[CJ1985]

Okay if I'm not mistaken... there's a section there in yellow that states the following:

Drive Capabilities:
Read CD-R
Read CD-RW
Read Method 2
Read DVD-ROM
Read DVD-R / DVD-RW
Read DVD-RAM
Write CD-R
Write CD-RW

Write Test:
Device Buffer 2048k
Max Read Speed: 52x
Max Write Speed 52x

Now if I'm reading this correctly... your CD/DVD player can only write to CD-R and CD-RW

So what CD are you popping into your drive to put the photos on? DVD-RW or CD-RW?

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

Originally Posted by CJ1985

So what CD are you popping into your drive to put the photos on? DVD-RW or CD-RW?

I've tried with both CD-RW and DVD-RW.

[CJ1985]

Okay do me a favour... Go into your burner program... then select the data option... once you do that, it should give you the option to add pictures by browsing... once you do that, take a screen shot of whatever happens as far as a pop up error or anything like that happens...

I need to see what's going on in order to know what's wrong as far as what error is happening.

[Albert Lionheart]

Joining in a bit late, Your Majesty. I abase myself and offer humble apologies and beseech your indulgance.
You have a combo drive - will read DVD but not write them. Back to the shop and get some bog-standard CD-R disks - branded if you can (sony, memorex, etc). If you use these they are write once so there is no risk of them being compromised later. And you stand a better chance of them working in your TV player.
Your obedient servant, etc etc

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

Originally Posted by CJ1985

Okay do me a favour... Go into your burner program... then select the data option... once you do that, it should give you the option to add pictures by browsing... once you do that, take a screen shot of whatever happens as far as a pop up error or anything like that happens...

I need to see what's going on in order to know what's wrong as far as what error is happening.

OK, but .... (see below)

Originally Posted by Albert Lionheart

Joining in a bit late, Your Majesty. I abase myself and offer humble apologies and beseech your indulgance.
You have a combo drive - will read DVD but not write them. Back to the shop and get some bog-standard CD-R disks - branded if you can (sony, memorex, etc). If you use these they are write once so there is no risk of them being compromised later. And you stand a better chance of them working in your TV player.
Your obedient servant, etc etc

OK, but ... (see above)




Am I going shopping or what?

[CJ1985]

Yeah, looks to me you are going to the store to get a pack of CD-R lol

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

Payday was yesterday; most of it spoken for but I think I can swing that.

Thanks for your assistance, CJ, Sista and Albert.

I'll post back here tomorrow, hopefully with positive results.

[Albert Lionheart]

O Your Majesty - just buy as few as possible to try it out. I'm sure it will work but just in case your drive is disobedient.
I abase myself in your illustrous presence!

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

Abase? I'd rather see yaz nakie on the beach.

O
M
G


I have just wasted not only the better part of 2 hours, but an unused CD-R I found stashed in the lads' room. Using Photo Story 3 for Windoze, I guess I saved it as a wpm or something, which is corrupted per message spotted while trying to view after what I thought was a successful write-to ... whatever the term is ...

Photo Story could not open the selected project file because it is corrupted. Try opening a different project.

Ack @ me being stoopid to the max for rushing into this. (LOL)
I so hate when I do stuff like this and I wish one of you all would make me stopit.

Before I slit my throat, Albert
I'm going to buy 3 CD-Rs or whatever I can afford later tonight or tomorrow and am NOT going use Photo Story unless someone can 'splain that program better to me, but I have some questions first:

1. Would it be prudent to separate all the photos I want to another folder and in the order I want them viewed before inserting the CD-R 1st to make copying and writing more efficient?

2. What size should I reduce my photos to, if at all.
I've read conflicting answers in my Google searches, but maybe I'm just not understanding as most of the information is way beyond me. The photographs will be viewed on TV via a CD player (make/model/specs unknown).
The majority of the photos are quite large and macro shots, so I want them viewed in their bestest light.

3. If you were my Mum, would you care if there wasn't my voice on the CD describing my garden and the creatures within, set to music or would you be just happy to get something relatively handmade from your daughter, sans the macaroni and white glue?

Thank you in advance.

[Albert Lionheart]

Yo mighty queen - in order:
Not after you have seen my beached whale impressions.

If you look at me in certain lights I can look almost handsome - the same goes for used CD-Rs - they write from the middle outwards so have a shufti first to make sure it is blank (if not a new one).

Do not slit throat - this makes the most appalling mess and the demented mad-cow-diseased creature next door would think she had won.

Sorting photos into folders for transfer very good idea - when you have them all in there, select all and check that the total size is not bigger than 700Mb or it will not go on the CD.

If I was your Mum I would be happy to have anything and would be very proud of you. Bells, whistles and voice-over is for the experienced and needs some smart software to pull it all together. Teenagers and or your parents are usually good at this.

Write to CD (first stick the blank media into your drive and might pop-up a menu with the write to this CD on it - if it does, follow the wizard!
If you have Nero or similar, use it and follow the wizard. If not use the XP write to CD option (select all your files you want to save and then right click and use the send to option.

I wish thee luck!

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

OMG was that you?

If I could find my speshul stick thing whatchamacallit, I'd Knight you, Albert.
You are a fine addition to the TST team.
I'll print out your last post and the next and will follow your advice and sentiments precicely.
I gather that I should base the individual size of each photo on how many I'm going to want on the CD, and each photo size won't make much difference when viewed on a TV.
Need I be careful what I "save as" when complete (thinking positive), so that it will play on a TV via DVD player?
I've not got one in the house, nor access to one, but do have a PlayStation which I understand will play photo CDs.

I'll check back here for your reply before I begin and now better get busy sorting photos. Thank you.

[Albert Lionheart]

IN order O Queen
Thank you - your gracious approval of your humble servants efforts are much appreciated.
You really are too sweet.
Individual photo size does not matter much although if really large (say bigger than 1 Mb) they will take longer load. Conversly, the bigger the file the better the quality so a happy medium is the order of the day. Give her a smack with the crystal ball if she is miserable.
You are not transferring the files to the CD - just copies.
The CD write process will do these things called lead ins and lead outs which will enable it to be seen by CD players. DO NOT under any circumstances accept an offer to make the CD a multisession disk as it will probably be unreadable to CD players - this is also a good reason not to use CD-RW blanks as some kit won't read these either.
Viel gluck, meine schatzelein!

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

Originally Posted by Albert Lionheart

IN order O Queen
Thank you - your gracious approval of your humble servants efforts are much appreciated.
You really are too sweet.

Yes ... well that's all well and good but I have had a major failure so fat lot of good that does me.

First the good news.

I spent the better part of the day sorting through all my beasties and blooms photos, each species and type now in it's own folder; less than decent and duplicate photos have been tossed in the bin.
The Garden 2008 folder is all nice and tidy now and it's easier to find what I want.
It could use another look through ... I mean how many photos of bees does one need?

Now the bad news ...

I would have preferred the pop up wizard had guided me, but it never opened.
The machine revved like it was reading and then up popped CDXP Burner program.
I followed the instructions gathering all the photos and adding them, then clicked burn. The results:




... less than satisfactory. *sigh*

Since then, I've rebooted and tried insert another, then another CD-R.
SysSpec claims there's no data ... but when a CD-RW is inserted and SystSpec refreshed, it reads a CD ROM. Wait. I just tried another CD-RW and now it claims the inserted media has no current profile. The light's off again, too.


Ha! My eldest just informed me that the computer stopped working properly when it came to reading CD's and sometimes writing, but started working for no apparent reason again. That's news to me
I notice that the green light starts flashing like it does just before it normally reads something, but keep going out. It's sometimes taking 2 presses of the button to eject the CD.

So, maybe it's the ruddy player /recorder that farked and not my inablities at play.
I've checked for driver updates but it claims no better are available, or something to that effect.

*silent screams ensue*

I've had enough so am shutting down the computer, but will have another go in the morning.
I have 8 more CD-Rs to work with.
Please ... don't let me have to use them all to get this done.

Laterz

[CJ1985]

Originally Posted by MightyQueenCarolyn

Ha! My eldest just informed me that the computer stopped working properly when it came to reading CD's and sometimes writing, but started working for no apparent reason again. That's news to me

Alright, now if your eldest just informed you of that. It may be that there is an issue with your CD player/burner... That's all I can think of how it's giving you so many issues.

Question: Does it read games, and what not without any problems? Also, have you ever had this issue before or is this your first time burning CD's?

[Albert Lionheart]

If you have one of those CD cleaners it might be worth running that too.
Sad to hear this has gone pear-shaped on you O Queen - could you try on one of the other machines (if you have a means of getting the data across your network?

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

*enters the thread sobbing*

Originally Posted by CJ1985

Alright, now if your eldest just informed you of that. It may be that there is an issue with your CD player/burner... That's all I can think of how it's giving you so many issues.

Question: Does it read games, and what not without any problems? Also, have you ever had this issue before or is this your first time burning CD's?

Yes, I believe we have had issues in the past, unknown to me, but apparently my lads.
These machines (3 altogether, and one on it's way back "home" now) have rotated owners within this family and I'm stuck with this one, the cleanest but moodiest of the lot.
I've just had another go at trying to get it to recognize a blank CD-R (or any combo) and nadda. It sees no CD. Straight after that I inserted a CD-RW that has 600 or so MB of gifs and pictures and it reads and copies them fine and dandy.
*sigh*
Thanks, CJ.

Originally Posted by Albert Lionheart

If you have one of those CD cleaners it might be worth running that too.
Sad to hear this has gone pear-shaped on you O Queen - could you try on one of the other machines (if you have a means of getting the data across your network?

*dabs at the tears in her eyes*

The only "networking" method I have that's working with any regularity (and I'm not going to try to sort THAT issue this weekend) is to put as many photos as I can on a 1GB memory stick and transfer it to the machine that one of the lads is using, and if that doesn't work, there's another coming in later today.
Tonight may turn into all all-nighter, but I have to get it into a delivery person's hands by 1st thing Monday.

Note to self, even though I know it will go through the wash and be illegible:

Do not put off today what you should have got done eons ago.

Deadlines suck.

Thank you, Albert and all of you ... I'll let you know how I get on.

I'm still trying to pick out my favourite 4 tree rat shots.

[CJ1985]

Well good luck on that MQC, I know computers can be frustrating when you have to get some thing done for a particular reason. But haven't you noticed, it works when you don't have to do it, but doesn't work when you do need to have it done. Darn computers! lol

Be sure to let us know how it goes!!

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

LOL truer words never spoken, CJ.

I'm feeling positive that I can get this done come heck or high water.
*glug glug*
Thanks for your intersest and assistance.

If worse comes to worse, my Mum likes flowers and I can always forfeit the month's food budget to have some sent to her.

[CJ1985]

So did you ever get it to work? Did it burn for you like you had hoped? Or did you resort to getting flowers, which is perfectly fine because most mothers love receiving flowers! lol

[MightyQueenCarolyn]

Originally Posted by CJ1985

So did you ever get it to work? Did it burn for you like you had hoped? Or did you resort to getting flowers, which is perfectly fine because most mothers love receiving flowers! lol

It may come to flowers yet.
I've had a weekend of no-sleep but constant interruptions, some self-induced and am down to the last 30 pictures (or so) to edit, then another 20 or so to zip into the folder before I get it onto a memory stick, then onto a CD-R using another computer.

Ummm ....

Since I wasn't adding music and fancy photo stuff, I decided to caption them, mostly the beasts.
It's taking longer than I thought.

I'm still confident it will get done.

Deadline: Midnight

*gets busy*