UDF Format

The UDF file system was developed when it became increasingly obvious that the ISO 9660 file system used on CDs was no longer meeting the needs of rewritable media and DVDs. It was optimized mainly to accommodate large data volumes and to make it easy to modify an existing file system.

Nero can burn UDF and so-called 'UDF Bridge CDs', which contain both a UDF and an ISO 9660 file system. The UDF file system can be read by, say, Windows 98 and Windows 2000 with no special drivers. In case of doubt, Windows 2000 and Windows 98 also read the UDF file system if both an ISO 9660 and a UDF file system are detected on the medium. Writing in UDF format is particularly important when burning DVDs because UDF is the preferred operating system for these media.

7.13.1 Creating a UDF CD

Please note that Nero does not yet support Multisession UDF-CDs and that therefore UDF or UDF-Bridge Sessions must be written on blank CDs.

Now let’s take a step-by-step look at how to create a CD-ROM (UDF) using Nero:

All settings may be left at their default values.

1. Insert an empty CD into the recorder.

2. Start a new compilation by clicking on the appropriate button or the File menu and the command New.

3. Click the 'CD-ROM (UDF)' icon - the Title tab is in front. Use the tabs to specify the attributes of the compilation, such as the name of the CD, different characteristics and restrictions. On this tab you can give your CD a name and overtype the default name 'New'. You can use letters A-Z, digits 0-9 and the underscore character (_) – diacritics (accents) and spaces are not supported.

4. On the Dates tab you can specify the date of the compilation and of its files.

The current date and time are entered for the compilation as default, also the creation date of the files.

5. Use the Misc tab to specify which files will be buffered in the cache. Files that are on slow media (floppy disks and network drives) and are very small are moved to the cache by default. You specify the location of the cache on the Cache tab in the File menu (Preferences option).

6. Once you have selected your settings, click the New button on the right. You will now see the empty compilation window for CD-ROM.

7. If a File Browser is not open yet you can open one by selecting New File Browser from the View menu or clicking the appropriate 'File Browser' icon.

To specify that Nero is started with an open File Browser, check ‘Start with File Browser’ in the ‘General’ section on the File Browser tab (File ->

Preferences).

8. Compile the files for the CD using Drag&Drop editing by simply clicking on the required files in the File Browser and dragging them into the compilation window.

Clicking the right mouse button opens a context menu where you can selectively add or omit certain file types. In addition there are a number of commands that you will also find in Windows Explorer, such as 'Copy', 'Open‘

and 'Cut'.

9. When compiling with Drag&Drop the directory structure is moved across too, i.e. if you drag an entire folder into the compilation window the folder will be created on the CD you wish to burn.

If you drag a lot of individual files however this may affect the clarity of the CD’s contents. To avoid this you can create new folders within the compilation. To do this, select the Create Folder option from the Edit menu or click the right mouse button and choose the command from the context menu.

A folder you have just created is assigned the name ‘New’ by default and can be renamed immediately. You can create as many folders as you need and pull the existing files across using Drag&Drop. You can of course drag other files into the compilation window from the File Browser.

10. Click on the Burn Compilation button or select the Burn Compilation command from the 'Recorder' menu to open the write dialog box. This option is only available when the compilation window is selected, as can be seen from the fact that the title bar is blue. If the File Browser is selected (and the title bar of the compilation window is therefore grayed) the option is not available and CD writing cannot be started. In this case click anywhere in the compilation window.

The ‘Burn Compilation‘ dialog box now opens - it is the same as when creating a new compilation but the Burn tab is now in front.

11. In the ‘Action’ section activate the other check boxes you require in addition to the ‘Write‘ check box. You will find more information about this section in 'Before you burn your first disc'. You must remember that when you create a UDF-CD with only one session you must activate the 'Finalize CD' checkbox.

This setting write protects the CD and no further writing is possible.

All settings on this and the other tabs can now be reviewed and changed if required.

12. Click on the Burn button to start the burn process (or the simulation - depending on the chosen option). All the selected steps now run in sequence until writing is complete. You can monitor progress in a status window which shows the individual steps being logged as they are executed. A typical final message would be: 'Burn process was successful with 12x (1800 KB/s)‘. The CD is then ejected. The messages shown can either be saved, printed or discarded. Close the window by clicking on the Discard or Close buttons.

13. You can now check what has been written to your new CD by inserting it again and clicking the 'CD Info’ icon.

7.13.2 Creating a UDF/ISO Bridge CD

The big advantage of a UDF/ISO Bridge CD is that the data comply with both the UDF standard and the ISO standard. The data are only added to the compilation once and Nero automatically creates a UDF and an ISO table of contents. These two tables of contents allow the CD to be used as a Bridge CD.

Please note that Nero does not support Multisession UDF/ISO Bridge CDs at the present time. UDF Bridge sessions must therefore be written to blank CDs.

Now let’s take a step-by-step look at how to create a CD-ROM (ISO/UDF) using Nero:

All settings may be left at their default values.

1. Insert an empty CD into the recorder.

2. Start a new compilation by clicking on the appropriate button or the File menu and the command New.

3. Click the 'CD-ROM (UDF/ISO)' icon - the ISO tab is in front. Use the tabs to specify the attributes of the compilation, such as the name of the CD, different characteristics and restrictions.

On the ISO tab you can toggle between Mode 1 and Mode 2/XA format as required. You should not need to verify the format – in the past there were problems with CD drives that could not read Mode 1 CDs, but very few of these drives should still be in use today. If these options are grayed it means that selection is not logically possible at present. Mixing Mode 1 and Mode 2/XA tracks on a CD would result in an unreliable and potentially unreadable CD format. In the 'File/Directorynames length‘ section you can specify the ISO level for the length of the names. Up to 31 characters are permitted for Windows 95 and higher. Names cannot be more than 11 characters long for Windows 3.1 (8 for the name and 3 for the extension). ISO Level 2 will be best in most cases – if you know that the CD must also be readable on a Windows 3.1 system then you should select Level 1.

4. On the Label tab you can give your CD a name and overtype the default name 'New'. You can use letters A-Z, digits 0-9 and the underscore character (_) – diacritics (accents) and spaces are not supported.

5. On the Dates tab you can specify the date of the compilation and of its files.

The current date and time are entered for the compilation as default, also the creation date of the files.

6. Use the Misc tab to specify which files will be buffered in the cache. Files that are on slow media (floppy disks and network drives) and are very small are moved to the cache by default. You specify the location of the cache on the Cache tab in the File menu (Preferences option).

7. Once you have selected your settings, click the New button on the right. You will now see the empty compilation window for CD-ROM.

If a File Browser is not open yet you can open one by selecting New File Browser from the View menu or clicking the appropriate 'File Browser' icon.

To specify that Nero is started with an open File Browser, check ‘Start with File Browser’ in the ‘General’ section on the File Browser tab (File ->

Preferences).

8. Compile the files for the CD using Drag&Drop editing by simply clicking on the required files in the File Browser and dragging them into the compilation window.

Clicking the right mouse button opens a context menu where you can selectively add or omit certain file types. In addition there are a number of commands that you will also find in Windows Explorer, such as 'Copy', 'Open‘

and 'Cut'.

When compiling with Drag&Drop the directory structure is moved across too, i.e. if you drag an entire folder into the compilation window the folder will be created on the CD you wish to burn.

If you drag a lot of individual files however this may affect the clarity of the CD’s contents. To avoid this you can create new folders within the compilation. To do this, select the Create Folder option from the Edit menu or click the right mouse button and choose the command from the context menu.

A folder you have just created is assigned the name ‘New’ by default and can be renamed immediately. You can create as many folders as you need and pull the existing files across using Drag&Drop. You can of course drag other files into the compilation window from the File Browser.

9. Click on the Burn Compilation button or select the Burn Compilation command from the 'Recorder' menu to open the write dialog box. This option is only available when the compilation window is selected, as can be seen from the fact that the title bar is blue. If the File Browser is selected (and the title bar of the compilation window is therefore grayed) the option is not available and CD writing cannot be started. In this case click anywhere in the compilation window.

The ‘Burn Compilation‘ dialog box now opens - it is the same as when creating a new compilation but the Burn tab is now in front.

10. In the ‘Action’ section activate the other check boxes you require in addition to the ‘Write‘ check box. You will find more information about this section in 'Before you burn your first disc'. You must remember that when you create a UDF-CD with only one session you must activate the 'Finalize CD' checkbox.

This setting write protects the CD and no further writing is possible.

All settings on this and the other tabs can now be reviewed and changed if required.

11. Click on the Burn button to start the burn process (or the simulation - depending on the chosen option). All the selected steps now run in sequence until writing is complete. You can monitor progress in a status window which shows the individual steps being logged as they are executed. A typical final message would be: 'Burn process was successful with 12x (1800 KB/s)‘. The CD is then ejected. The messages shown can either be saved, printed or discarded. Close the window by clicking on the Discard or Close buttons.

12. You can now check what has been written to your new CD by inserting it again and clicking the 'CD Info’ icon.