Proper Folder/File Amounts

Newbie Forum
#1

I’ve been using burners for awhile, but am no expert on it.
But I’ve noticed that it can be very hit or miss at times.
For instance, I had burned a folder with a large amount of photos in it on my daughters PC once, (like 400+) and after taking the disc home…
could only access like 100 or so pictures.
Reading various articles I was then kinda led to believe that you should only have but so many files, in so many folders when burning on a CD/DVD.
Is this true?
Like something about subdirectories, “Joliet stuff”, etc… I dunno… can’t remember exactly.
So basically, what’s the deal about burning Folders/photos/files/?
Is there some basic “rules” to keep things from screwing up during burning?
Some “proper” amount of folders with subdirectories, and “proper” amount of files in each?

(this is a real critical question right now as my son-i-law is trying to back up a ton of baby pix of my granddaughter due to a major PC problem. So they gotta burn… and burn right.)

Thanks a bunch!
The Magician

#2

Use better media, then you will have more success with it.

#3

Yes, I kinda KNEW dat already.
Thanks.
But my question still wasn’t answered…
Does how many files you have in directories, and how many directories and SUBdirectories matter when burning CD’s…?

Thanks again.

#4

If there is a limit, its got to be pretty high. A windows xp install cd has over 6000 files on it. I would also suspect that it is a media quality or media compatibility issue.

#5

The number of files or subdirectories or even directories has no effect on quality of burning or has no limitation on that the only thing is matter the total size of the directory and the format of the file you trying to burn. The size is matter due to the size and free space of your blank disc and the format is matter because the limitation of your burning program.

#6

Hmmm… imteresting.
I’m a graphic artist and amater photographer, and dunno where I read that you should keep no more than 100 photos in each folder, and limit them to but so many subdirectories.
Thought that what was giving me the problem last time I went to burn a folder with a crapload of pix…
Guess not.
At first I thought it was cuz of the “Verbatim” disc I burned them on, (I hate Verbatim) or the lousy Roxio software on my daugther’s PC.
But after trying again with better discs, I still could only open the first 100 of 400 pix, and got crc errors after that.

So then… what’s brands would be considered “good media”?
I used to be sucessful most of the time with Fugi & Maxell.
But I rememeber a few yrs. back, some PC geek co-workers used to go nuts for a certain brand they would get at computer shows.
(I forget the name, but they used to rave about their “dark ink”?)
They used to say that the better the disc, the darker the burning side.
(?)
Dat true?
Anyhoo… thanks guys!

#7

Couple of things. It might be a problem with your daughter’s PC (i.e. limit of 100) because my daughter-in-law sent me a couple of disks last week that had over 300 photos of my grandson on 1 disk and about 350 on the other and they both opened fine, and showed all pictures. She did these using a Mac and I have a pc. The disks were a name brand I have never heard of – something like “kypermedia”???

Second thing is, I’m surprised you are having trouble with Verbatims. Theses are some of the best discs made (IMHO), and I use them all the time in making backups for my movies.

#8

Yeah… I dunno.
I was always under the impression that Verbatim’s were cheap crap.
Maybe I was wrong. Just seemed a lot of times when I had burning errors… it was with one.
Seems for me, CD burning is the one computer technology that doesn’t do what it’s suppsed to ALL the time for me.
I’ve had various computers, various media, various burning programs, but it still have had problems with it. Even on my personal machine, I have used what I thought was decent media, used Nero, and have a Plextor drive…
yet CD’s seem screw up sometimes when burning lots of data, and in many subdirectories.
Maybe I got some settings wrong in Nero (?)
Me… I just wanna burn 'em and go.
Don’t wanna make a hobby out of it.
Seems like ya gotta be, well a “CD Freak” to understand it all.