DVD Burning in Windows Vista Beta 2 CPP

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We've learned that some of you are experiencing problems successfully burning Windows Vista to DVD. It turns out that this is most likely due to the fact that, in your haste to install Windows Vista, some of you are burning the DVD at faster rates than the system can handle ;) and the resulting file gets corrupted. There are few steps to try when you get a bad DVD burn. 

First, are you using media appropriate for your drive? It’s important that if your DVD burner operates at 8x not to use 2x media. Improper media types will increase the likelihood of bad burns. Second, if your drive speed is adjustable with the software that came with your hardware, you should attempt to slow down the burning speed. In addition, it’s best not to have too many applications executing while burning is in progress. Third, drive manufacturers are constantly improving the firmware for those devices. We encourage you to visit your manufacturer’s website and download the latest firmware. We know of a nice little utility called CRC.exe (look for it online) that will check the integrity of any file on your local system, be it on physical media (such as a DVD) or an ISO file. (However, the media or file cannot be on a network drive or a mounted NTFS folder.)

To reiterate:

  • if your DVD burner operates at 8x do not use 2x media
  • if your DVD burner operates at 2x do not use 8x media
  • In general, writing a slower speed results in a greater likelihood of a correct disc. This is due to many factors, such as the system's ability to get the data to the device, the device's ability to keep the laser focused as the disc spins extremely fast, and the quality of the media being recorded to. If in doubt, use a slower recording speed!