BD, HD DVD and DVD

On This Page

• Overview
• Finalization
• Troubleshooting

Overview

If you use Firestreamer-RM with optical media, consider the following:

• You do not need to format optical media before using it with Firestreamer-RM.
• Initialization of a blank optical medium may take up to a few minutes at the beginning and the end of a backup.
• If you have not used Firestreamer-RM before, try rewritable media first. If something goes wrong, you will not be able to reuse ±R write-once media.
• Recorded BD-R, HD DVD-R and DVD±R write-once media must be finalized to be compatible with read-only (ROM) drives. However, you do not need to finalize media if you plan to use it only with a writer drive.
• You can only append to ±R write-once media; you cannot overwrite previous backups.
• Rewritable DVD+RW media can sustain only a limited number of writes. To avoid data corruption, discard DVD+RW media after several overwrite cycles. Consider using DVD-RAM, BD or HD DVD instead, which are much more reliable.
• We recommend that you enable data verification in your backup software when performing backups to DVD+RW.
• Firestreamer-RM does not support DVD-R/RW. Please use DVD+R/RW or DVD-RAM instead.
• Do not be confused by the RW logo on DVD+R media, as this type of media is not rewritable.
• Make sure the speed rating of the media matches the speed of your drive.
• Always use high-quality branded media.

Finalization

Recorded BD-R, HD DVD-R and DVD±R media must be finalized to be compatible with read-only (ROM) drives. Once finalized, the media cannot be used for additional recording. You do not need to finalize media if you plan to use it only with a writer drive. Rewritable RW and RAM discs do not require finalization because they are compatible with ROM drives straight after recording.

To finalize an optical medium, follow the steps below:

1. Open the Firestreamer-RM Control Panel.
2. On the Backup tab, click Enable, unless Firestreamer-RM is already enabled.
3. Click the Media tab.
4. Insert the medium in the drive.
5. Wait for up to one minute for the medium to be recognized.
6. Click Finalize Disk.

Note it may take several minutes to finalize an optical medium.

Troubleshooting

If you are experiencing problems with optical media, consider the following.

• Try to upgrade the firmware of your media drive. Visit the drive manufacturer's website for an updated version of the firmware.
• Try different brands of media.
• Try to disable CD-ROM filter drivers.