Do:
- Handle discs by the outer edge or the center hole.
- Use a non-solvent-based felt-tip permanent marker to mark the label side of the disc.
- Keep dirt or other foreign matter from the disc.
- Store discs upright (book style) in plastic cases specified or CDs and DVDs.
- Return discs to storage cases immediately after use.
- Leave discs in their packaging (or cases) to minimize the effects of environmental changes.
- Open a recordable disc package only when you are ready to record data on that disc.
- Store discs in a cool, dry, dark environment in which the air is clean.
- Remove dirt, foreign material, fingerprints, smudges, and liquids by wiping with a clean cotton fabric in a straightline from the center of the disc toward the outer edge.
- Use CD/DVD-cleaning detergent, isopropyl alcohol, or methanol to remove stubborn dirt or material.
- Check the disc surface before recording.
- Touch the surface of the disc.
- Bend the disc.
- Use adhesive labels.
- Store discs horizontally for a long time (years).
- Open a recordable optical disc package if you are not ready to record.
- Expose discs to extreme heat or high humidity.
- Expose discs to extremely rapid temperature or humidity changes.
- Expose recordable discs to prolonged sunlight or other sources of ultraviolet light.
- Write or mark in the data area of the disc (the area the laser "reads").
- Clean by wiping in a direction going around the disc.
For CDs especially do not:
- Scratch the label side of the disc.
- Use a pen, pencil, or fine-tip maker to write on the disc.
- Write on the disc with markers that contain solvents.
- Try to peel off or reposition a label.
1 comment:
With all the CD burning software available, which do you choose? I really can’t help you on this one. I’ve tried well in excess of 10 different software titles and none of them can provide me with fool proof and flaw free results. There is a couple that is fairly easy to use and I have had halfway decent results, but then I was only creating a handful of compilations. I can’t imagine if I needed 60 or even hundreds of copies. It would take forever.
Now that I have children and quite a bit of video footage of them, I’d like to edit the library of recorded footage and create a DVD. I almost had a heart attack when I saw the cost of some of the better video editing software; $99, $150, $220. Hmmm, so my choices were a lot, a lot more, and a lot more than I’d like to spend. A lot more it is. So, I’d like to edit my video footage. I’d like not to spend a fortune. I’d like to distribute these among friends and family.
Again, I’d like to, but I must have the I.Q. of pocket lint because I can’t figure it out for the life of me. It shouldn’t be this hard! Now I’m no slouch at dealing with computers. I’ve even built a few successfully. Heck, I’ve even changed out axles and alternators and rebuilt a carburetor on my past vehicles, so I can’t be that stupid. All I need to know is PCM, UDF, ISO; maybe DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+-R. Does my camera stream Mpeg-2 or Mpeg-4 via my USB or 1394 Fire wire? Oh, I got it. This just plain SUX. And now they’ve added Hi Definition. Ugh! Whatever happened to pushing play on one deck and record on the other? If it’s even more frustrating than buffer under runs and slow speeds like CD-Rs then I think I’m blowing up my computer tomorrow.
My next step is to just keep buying mini-DV tapes so I always have some fresh blank ones. I’m only up to about 26 now. It’s starting to get expensive and I still don’t have a DVD of my children to play on my television. I guess those smiles will keep waiting on those DV tapes. I’ve asked some family members for help, but no one has enough time. I guess it’s very time consuming.
Time to call in the pros. I’ll edit my video. I’m fairly sure I can do that on my own, but I’ll leave the actual DVD creation process to someone else who specializes in that chore. It’s worth it to me to buy a lot of stress free time and I’ll still get the smiles on and off the screen.
-Dan from Florida
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