Finalizing a DVD disk?

Newbie Forum
#1

I am sorry if this was posted before, but when I click on “search” I am getting a Gateway Timed Out message.

Being a newbie to this, just what does finalizing the disk mean? After I burn something, I don’t see any kind of finalizing option. I am also having a problem playing a DVD on my laptop which plays fine on my desktop and a standalone player. I already posted my problem about this, but there has not been much response. I read on another post about maybe the disk wasn’t finalized and was just wondering if that may be my problem.

I have tried so many different programs to no avail. I can’t create an ISO file from the disk because unfortunately my laptop doesn’t have a burner. I guess it’s an older one. (IBM Thinkpad A33). I have read so many posts in here, hoping to find a solution.

#2

Finalizing a disc, in simple terms, means to prevent any further writing to the disc. By default, almost all burning programs will be set to finalize a disc unless you deselect it. So unless you have this specifically set not to finalize the discs in whatever burning program(s) you are using, your discs are probably finalized already. Unfinalized discs will not be readable by a lot of devices.

#3

Like [I]scoobiedoobie[/I] say, finalizing is just closing the disk to be playable on any standalone player. It is standard for video/audio DVD/CD.
As for you laptop player, I think it is too old to play burned disks. If they all play on standalone player, than there is nothing wrong with them because those players are the one usualy to give problem.

#4

What kind of discs you using DVD-R or DVD+R? Some older pc drives could play one of the formats and not the other. Usually the problem was with DVD+R, and a way to overcome thr prob was via bitsetting the discs.
Regarding finalization, if the disc plays in a standalone player it is finalized.

#5

Things are a bit more “complicated” if you are using Multisesion Mode. :wink: