Didn't mean to ruffle anyone's feathers, nor did I say the *user* had to
specifically do the formatting - in most cases it is transparently handled,
but still has to be done. Since the user made no mention of what model
laptop or what brand/type of drive I was just allowing for 'possibilities'.
Sorry if I wasn't clear enough.

Perhaps this excerpt states the point better:

3.1 Writing CD-ROMs (pure data)
Note that collecting the data to put onto a CD usually takes longer than one
expects. Consider that missing files cannot be added once the CD is written
and fixated. This is also true for CD-RW, which can currently only be
rewritten as a whole. Using the multi-session feature is no option for
single files, as it consumes much space for a new complete table of contents
(TOC). UDF is not ready yet for Linux.

Also keep in mind that a certain amount of the free space of a CD is used
for storing the information of the ISO-9660-filesystem (usually a few MB).
620 MB data will always fit on a 650 MB CD-R.


Creating an image of the later CD-ROM
Before any storage medium (e.g. floppy disk, hard disk or CD) can be used,
it must get a filesystem (DOS speak: get formatted). The filesystem is
responsible for organizing and incorporating the files that should be stored
on the medium.

The usual utilities for creating filesystems on hard disk partitions write
an empty filesystem onto them, which is then mounted and filled with files
by the users as they need it. A writable CD is only writable once so if we
wrote an empty filesystem to it, it would get formatted and remain
completely empty forever. This is also true for rewritable media as you
cannot change arbitrary sectors yet; you must erase their whole content.

-------------------------------

As well as this, pertaining to the actions that are seemingly 'transparent'
but account for some of the time:

Tick - It's the TOC
The Table of Contents (TOC) on a CD-R is the repository of all the
information required for your OS to understand the pattern of bytes on the
disc. Essentially, it contains everything needed for your system to figure
out what information is where and in what format, so that your request to
receive information can be satisfied.

For example, on an audio disc the data are not stored in files, but in a
continuous stream. The TOC informs the OS (or the player) that a specific
block is the beginning of a track. When you play a track, a command is given
to go to that block and to begin to retrieve the bit stream which follows.
Note that the track itself - in the audio sense - need not begin where the
TOC says it does, but that is irrelevant to the player. There are also
subcodes which can be used to interpret how to backspace and so on - but
they are beyond the present scope. (And if you want to read that as meaning
that I don't understand them, I couldn't argue.)

When you go to write a Disc At Once (DAO), all the information needed for
the job is available when you start. Mastering software assembles that
information and decides what is to be in the TOC. When everything is ready,
the laser is positioned and turned on and writing begins. The first thing
written is the TOC which says: this is a closed disc of a single session and
here is the information on what you will find where among the following
bytes. The laser then proceeds to write those bytes in sequence and in
accordance with the information saved to the TOC. When the last byte is
written, the laser turns off and you have a good disc. If that burn is
interrupted after the TOC is written but before the end, everything is
accessible up to the failure. An audio disc which fails when track 5 is
being written will be usable for tracks 1-4 and maybe for the written part
of 5 - but what happens when the track runs out depends on the player.

When you write Track At Once (TAO), the procedure is quite different. The
writer begins by inscribing a special area on the blank called the Program
Memory Area with information needed to close the session later. Then it
records track information and writes the track itself. When it's time to
close the session, the writing laser turns off, the mechanism returns to the
PMA and the information inscribed there is read back to close things up,
record how many tracks there are in all and, in general, to complete the
TOC. So if the burn fails before the PMA is read (or if the PMA cannot be
read at all), the TOC is not complete and a reader cannot make sense out of
it. However, not all is lost! Although the reader needs a complete TOC to do
its job, a writer is prepared to make do with less and, in fact, has what it
needs in the part of the TOC which is complete to retrieve the valid data.


--
Regards |:)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac


"CyberTaz" typegeneraltaz1ATcomcastdotnet wrote in message
...

Despite what seems to be a very popular misconception, CDs are *not* the
'New Age' replacement for floppies. Take Charles' recommendations
seriously.

Yes, new CDs must be formatted before data can be written to them, &
somewhere in the literature that came with your laptop there *should* be
instructions for your specific unit. What you need to know can vary
greatly depending on the type of CDs, the type of drive, & the software
that addresses it. Contact the laptop mfr's Support if the necessary
manuals were not provided.

--
HTH |:)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

"Mayor Mae" Mayor wrote in message
...
What are the exact steps to save a file to disc? I have a new laptop
w/windows XP, and follow directions, but files do not copy. Do you have
to
format every disc before you use it? I never see temporary files
message/copy
to CD. Should formatting take 15 minutes EVERY time? Why aren't any
instructions complete, step by step, and include DISC must BE FORMATTED?
I
am so frustrated................