MakeCD

Information in this page updated: 15 Apr 97


Author:
Patrick OhlyAngela Schmidt
Version:
2.2
Software type:
Commercial
Purpose:
Create CD Images and write them to CD-Rs
Other software required:
?
Sources included:
no
File in aminet:
MakeCD22.lha

.readme file from aminet/disk/cdrom

Short:        Create, burn and copy CDs. Data & Audio
Author:       Patrick.Ohly@stud.uni-karlsruhe.de, Angela.Schmidt@stud.uni-karlsruhe.de
Uploader:     Angela.Schmidt@stud.uni-karlsruhe.de
Version:      2.2
Type:         disk/cdrom
Distribution: NoCD

MakeCD is a program to create Amiga CD-ROM images (including Amiga
Protection Bits and Amiga File Comments, and of course Rock Ridge
Extensions) and to write CD-Rs.

This is the feature list of MakeCD:

 · Amiga protection bits und file comments in CD-ROM Images
   MakeCD was the 1st program that brought this great feature to you.
   Meeting Pearls IV has been mastered with MakeCD.

 · Online images (second partition not required)

 · Very flexible CD copying

 · Plays CDDA data from CD or from file

 · Supports ISO 9660 and Rock Ridge extensions

 · Relativly few memory requirement while generating ISO 9660
   structures.

 · Supports CDTV and CD32 (bootable CD-ROM's possible)

 · Multivolume and Multisession support

 · ISO image can be created on block oriented device (e.g. hard disk)
   and tried before writing a CD-R.

 · CD Extra support

 · All source directory trees for the ISO image are optionally put
   into one distinct subdirectory each in the root of the image.

 · Locale support (at this time english and german)

 · Online Help (Bubblehelp, can be disabled)

 · Font sensitive layout

 · Style Guide adhering (opens e.g. on a Public Screen)

 · Easy to use

 · Writes both data and audio tracks

 · Modular (other CD-Writers can be added as needed)

 · Recovery mode (depends on driver!)

 · best value for your money, especially for non commercial users

 · Compatible (tested on many different configurations)


Currently, the following drives are supported:
   · Philips CDD 2000 (and compatible drives):
        · Grundig CDR1001PW
        · HP SureStore 4020i
        · Mitsumi CDR 2401
        · Philips CDD522
        · Kodak PCD225 (untested, try if it really works!)
        · Plasmon CDR4220 (untested, try if it really works!)
   · Philips CDD 2600 (beta)
        · HP SureStore 6020i
        · Traxdata CDR 2600 (untested, try if it really works!)
   · Sony CD writers
        · Sony CDU926S
        · Microboards of America PlayWrite 2000 (untested, try if it
          really works!)
        · Optima DisKovery 650 CD-R (untested, try if it really works!)
        · Smart & Friendly CDR1002 (untested, try if it really works!)
        · Smart & Friendly CDR2004 (untested, try if it really works!)
        · Smart & Friendly CDR2006 (untested, try if it really works!)
        · Sony CDU920S (untested, try if it really works!)
        · Sony CDU924S (untested, try if it really works!)
        · Sony CDU940S (untested, try if it really works!)
        · Sony Spressa 9211 (untested, try if it really works!)
        · Sony Spressa 9411 (untested, try if it really works!)
        · Sony Spressa 9611 (untested, try if it really works!)
   · Yamaha CDR 100 (and compatible drives):
        · Yamaha CDR 100
        · Yamaha CDR 102
        · Yamaha CDE 100
        · Yamaha CDE 102
        · Plasmon CDR-4400
        · DynaTek Automation Systems CDM400 (untested, try if it
          really works!)
        · DynaTek Automation Systems CDM240 (untested, try if it
          really works!)
        · Microboards of America PlayWrite 4000 (untested, try if it
          really works!)
        · MicroNet Technology MasterCD Pro (untested, try if it really
          works!)
        · Procom Technology PCDR-4x (untested, try if it really works!)
        · Smart & Friendly CDR4000 (untested, try if it really works!)
        · Smart & Friendly CDR1004 (untested, try if it really works!)
   · Plextor PX-R24CS(i) (and compatible drives):
        · Ricoh RO-1420C
        · Ricoh RS-1420C
        · Device Turtle Beach 2040R (untested, try if it really works!)

A driver for JVC XR-W2010 is in work, but tricky, because this CD writer
is full of firmware bugs. No promises.

Programmer documentation for Yamaha CDR 200/400 and for Mitsumi
CR-2600TE is in order. We hope to get it soon.

Additionally, MakeCD provices support for the following CD-ROM drives:
   · ATAPI CD-ROM (with CDDA reading)
   · NEC CD-ROM (with CDDA reading)
   · Pioneer CD-ROM (Sony compatible)
   · Plextor CD-ROM (with CDDA reading)
   · Sony CD-ROM (with CDDA reading)
   · Toshiba CD-ROM (with CDDA reading)
   · any other CD-ROM drive (without CDDA reading)


History Release 2.2:
--------------------
  - New: Sony.driver
    Note (1): The Sony writers are very accurate regarding CD-ROM standards.
    You will not be able to write certain track types after some others
    (but you won't want to anyway).
    Note (2): Sony writers are not able to write XA tracks with a blocksize of
    2048 (form 1) or 2328 (form 2). Therefore only the general mode 2 type
    is supported by MakeCD. You will be warned and may ignore the
    warning, but until a firmware supports this block sizes the writer
    will reject some commands as illegal.
    Note (3): The 926S seems to be unable to accept buffer chunks of more than
    approx. 240kB. It rejects the write command with "ILLEGAL FIELD IN COMMAND
    DESCRIPTOR". You have to reduce the chunk size in the settings.
    Note (4): The writer seems to be unable to simulate fixation. The test
    mode can really be enabled for writing tracks, but has no effect on
    fixation. The Sony.driver will therefore _not_ issue the fixation command
    if test mode is enabled.
  - The writer will not be told to start writing a track until data is
    really available. Previously, denying to insert the correct CD with
    the source track left a short empty track on the CD-R.
  - MakeCD saves all registers before calling OpenDevice(). This makes it
    possible to use broken devices that trash registers (e.g. mfm.device).
  - When repairing a CD-R MakeCD will not check the contents of the medium
    inserted because this check may fail for CD-Rs needing repair, thus
    preventing the issueing of the repair command :-/
  - Changed the usage of "nil:" in image filenames. Now "nil:exists/xyz"
    with xyz being a number can be used as an existing image file with
    size xyz (even as primary source).
  - MakeCD will check if the available space is enough to write all
    tracks and fixate. It will distinguish several different cases: enough
    space for tracks, but not fixation (not nescessary for the current
    writer, because all reserve enough space for fixation themselves);
    only fixation not possible; fixation possible, but no new session
    (some writers refuse to fixate only the session in the last case,
    e.g. the Yamaha CDR 100).
    This check relies on a correct value of the free blocks on the CD-R.
    If you doubt that the warning is justified, you may ignore it and
    go on (preferable in test mode ;-).
  - When writing tracks MakeCD will ask for the CD-R before writing
    image files to check the available space now.
  - Default for changing the start of audio tracks is now zero blocks.
    In addition, the start of an audio track is only changed if the
    predecessor is an audio track, too.
    Some drives refused to deliver the blocks in front of real track start
    or are accurate anyway.
  - The type of every track is listed in the track listview. Pay attention
    to the type if you add image files: MakeCD was never and still is not
    able to guess the type always correctly!
  - Added recognition of all drives listed as tested in the Compatibility.
    If one of your drives is not known by MakeCD but works with a driver,
    please fill out a test report and send it to makecd@ira.uka.de. It will
    be added it to the Compatibility and recognized automatically by future
    drivers.
    Note: If your CD-ROM works with the SonyCD.driver, you might test the
    PlextorCD.driver,too, because this is a SonyCD.driver extended by
    speed setting.
  - Added DEBUG output for testing of device capabilities in the device
    requester.
    If you encounter crashes, please enable DEBUG by removing the brackets
    around the tooltype and report which devices causes the problem. See
    V2.1 history for more detailed notes on this subject.
  - PhilipsCDD2600.driver will no longer try to read session infos, because
    the result was incomplete due to the CDD2600 firmware.
  - Read errors during reading the track list from CD writers are now
    handled better. Previously tracks were simply left out.
  - Maximum speed (= 0) was not set correctly for Philips CDD521/522. This
    prevented fixation since V2.1, too, because this is always done in maximum
    speed.
  - Some CD-ROMs refuse to set 2048 as block size. Added additional check
    for current block size and retry.
  - When adding a new track the source track is no longer copied.
  - Implemented sequential IO for ISO image creation.
  - Changed DEBUG output.
  - Bugfix: "Stop after Track" didn't prevent fixation after last track.
  - Bugfix: Length of the last track on a CD-R sometimed included the
    run-out blocks.
  - Bugfix: The space for lead-out is not included in the free blocks reported
    by the writer. CD-Rs with zero blocks free could have been fixed, but
    MakeCD didn't try to do so.
  - Bugfix: Startblock of an ISO image was calculated wrong when writing only
    image files and the ISO image was not the first track.
  - Bugfix: When the automatic fixation after the last track failed, the
    error was not reported.
  - Bugfix: When reading an audio file not being a multiple of the blocksize
    the data was not padded correctly when writing directly to CD-R.
    This caused "unexpected phase errors".
  - Bugfix: The CD read speed was always set to the real speed of the
    CD writer.
  - Bugfix: The AtapiCD.driver didn't set the speed.
  - Bugfix: End of track recognition sometimes was wrong by one block.
  - Bugfix: Memory for session description texts was not freed.
  - Bugfix: Recovered errors were not ignored properly.
  - Added fixation and repair to the tools menu.
  - Bugfix: Error requester for image creation.
  - Bugfix: Upto 4 bytes were trashed when a track had a long volume name.
  - Bugfix: Potential timing problem handling write errors.
  - Bugfix: When reading the last track of a normal CD the CD was not
    recognized.
  - Bugfix: Multisession merging did not work correctly with some settings.


For your information only (JVC.driver is not part of the release):

JVC.driver:
  - Setting speed, testmode.
  - Reading of all kind of tracks.
  - Reading first writeable block
  - Reading TOC from CD-R and CD, session infos and free blocks left.
  - Writing implemented, but doesn't work yet.
    The XR-W2010 rejects commands with strange error codes (the
    write command is said to be an illegal command). According to
    a JVC technician it should work the way we do it and he cannot
    explain why it doesn't. We are still investigating the subject.


Have a look at our MakeCD support page:
http://www.uni-karlsruhe.de/~un60/MakeCD.html


MakeCD Mailing Lists
--------------------

There are three different mailing lists for MakeCD:

`ml-makecd@unix-ag.uni-siegen.de'
     For discussions with other users of MakeCD. The authors of MakeCD
     will read this list, too, so they can answer questions if noone
     else is able to answer. Sometimes they will ask you what you think
     about a new feature etc.

`ml-makecd-announce@unix-ag.uni-siegen.de'
     No discussions, only announces from the authors. For example we
     will announce new versions and new drivers on this list.

`ml-makecd-binaries@unix-ag.uni-siegen.de'
     This list brings all new MakeCD binaries directly into your
     mailbox. It is useful if you do not have access to ftp servers or
     homepages in the internet, and so are unable to download new
     MakeCD archives.

To subscribe, send `SUBSCRIBE ' to
`-request@unix-ag.uni-siegen.de', where `' is the
name of the mailing list, e.g. `ml-makecd-announce'. Don't send
requests to the lists themselves, i.e. don't forget the `-request' in
the address! To subscribe the email address `user@my.email.address' to
the announce list, send the following message:

     To: ml-makecd-announce-request@unix-ag.uni-siegen.de
     Subject: Anything
     
     SUBSCRIBE user@my.email.address

To unsubscribe, send a similar message, but replace `SUBSCRIBE' by
`UNSUBSCRIBE'.

Send the following message to get further instructions:

     To: listserv@unix-ag.uni-siegen.de
     Subject: Anything
     
     HELP


We hope you have a lot of fun with our software!


Note on Distribution: NoCD
--------------------------

We decided to add this line, because Aminet has suspended freebies for
authors (you now have to pay 5 to 15 DM for a so-called "freebie").
Meeting Pearls IV CD costs only 3/5 (14.95 DM) of an Aminet CD (25 DM)
and offers freebies (including shipping costs) for all authors (see
"http://home.pages.de/~MP/"). So Meeting Pearls IV demonstrates that
a Freebie policy is also possible with "very-low-budget" CD-ROMs.

If you want to include this program an any CD other than Aminet and have
a better freebie policy (or if your CDs are cheaper than Aminet), feel
free to contact us.


Angela Schmidt and Patrick Ohly


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