How to move files from my computer to DVD

[duvader]

Fellow Geeks:

I know my question seems simple, but let me try and explain what it is I want to do.

I would like to be able to point a program to a directory, and copy those files to multiple DVD's - but I want to be able to read the files on the DVD just by popping it into any DVD rom drive. I don't want to be able to do file histories or anything like that - I simply want to move a ton of files from my PC to as many DVD's as it takes. If the program is smart enough to fit as many files on a DVD as it can before going to the next then great. (Meaning that if there is 20 mb left on the DVD, but the next file is 40 mb, it will skip down the list to find a file that will fit in 20 mb and copy it - I hope you get what I mean.) I don't want the files compressed, or in any kind of large proprietary file that some backup programs make - just the original file. Think of it as just making a data disk over and over again - but instead of manually moving as many files as will fit until the little bar telling you space available turns red, a program will do it for you.

I have looked around, and I can't seem to find anything like this. I think a program like this would be great for backing up tons of pictures to multiple DVD's so that I can not only backup them up in a sense, but move a lot of files to a medium that can easily be read from without having to go through a restore procedure.

I own a Cadillac CTS, and this came up when I went to try and make some DVD's of my MP3's to load into the media system - I had to manually move as many files as I could into the burn program, burn the DVD, and then do the next. I was a real pain to try and figure out what files I had already copied over, and what was left. (The Cadillac allows you to move mp3's off of cd/dvd to the 40 gb hard drive built into the car as part of the navigation system. I can also think this would be nice so that I could pop them into my PS3 to import into it's hard drive.

(And a side question - completely different topic - is there a way to put a larger hard drive into the PS3?)

Is there anything out there like this?

Appreciate the reply!

[tehboris]

The only method that comes to mind is if you archive all the directories and split the archive.

Yes, you can put any size drive you want in the PS3. You will probably want to make a backup of all the stuff on the PS3 first to an external hard drive.

[haku]

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to find a CD/DVD file/iso burning program that doesn't give you the runaround like Nero does with it's annoying wizard 'helper' interface, after a bit of searching I discovered http://www.deepburner.com which the person asking me for the program downloaded it and was burning a CD in a couple of minutes without fuss - no faffing around with an annoying interface & heaps of features that won't be used.

There are two versions of that software, a completely free one which does general file/iso reading/writing, & the pro version for $30 that says it's capable of backing up files which I would take as being able to span your files across multiple discs but check first, worth a look I'd say because the free one does well on this Asus Eee.

[frankitank]

sounds like you need a run of the mill backup app that burns to dvd, most of them do now. You want to be sure not to choose a compression option but a simple 1 to 1 backup. you should be able to find tons of apps for this via google. If I find one better then the deepburn listed above I'll post a link.

check this out... specifically states it will span dvds for large backups.
http://www.novastor.com/windows/ent/...-software.html

[duvader]

I downloaded deepburner and tried it - it kept locking up. The web page doesn't manetion Vista compatibility. (And I didn't mention I was running Vista X86_64 before either - Ultimate version)

I know about novaback - used it for years. But it does create a proprietary file format that it places the files inside of when it does it's backup - even if you don't have compression turned on. 1-1 will usually only turn compression off - sometimes making the backup faster on systems that are cpu bound. I have downloaded and tried about 20 different backup programs - they either have what I am looking for hidden, or they all make a proprietary file format on the dvd's. And so far from what I can tell, they all require a version of that program to restore from.

I would have thought it would be something built into dvd/cd burner programs - simply point to a directory - tell it to copy files to the dvd - eject and ask for new disks when needed - and wolla. I guess the problem with this is that most backup programs want to span a single file across multiple dvd's - so you can backup something larger than 4.7 gb - what I am looking for is a bit different in that I don't ever want a file to span a dvd but rather to be readable by just about any dvd drive out there - without the backup program.

What I really need is just a smart file copy program that will eject dvd's when they get full. So far, I have posted this question to numerous boards but with no luck. Maybe there is an opportunity here . . . . .

[frankitank]

I've done this with image files for a document scanning project I worked on a few years ago. I used Retrospect, now owned by EMC, to do it I think. It may have been to CD not DVD though, shouldn't really matter.

Are you sure you can't do this with Nova, I'm going to download and give it a shot.

[frankitank]

In Novabackup 10 there is a copy option, it should do what you want it to do. Download the trial and give it a shot.

[hellhound]

Roxio dvd creator will give me the option of spanning over multiple dvds when I accidentally add more than can fit on one data dvd. but I dont know what happens when there is 5 megs left and the next file is a 10 megs... does it split it making it unreadable unless U wanna put in the next dvd when promted ... or if it puts it to the next dvd... anyone tried it w/ Roxio?
I know where you are coming from.. I had an HP burner that came w/ a Restore/Recovery thing... could fresh install all UR Fave/critical appz and make a spanned archive (image) cd set.. but if you got a scratch or blemish (sneezed.. J/K.. but almost) on any part of the disks... U had a bunch of coasters

[dontbanbugmenot]

Hi duvader;

I know exactly what you mean because I have been looking for a similar product. Even if it isn't smart and burns files in order without mixing files up so they fit I just want to be able to specify a location and span that location over discs.

I think there is a few on this board which don't quite see what you have in mind.


There is one program called 'Backup to DVD+CD'. I have it installed but I have not got to grips with it.

Now here is the good and the bad - The bad is i think it puts some proprietary meta-data on the disc which helps it be restored if and when it needs to be.

However the good thing is it does allow you to view the discs in explorer without being in some funny format where parts of the same file are cut across discs! so its one step closer to what you want. I find the interface dam awful though!


I'll be keeping an eye on this page, I'd love to find the solution.

[azdayton]

I've only been looking for such a program for years now.

At present, my methodology is to do the following (manually):

1. Create a "Master" folder, holding all the files I want to copy.
2. Create a "Part1" folder.
3. MOVE files from "Master" to "Part1" until it's storing as much as can fit on a DVD. To make sure, I tend to err on the side of caution and stop at about 4.5GB
4. Repeat with "Part2", "Part3", and so on until I have all the files moved out of "Master"
5. Burn DVD's from the contents of each of the "Part" folders.
6. Delete the working files.

I do it this way because if a burn fails, I can restart with a minumum of lost time and effort. It's a methodology I developed back in the days of floppies and 1K files. A few years later, someone wrote a program to do it, and I was in bliss. But that was back in DOS days. I never found anything to do it in Windows, with CDs or DVDs.

BTW, if/when you do this, be aware that there's a limit to the number of files that can be stored in the "root" of a disc. I think it's only like 256 or so. I don't run into it very often, but the first time I did, it took me forever to figure out what the problem was. The solution is to put the files into a sub-folder, which apparently can have a much larger directory.

Good luck, and let me know if a utility such as the one envisioned ever surfaces!

- Dayton - Tue. 08/26/2008 @ 12:48:02