InCD + EasyWriteReader + CD-MRW?

[KCK]

Does anybody know if Ahead supports _officially_ having both InCD and EasyWriteReader installed on the same computer? If yes, for which versions of Windows and/or InCD and/or EasyWriteReader? Further, is Mt. Rainier (CD-MRW) supported for both writing to a CD-RW drive and reading on a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive on the same system?

If the answer is NO, maybe I'll stop trying to get the infamous combination of InCD + EasyWriteReader + CD-MRW to work on my various computers... (I know the popular quip: Don't use InCD at all!)

Most systems have both reading and writing drives, and the inability to use both is quite crippling. (Remember the old days of Win98 when DirectCD plus its UDFReader worked?)

In August, on my XP Pro system with Lite-On LTR-48125W VS04, Nero 5.5.9.0, InCD 3.31 and EasyWriteReader downloaded from www.ahead.com, everything worked fine. But now, after Service Pack 1, firmware flashes to VS08 and Nero upgrades to 5.5.9.17, my DVD-ROM stopped reading CD-MRW formatted discs (I'm asked to install EasyWriteReader, which is already installed); the non-CD-MRW formatted discs are read OK. I'm wondering if, after all the security patches from MS, anybody can still use InCD + EasyWriteReader + CD-MRW?

On another Win98SE computer, after installing EasyWriteReader, the InCD check box "Format disc to CD-MRW" disappears, and CD-MRW formatted disks are not readable on a standard DVD-ROM drive. Well, Ahead may no longer care about 98SE, but XP should be supported.

BTW, does anybody know if the latest DirectCD supports reading CD-MRW on a CD-ROM drive in the same system? Apparently only competition may prick Ahead into action...

[Inertia]

I have a dual boot setup with WinXP Pro SP1, a Lite-on LTR-48125W with VS08 and two DVD-ROM drives. Nero v5.5.9.17 and InCD 3.40 is installed, as well as Easy CD Creator and Direct CD v5.3.2.34. I know, I know, you shouldn't have InCD and DirectCD installed on the same system, but read my experience with roxio easycd creator 5 and xp.. Anyway, it works.

EasyWriteReader is installed and both DVD-ROM drives read CD-MRW discs.

Switching by dual boot back to Win98SE in which Direct CD is the only packet writing program, I installed the Nero EasyWrite Reader and the disc created in WinXP was read by all three drives and writeable in DirectCD. I then reformatted in CD-MRW with Direct CD and copied some files to it. It was readable in both DVD-ROM drives without adding or installing any other reading software, so the Nero EasyWriteReader can substitute for the DirectCD reader.

So, it works OK on my system. I'm not sure why you are having a problem.

[dodecahedron]

what's the point of installing EasyWriteReader on a system that already has InCD installed? InCD installed lets you read packet-written CDs and also Mt. Rainier formatted CDs, no?

[KCK]

To Inertia:
Last night I found that on my XP Pro SP1 box Nero 5.5.9.17, InCD 3.51.61 and the latest EasyWriteReader give BSOD (see my other post).

Where can I find InCD 3.40? Apparently it has never been released officially by Ahead, but I'm willing to try it.

As for "it works OK on my system", first your InCD version is different, and second I'm not sure which version of EasyWriteReader you used.

I know at least four versions of EasyWriteReader.exe:

1. 725,420 bytes (708KB) from www.ahead.de 08/24/2002 - old
2. 750,220 bytes (732KB) from www.ahead.de 11/14/2002 - current
3. 766,080 bytes (748KB) dated 05/17/2002 on CD-MRW formatted with InCD 3.31
4. 766,080 bytes (748KB) dated 05/17/2002 on CD-MRW formatted with InCD 3.51.61

Before installing EasyWriteReader itself, on my DVD-ROM drive D: I could see the third and fourth versions in D:\Files. For 3.31 I could copy the exe to C:\TMP, but trying to copy from 3.51.61 (via Explorer or cmd) gave the error "Data error (cyclic redundancy check)". Thus I couldn't check if both versions are identical. Apparently Ahead replaced version 1 with 2 on their site (silently as always, with outdated info). Trusting them (maybe too much), I used the latest version 2. It's a mess...

So which version of EasyWriteReader did you use?

As for Win98SE, your "it works OK on my system" concerns DirectCD only, whereas I'd like to resurrect InCD with CD-MRW. Again, are you sure which version of EasyWriteReader did you install?


To dodecahedron:

With InCD alone my DVD-ROM drive can only read non-Mt. Rainier formatted CD-RW produced by both DirectCD and InCD; EasyWriteReader enables reading CD-MRW. It's quite confusing, and maybe Ahead will follow Roxio (I remember days when I had to install both DirectCD and UDFReader, but in later versions a single installation worked).

[KCK]

Another twist for EasyWriteReader with InCD 3.51.61, LTR-48125W VS08 on XP Pro SP1, using Platinum CD-RW 80min/700MB 4x-12x.

Yesterday I copied about 4,000 files (394MB) to a freshly formatted CD-MRW; checked for binary differences - OK. Today I mounted this disc in my DVD-ROM drive (Toshiba 24x) and ran xcopy in a cmd window to a freshly formatted CD-RW (non-MRW) disc mounted on LTR-48125W. After some time, I ended up with the error message

"File creation error - Error performing inpage operation"

So did anybody run similar tests?

[KCK]

Both my XP and 98SE problems were solved with the latest LTR-48125 VS08, Nero 5.5.9.17, InCD 3.51.61 and EasyWriteReader 3.3.2.0.

To Inertia:

So just like you, I can now say it works OK on my systems. Which means, in the jargon of modern software companies, that it passes some basic functionality tests, but when users scream about loosing important data, we'll advise them to upgrade their software, reformat, etc.

Thanks a lot for your intial constructive reply, which confirmed that I wasn't searching in vain; in contrast to some other experts (you may guess whom I mean) who only come up with "Stay away from packet writing".

[dodecahedron]

With InCD alone my DVD-ROM drive can only read non-Mt. Rainier formatted CD-RW produced by both DirectCD and InCD; EasyWriteReader enables reading CD-MRW. It's quite confusing, and maybe Ahead will follow Roxio (I remember days when I had to install both DirectCD and UDFReader, but in later versions a single installation worked).

i concurr. just like did not have to install ahead's UDF reader to read InCD packet-written CDs, one should not have to install an EasyWriteReader to read MRW CDs when you have InCD. it should be incorporated into InCD.

Both my XP and 98SE problems were solved with the latest LTR-48125 VS08, Nero 5.5.9.17, InCD 3.51.61 and EasyWriteReader 3.3.2.0.

how were your problems resolved? the specs you gave here are the same as in your previous posts where you described the problems you had.

1. 725,420 bytes (708KB) from www.ahead.de 08/24/2002 - old
2. 750,220 bytes (732KB) from www.ahead.de 11/14/2002 - current
3. 766,080 bytes (748KB) dated 05/17/2002 on CD-MRW formatted with InCD 3.31
4. 766,080 bytes (748KB) dated 05/17/2002 on CD-MRW formatted with InCD 3.51.61

i have the first two, from www.ahead.de
1. 725,420 bytes - that's version 1.0.0.1
2. 750,220 bytes - that's version 3.3.2.0
any clue as to what's the difference?
i don't understand #3 and #4. are you saying that an InCD formatted MRW disc contains on it the EasyWriteReader ? (just like DirectCD puts roxio's UDF reader on the CD)? are #3 and #4 identical?
i would also like to point out that ahead's download page states incorrect information about the file:
Filesize: 708 KB (753.664 Bytes) (...sic! the size in KB seems to be from the old version, the size in bytes does not math the size of any version!)
Current version: 1.0
but the file itself is #2 on the list (version 3.3.2.0)

[KCK]

To reiterate, my XP and 98SE boxes can now write CD-MRW on their burners and read CD-MRW on their DVD-ROM drives. This was achieved simply by upgrading Nero, InCD and EasyWriteReader to their latest versions available from Ahead's website.

In particular, for 98SE the current EasyWriteReader 3.3.2.0 (#2) adds to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\IOSUBSYS the two files

BsUDFRDR.VXD 3.25 B.H.A.
INCDRM.VXD 1.0.0.7 Ahead

whereas the older one (#1) has INCDRM.VXD 1.0.0.5. On XP, it puts

INCDRM.SYS 1.0.0.3 Ahead

into C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS. Forget about the differences, since only the latest EasyWriteReader (#2) works in both cases.

If you take an InCD formatted MRW disc to a system without MRW support (mount it on a non-MRW burner or a CD/DVD-ROM before EasyWriteReader is installed), and don't allow Autorun to kick off, you will see EasyWriteReader.exe in the \Files directory, which will be either #3 or #4 depending on which InCD version put it there. Otherwise, with Auto insert notification enabled, Autorun will run IE, and you'll be asked to install EasyWriteReader either from the disc in question or from Ahead's website. The local installation has never worked for me, but you could try it. As I wrote earlier, #3 is accessible in contrast to #4, i.e., although both Explorer and dir in a cmd window can see #4, you can't copy it or compare it to #3; thus it's impossible to check if they are identical. Again this aspect is of academic interest only, since neither #3 nor #4 seem to work.

I admit that my former writeup might have been too concise, but you could be typing faster than you read (nothing personal, probably just a generation gap). I did indicate that Ahead's info was outdated, but for casual readers (hopefully including Ahead's webmaster) it might be useful that you spelt it out in detail.

BTW, if you're interested in the 98SE aspect, take a peek at

http://www.cdrinfo.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7466

where you will find more detailed info.

[Coyote]

Will the EasyWrite Reader + the new InCD allow any CD-RW Drive to write CD-MRW? I have the old Yamaha 20x which doesn't have Mount Rainer support built-in. Will this add it?

[Ian]

Will the EasyWrite Reader + the new InCD allow any CD-RW Drive to write CD-MRW? I have the old Yamaha 20x which doesn't have Mount Rainer support built-in. Will this add it?

No.