM by using a cache?
There are several programs that cache information from the CD-ROM onto
your hard disk. Since magnetic discs are often more than 10 times faster
than a CD-ROM, this can result in dramatic improvements under some
circumstances.
Most of the programs cache the directory information, so you can traverse
subdirectories quickly. They also cache the most recently accessed blocks
of data. So if you use the same files over and over, or access the same
records in a database, your CD-ROM will seem much faster. But when you
access the information for the first time, it will be just as slow as
ever.
SpeedCache+ from Future Systems has been recommended as a pretty good
caching program.
Future Systems, Inc
0420 South 500 East
Bluffton, IN 46714
(219) 824-4963
------
On the Macintosh a prescanning (Directory, file atrributes, icons, etc)
cache to accelerate the Mac with CD-ROMs exists from two companies
SpeedyCD 1.22 and FWB CD-ROM ToolKit 1.0. FWB seems much faster than
SpeedyCD and can prescan any type of CD-ROM volumes (ProDos, Mac HFS,
MS DOS, ISO9660, PhotoCD etc.) It prescans in the background.
==========================================================================
46. Do you have any info about the CD-ROM filesystems for Amigas?
The following information is taken from the Winter '93
"AC's Guide to the Commodre Amiga" (pages 112, 253, 262, 149)
AsimCDFS
This CD_ROM FIleSystem allows an Amiga/CDTV to access any ISO9660,
HighSierra, or Mac HFS formatted disc. CDTV discs also accessible.
Comes with FishMarket, a disc containing Fred Fish disks 1-637,
and AsimTunes, an intuition-based AudioCD controller program with
ARexx capability. Includes a manual and a painless install procedure.
Supports a number of CD-ROM drives. Requires SCSI controller
compatible with Commodore SCSI-Direct Standard. For 68000,010,020,
030,040 processors. Minimum 512K, more recommended for buffering.
AmigaDOS 1.3/2.0 compatible. $79.00
Asimware Innovations, 101 Country Club Dr,
Hamilton, Ontario L8K 5W4, Canada, (416) 578-
4916 FAX(416) 578-3966
CDx Disk Set
All software needed to attach a SCSI CD-ROM drive to most popular
SCSI controllers, plus a printed manual and two CD-ROM discs (Fish &
More Vols. I and II). Software consists of: CDxFileSystem for access
to ISO 9660, High Sierra, and Mac HFS discs, CDTV emulation software
to run most CDTV titles (1MB chip RAM recommended), audio CD player
software, an assembly/C/Arexx-compatible device for developers, and
more. NTSC/PAL compatible, Requires SCSI controller, SCSI CD-ROM drive.
AmigaDOS 2.0 compatible. $50.00
Xetec, Inc., 2804 Arnold Road, Salina, KS 67401,
(913) 827-0685, FAX(913) 827-6023
CDROM-FS
CDROM-FS version 702 enables Amiga owners to connect most SCSI CD ROM
drives to an Amiga with a SCSI interface. This software provides support
for industry standard ISO 9660/High Sierra format CD ROM discs. It comes
with clear concise instructions, making it easy to install and use.
Requires A590, A2091, A3000, Microbotics Hardframe or GVP. $49.95.
Canadian Prototype Replicas, P.O. Box 8, Breslau,
Ontario, Canada N0B 1M0, (519) 884-4412
==========================================================================
47. What are the most popular CD-ROMs?
Here are the hottest-selling CD-ROM titles in the USA in October, according
to PC Research. This is a good indication what Christmas sales were like.
10. CD Game Pack Software Toolworks
9. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego Broderbund
8. Murmurs of the Earth Warner New Media
7. King's Quest V Sierra On-Line
6. Street Atlas USA Delorme
5. World View Brittanica
4. Sherlock Holmes, Detective Icom
3. Wing Commander / Secret Missions I & II Origin
2. Cinemania Microsoft
1. Battle Chess Enhanced CD-ROM Interplay
==========================================================================