burning single CD with both Mac and PC software?????

[Shannon Nugent]

If this doesn't work out the way I want it to,  then I'm just going to 
use a Zip disk instead.  I think you can format those in an MSDOS 
format and that will be readable by both platforms.  If that is so, 
then it is probably possible to just pop files off and on the Zip as I 
want with both computers with no trouble.  It would be worth the extra 
8 dollars or so.  I don't think I'll need that much space,  but CD's 
are cooler and I know from experience that i tend to go crazy when I 
collect media and work on projects.  It might take 2 zips for this 
class.  What ya think?

(P.S.  G4 listers,  sorry if carbon copying this to you is against list 
rules or something,  but it just seems like something you might wanna 
read)
On Wednesday, January 21, 2004, at 12:16  AM, Mike Nugent wrote:

>
> On Tuesday, January 20, 2004, at 10:31  PM, Shannon Nugent wrote:
>
>> Do stuff on the mac
>> backup stuff on CD
>> transport to school
>> copy files to "H" drive on PC and work on them
>> Save files backup new work on CD (either writing over the old file or 
>> just adding a new file onto the CD)
>>
>> Is there any way I can do that without having to reformat the disc 
>> every time (both on PC and the Mac),  or run into some kind of > 
>> trouble?
>>
> All  that comes to mind is a UDF/packet-writing situation. That is, 
> the CD can be formatted on the PC in a special way so that it can 
> write files to it like it's a regular hard drive.  Only trouble is, I 
> don't know if the Mac can read them nowadays. (There used to be some 
> packet-writing software for Mac, although it had a reputation for not 
> being very stable.)
>
> PCs can write a regular (non-UDF) session to a CD, not close the disk, 
> and still be readable (and further writeable) on the PC. But if they 
> don't close the disk (thus making it no longer writeable), the Mac 
> probably can't even read it.
>
> Maybe such a CD would be readable in Virtual PC? Still I don't think 
> VPC comes with the software needed to write to a CD or CD-RW. I would 
> *imagine* you could get it from a PC user and install it in VPC. But I 
>  never tried burning CDs from VPC. Might work.
>
> If VPC can do this, then just use ISO-9660 format, which is 
> PC-compatible. The Mac can create, read, and write this format. But 
> remember--outside of VPC, the Mac might not read--or create--unclosed 
> PC CD sessions.
>
> Sounds like some experimentation is in order. (Hey, that's what the 
> 'RW' in CD-RW is for, right?)
>
>> And when I burn a CD on a mac the PC can read it,  right?
>
> A straight burn from the Finder will create a Mac/PC hybrid disk, 
> readable by either machine, but I don't know if Mac can burn 
> session-only in this format (or in straight ISO-9660, for that > matter).
>
> Let's see what kind of answers you get from others who may have 
> already been there.
>
> Meantime, have a look at http://www.macwindows.com/ to see if CD 
> burning is mentioned.
>
> Love you!
>
> -- Dad--
>