I've got a problem.  I'm trying to backup massive digital photo collections (several years of family photos) and the collection is large enough that I'd rather use DVD media rather than a bunch of CDRs.  

Previously, I lost several months of photos do a hard drive failure.  I now have the computer mirror pictures over two drives, plus CDR backups, but I'm wanting to go with DVDs now for extra redundancy.  If I make two DVDrs of the entire collection everytime I backup, then even if one backup gets damaged or lost i'm still good.

I'm using commercially purchased NERO.   I've tried ISO and the other formats, but and it burns the photos with no error reported, but then I can't get windows (or linux using Knoppix) or anything else to read the disks at all.  Buring COPIES of movie disks, i.e., uncopyprotected stuff like my daughter's dance recital works fine, so there's nothing wrong with the burner.  

Something is all F'd up in the settings, I think, and it locks up trying to read the disk.   It won't read on the DVD drive of any computer, not just the two drives on my computer.

WTH am I doing wrong?  Is there any pure "backup" software that's set to record to DVD format (and FREE) that I should be using instead of just NERO?

HELP!

You should be able to burn them as simple files in ISO 9960, level 1 -- but this is restricted to 8+3 filenames and no more than 8 levels of subdirectories. If your file or directory names are longer than 8+3 format, you might try zipping groups of photos into zip files and then naming that a 8+3 name. And your directory names have to be 8+3 legal too.

.....One convenient way around being limited to short filenames is to create an HTML page in the root directory (of what will be put on the disk) named "intex.html", and then you can create links on that page into the shorter (less-understandable) directories.

Another quicker/easier way is to just zip everything you want to store on the disk into one big zip file, and name that a 8+3 name and burn that. I would suggest doing the "self-extracting exe" route, to make sure that anyone later on with a Windows PC will be able to unzip the contents (they may not have the same or compatible zip software).  

Also--if you are planning on using these for long term storage, the best brand of media is Mitsui gold (or MAM-A, new name, same brand)--but even if you don't use that brand, burned disks have to be kept in a cool, dry, dark place. Exposure to light will corrupt them, especially extended exposure to daylight.
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Bah he shouldn't have to use 8+3. Why are you trying to make/burn an .iso? Just drag the files you want into the burn window and hit the flaming CD icon....Making an .iso sounds like you are burning the image to the CD without actually telling Nero to burn the image....but burn the image like data....


That didn't make sense.... Okay when you make an .iso and you want to burn it you have to tell nero you are burning an image. You can't just open the burn data window and dump the .iso in it and hit burn because it will treat it as data and not an image file...PM me and I'll be happy to walk you threw it on the phone.

THANKS GUYS, I didn't realize the 8.3 naming convention would be an issue.   I'm going to try to zip the folders up by month and year, that way if any one file gets corrupted it won't wipe out the whole disc worth of data.

I've long used Mitsui discs of the CDR variety, hadn't seen any Mitsui DVDs.   Who sells these?

You could be in for a rude shock if you "archive" anything to recordable optical media.

Using Nero, burn as a data disc.

Inkjet Art website has single DVD-R golds in jewel-cases for $3.42 each.
Because they are so expensive, I would suggest ordering a couple individual disks and making sure they work in your DVD-writer.

Quoted: You could be in for a rude shock if you "archive" anything to recordable optical media.

Mitsui/MAM-A gold is the best available, it has the longest data life.

Quoted: ...Bah he shouldn't have to use 8+3. Why are you trying to make/burn an .iso? Just drag the files you want into the burn window and hit the flaming CD icon....Making an .iso sounds like you are burning the image to the CD without actually telling Nero to burn the image....but burn the image like data....

The naming is the only reason I can think of that it would burn with no errors but not be readable. I did not suppose that he was trying to burn an image, but ISO 9960 is the disk format, and strict ISO 9960 only supports eight directories deep and 8+3 filenames. Different brands/models of DVD/CD drives can tolerate different types of standards violations--similar to how some CD-R drives won't overburn much over 74 minutes, but others will do 108 minutes (even with the same disks).

Alternately, he could take one of the "unreadable" DVD's he's already made to someone else's computer and see if it is readable in theirs.
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Quoted: You could be in for a rude shock if you "archive" anything to recordable optical media.

No media type lasts forever, but he should be ok if he makes 2 copies.

Personally, I have an external USB drive I make regular backups too, and another set of burned DVDs with the same files.

As far as media goes, I've always understood Ridata/Ritech to be the best, most stable, longest lasting etc... I get mine from Meritline, if anyone has a different opinion, I'd like to hear it. But yeah, Nero (6?), and as data files would be my call.

You should use the UDF filesystem on DVDs. Or at least UDF+ISO.

Quoted: Quoted: You could be in for a rude shock if you "archive" anything to recordable optical media. No media type lasts forever, but he should be ok if he makes 2 copies. Personally, I have an external USB drive I make regular backups too, and another set of burned DVDs with the same files.

If he makes two, they're probably fail within weeks of each other.  Writable optical media is actually very unstable compared to magnetic media.  Unfortunately there really is no good answer to this problem short of printing out the stuff with archival quality ink on acid free paper, and putting it in a box that doesn't let light in.