WHICH VERSION OF THE RCD-PC SOFTWARE DO I HAVE?

1.) Boot to Dos and list the directory of files on your RCD-PC disk in drive A: or B:

A:\> DIR [ENTER] OR B:\> DIR [ENTER]

2.) Use the following table as a guideline for determining which version of the RCD-PC software you have:

Find this FILENAME SIZE DATE TIME RCD-PC VERSION SUPPORTED RCD DRIVES

RCD202.DR 71,274 09-03-93 2:49p V2.0 RCD-202 (FIRMWARE IBBK ONLY)

RCD202.DR 71,415 11-02-93 10:38p V2.01 RCD-202 (FIRMWARE JBBL ONLY)

RCD202.DRV 145,376 02-15-94 12:39p V2.1 RCD-202 ANY FIRMWARE

RCD202.DR 29,038 06-03-94 2:11a V2.11 RCD-202 ANY FIRMWARE

XCDRCD.DR 30,507 11-07-94 2:12a V2.12C RCD-1000 & RCD-202

XCDRCD.DR 31,517 11-21-94 8:50a V2.12D RCD-1000 & RCD-202

XCDRCD.DR 33,955 05-25-95 2:12a V2.12E RCD-1000 & RCD-202

 INTRODUCTION

The two most common ways of writing to CD using our software is VIRTUAL and FILE. Virtual means you create a virtual database of information that points to where the files reside on the hard disk. After building the database, you may record on the fly (file by file) by using this database as your source when writing to the CD. File means you actually copy all information that you want to record into one big ISO file, and use it as the source when writing to the CD.

VIRTUAL or ISO File

Should you use the Virtual method or ISO file as your source for recording? To avoid any problems while recording, here are some general rules to follow:

Virtual Database Source

· All files to be recorded must be at least 100k in size

· Source hard disk meets min. requirements and doesn't perform a standard T-cal

· Source hard disk is completely de-fragmented

· Source hard disk should be 1.5GB or larger to be able to hold the original data and a copy of the original data in ISO file form

· Source hard disk meets min. requirements and doesn't perform a standard T-cal

· Source hard disk is completely de-fragmented

· No TSR's, screen savers, apps running in the background

· Do Not run Smartdrive

The reason an ISO file will work where the Virtual database will not is because all the files to be copied to CD are first copied into one big file. The hard disk has to make only one seek to the ISO file, and then do a continuous read through the whole file. The RCD-PC software does the job of splitting up the files into their respective directories on the CD.

LETS GET STARTED

This paper will walk you through both a Virtual & ISO File recording to a CD. This is meant to be used as a quick reference only. For detailed information on a particular piece of information refer to the RCD-PC users guide. There will be page numbers and section headings associated with each step in this sheet. You may reference these items in the manual for more detailed explanations.

Regardless of whether you are going to write using the Virtual database or the ISO File method, you should first set the CD Size, so that the RCD-PC software knows how much data to limit you to. Here is how to set the CD Size (assuming you have already launched the RCD-PC application from Windows):

1.) Click on the EDIT pull down menu.

 2.) Click on the CD Size option.

 3.) Choose one of the four options, 74-min., 63 min., 21 min., or user defined.

 4.) Click on the DEFAULT button so every time you launch the RCD-PC application, that value is automatically selected for you.

 5.) Close the dialog box.

Virtual Recording

If all your files are large and you meet all the min. system requirements then you have a good chance of writing a CD using the Virtual method.

1.) Select the Mode you wish to use from the CD-IMAGE pull-down menu. You have a choice of Mode 1 or Mode 2. This Mode selection is only available in RCD-PC V2.12E or newer. For a quick description of Mode 1 and Mode 2, skip to the end of this section.

2.) From the EDIT pull-down menu choose CD SIZE, and select the appropriate disc size.

3.) Select the files you want to put on CD from the Windows File manager. The file manager is separated into two halves. The left half is the TREE window and the right half is the DIRECTORY window. You may only select files from the DIRECTORY window. (Adding Files and Directories - Page 4-6 V2.11, Page 4-7 V2.12)

4.) Drag the selected files to the right side of the RCD-PC window and drop them. (Adding Files and Directories - Page 4-6 V2.11, Page 4-7 V2.12) If you run into a problem with illegal ISO file names then read (page 4-6 ISO 9660 File Names)

5.) Click on the REC icon in the RCD-PC toolbar. (Page 11-1 Choosing the Source)

6.) Make sure the Virtual radio button is selected and click on the OK button. (Page 11-1 Choosing the Source)

7.) Click OK in the Global Date Change dialog box. (Global Date Change - Page 12-7 V2.11, Page 12-6 V2.12)

8.) Click OK in the Volume Descriptors dialog box. (Page 12-5 Volume Descriptors)

9.) The Write dialog box is now on the screen. Leave all the default options the way they are except you choose how you want to Close the Session. You have a choice of closing as CD-ROM, CD-XA, or CD-DA. (Page 11-3 Write)

CD-ROM

This makes the disc a single session or a multisession disc. The information you record to this first session will be the only information a Standard CD-ROM reader will be able to read. If you record a multisession disc and put it in a Multisession CD-ROM reader, it will see all information on the disc. A multisession disc is seen as if you recorded all your information into one giant track, assuming you have been using the "LOAD CONTENTS" feature correctly. (Page 9-8 Load Contents)

CD-XA

This should only be used to make a multisession disc. Only close as CD-XA when using an RCD-202 using the V2.11 software, then use the Load Contents feature when adding any new tracks to the CD. (Page 9-8 Load Contents). If you are using the RCD-1000 DO NOT CLOSE ANY SESSIONS AS CD-XA unless you are using RCD-PC v2.12E and have selected Mode 2 from the CD-Image pull-down menu before dragging & dropping.

CD-DA

This makes a standard Red Book Audio disc. You must be using 44kHz, stereo, 16 bit .WAV files as the source data.

8.) After selecting how you would like to close the session, click on the TEST button. (Page 11-5 Test)

9.) The Pinnacle RCD-202 dialog will appear after a few seconds of accessing the RCD-200/202 drive. Make sure you have a writeable disc in the drive and unit status says "OK" then click on the Start button. (Page 11-5 Test)

10.) The test session should finish successfully. Click the OK button and go on to Step 11. If the test session doesn't finish successfully, the software has detected a performance problem somewhere and you must make sure you have followed the earlier instructions and precautions and TEST again. If you have followed all precautions, and you continue to fail a test, try the ISO file approach. (Page 11-5 Test)

11.) You should be back at the Write dialog box. Click on the WRITE button. (Page 11-3 Write)

12.) In a few seconds the Pinnacle RCD-202 dialog box will appear. Make sure you have a writeable disc in the drive and unit status says OK and click on the Start button. (Page 11-6 Write)

13.) When the Write session completes successfully, click on the ok button. You have just finished writing a CD.

What is the difference between a Mode 1 and Mode 2 CD sector?

A Mode 1 CD sector and a Mode 2 CD sector are very similar. The difference is, a Mode 1 sector has one extra layer of error correction in it, and a Mode 2 sector does not. Since the Mode 2 sector doesn’t have that extra layer of error correction, it has a little more room for physical data. The mode you select also determines the way you will be closing your session, here are the rules:

1.) If you are writing using Mode 1 , you must close your session as CD-ROM. (Mode 1 = CD-ROM)

2.) If you are writing using Mode 2, you must close your session as CD-XA. (Mode 2 = CD-XA)

3.) You may not mix Mode 1 and Mode 2 tracks on the same CD. You must stay consistent with the Mode you selected throughout the entire CD.

When should I use Mode 1 and when should I use Mode 2?

If you are going to write a single-session CD, meaning everything will be written to CD in one recording session, then you should use Mode 1. A Mode 1 CD is the most common type of CD on the market today, and will be the most compatible.

If you are going to write a multi-session CD, meaning you will constantly be adding information to your CD, then you should use Mode 2. Multisession can be written using mode 1, but there are still CD-ROM readers out on the market that look only for a Mode 2 CD-XA track on the disc, and if they don’t find it, they assume the CD is a single session disc and only read track 1. By recording in Mode 2 and closing as CD-XA, you create a multisession disc that is readable by all multisession CD-ROM drives.

File Recording (With an ISO file image)

First of all, recording a CD using the Real ISO image file is the same as recording virutally except you must perform an added few steps in the beginning. After these few steps that will follow, you will be referred back to the Virtual Recording area and continue from there.

1.) Just like step one of Virtual Recording you select either Mode 1 or Mode 2 from the CD-IMAGE pull-down menu. This Mode selection is only available in RCD-PC V2.12E or newer. A description of Mode 1 & Mode 2 appears at the end of the Virtual Recording section.

2.) From the EDIT pull-down menu choose CD SIZE, and select the appropriate disc size.

3.) Just like the Virtual Recording section you select the files you want to put on CD from the Windows File manager. The file manager is separated into two halves. The left half is the TREE window and the right half is the DIRECTORY window. You may only select files from the DIRECTORY window. (Adding Files and Directories - Page 4-6 V2.11, Page 4-7 V2.12)

4.) Drag the selected files to the right side of the RCD-PC window and drop them. (Adding Files and Directories - Page 4-6 V2.11, Page 4-7 V2.12). If you run into a problem with illegal ISO file names then read (ISO 9660 File Names - Page 4-6 V2.11, Page 4-7 V2.12)

5.) Either click on the toolbar icon that resembles a hard disk bezel (fourth icon over from the left), or pull down the CD-Image menu and select "Write to DOS Volume...". (Writing a Real ISO Image to Local or Networked Hard Disk - Page 4-16 V2.11, Page 4-17 V2.12)

6.) A standard SAVE-type dialog box opens. Choose the volume and directory where you wish to save the real ISO image, and give it a file name. Be sure to include the .ISO extension as it is not automatically added to the filename, then click on OK.

7.) Click OK in the Global Date Change dialog box. (Global Date Change - Page 12-7 (V2.11), Page 12-6 (V2.12). Click OK in the Volume Descriptors dialog box. (Page 12-5 Volume Descriptors)

8.) A message appears asking you if the data that you are eventually going to be writing to CD is going to be recorded on a CD that already contains data, or a CD that is completely blank. If the CD you will be recording to is blank click on the NO button. If the CD you will be recording to has some data on it already, make sure that disc is in the RCD drive and click on the YES button. This will insure that when you record your data, the RCD software will know exactly where to begin recording. (Page 4-17 V2.11, Page 4-18 V2.12)

9.) After the ISO file has been saved to hard disk you are ready to record it to CD. Click on the REC icon in the RCD-PC toolbar, and when the SOURCE dialog box appears, click on the FILE radio button under Image Source. (Page 11-1 Choosing the Source)

10.) Click on the select button that appears and select your ISO file that you just saved. Click on the OK button until you reach the WRITE dialog box. Continue from step 7 in the Virtual Recording section above.

WRITING A MULTISESSION CD

Here is an example of writing three 200MB data sessions to a CD:

1.) Write your first 200MB session by following the steps outlined above.

2.) Clear the RCD Window by clicking the CD-Image pull-down menu and selecting NEW. Be sure to click on

"NO" when it asks you if you would like to save the changes.

 3.) Refer to page 4-21(V2.1 manual), or page 5-3(V2.11, V2.12 manual), and then Load the contents of the 1st track into the RCD Window. This is the information you just finished writing from step 1.

 4.) After using the Load Contents feature, drag and drop your next group of files(200MB) into the RCD-PC window as outline in the above section and continue to record the second track to CD.

 5.) Clear the RCD-PC window again as in Step 2.

 6.) Follow Step 3 above for loading the contents again, this time loading the contents of track 2, as you only load the contents of the last track written to CD. Follow step 4 above and you will be finished writing the three sessions to CD.

READING A MULTISESSION CD

Why can’t my CD-ROM reader read the entire disc I cut?

Why does it only read the first session?

Did I do something wrong when I cut the disc?

The most popular multisession problem & solutions

Human Error

CD-ROM Reader Incompatibility

CREATING AUDIO CD's

To make a Red Book Standard audio CD, the RCD-PC software must use WAV files. Each WAV file will be a separate audio track on the final audio pre-master CD that you create. Once you have created all your WAV files, you need to open a CD-DA Cue Sheet, put the WAV files in the Cue Sheet, save it, and record it to CD. The following step by step guide will walk you through this procedure:

How do I get the .WAV files on hard disk to begin with?

Depending on the audio Source you have at least two different ways of getting the audio tracks on your hard disk in the form of a WAV file: Sound Board, or the computers data bus(SCSI or IDE).

Sound Board

If your audio source is from a DAT, Reel to Reel, Cassette tape, Record Player, Video Tape, etc., then you will need a Sound Board to digitize the information on to hard disk. There are different types of soundboards depending on the quality of the audio you wish to achieve. Some soundboards have digital inputs for devices that have digital outputs, therefore allowing for no loss in signal. Most sound boards however only have analog inputs, where you could end up losing the quality sound.

SCSI Bus

If your source audio is coming from a pre-existing audio CD, then things become a little easier, but not necessarily any less expensive. Recording WAV files from pre-existing CD’s requires a CD-ROM reader that can read audio tracks as data (Which the RCD-1000 cannot do at this time), and an application that takes advantage of this feature. For example, there is an application on the market called Disc to Disk by Optical Media International which allows you to do just this. This application supports a variety of CD-ROM readers and allows you to grab individual audio tracks from any audio CD and save it to your hard disk as a 44.1k, Stereo, 16-bit WAV file. This is exactly what RCD-PC needs in order to create an audio CD. Optical Media International can be reached at (800) 347-2664, ask for Dawn Bradley.

Writing Only Audio

Now that you know what is needed to get the audio onto your hard disk, lets take you through the recording process.

Example 1: Using pre-recorded WAV files. These files could be small sound files, or each WAV file could be a full-length song. This is how it is done:

1. If each WAV file has been recorded as a 44kHz 16bit Stereo sound file then continue to step 3. Otherwise if some or all of the WAV files are not in 44kHz, 16bit, stereo then go on to step 2.

2. Converting the WAV files to 44.1k, Stereo, 16-bits

a.) Launch Windows

b.) Double Click on the RCD-PC Group

c.) Double Click on the Wave Editor icon

d.) Click on the NEW LIST button in the Wave Editor dialogue box

 e.) Click on the ADD button.

 f.) Type in the filename of one of the WAV files to be converted and click on the OK button or hit the

 ENTER key. IMPORTANT: Only pick ONE WAV file to be converted

 g.) Now your back in the Wave Editor dialogue box. Click the 44 KHz s 16... button and the software will bring up a dialogue box to name the converted file. You will probably want to name it something other than the original name so you don't overwrite the original file. Make sure the filename ends with the .WAV extension, then click the OK button or hit the ENTER key.

 During the conversion all the buttons will be shaded except the cancel button for cancelling the procedure.

 h.) To convert another file, first click on the REMOVE button to remove that file from the list and start from the beginning of step 2.

 3. To set up a Cue Sheet:

 a.) Launch Windows

 b.) Double click on the RCD-PC Group

 c.) Double click on the RCD-PC Icon which resembles a CD

 d.) Click on the EDIT pull down menu and choose CUE SHEET

 e.) In the Cue Sheet Dialog click on the FILE pull down menu and select NEW

 f.) In the Session Type dialog click on the CD-DA radio button, & click on OK.

 *(Click on CD-ROM for Mixed Mode CD’s, and drag your ISO file in to the Cue Sheet first. See Mixed Mode section below.)

 g.) Drag and drop your 44.1KHz, stereo, 16bit Wav files into the left side of the Cue Sheet dialog box.

 h.) When your done dragging all your Wav files, click on the FILE pull down menu, select the SAVE option, and choose your Cue Sheet filename. Remember to include the .CUE extension on the filename.

 4. Recording your Cue Sheet:

 a.) From the RCD-PC dialog click on the REC icon.

 b.) From the Source dialog choose Cue Sheet as the Image Source then click on the Select button and select the Cue Sheet file you just saved. Click the OK button.

 c.) From the Write dialog make sure the following boxes are checked / unchecked:

 Write Data (Checked)

 Verify Data (Unchecked - you can't verify audio data)

 Close Session As (Checked)

 Finalize Disc (Unchecked)

 Progress Meter (Optional)

 Copy Permitted (Optional)

 d.) Make sure the following information is also displayed somewhere in the Write dialog box:

 The box underneath Close Session As should be displaying CD-DA.

 *(CD-ROM for Mixed Mode. See Mixed Mode section below)

 Under Table of Contents your Cue Sheet Wav files should be shown. Under the list of Wav files should be a box displaying Audio (2352). *(Mode 1(2048) for Mixed Mode if the ISO file is selected in the TOC, Audio (2352) if any of the WAV files are selected in the TOC. See Mixed Mode below)

 e.) Click on the Test button to test and see if your system is capable of transferring the data fast enough without interruption. (Keep in mind that most computer configurations are not going to allow audio recording at 2x).

 f.) If the Test Session completes successfully click on OK and then click on the Write button and proceed to write the audio CD.

 g.) When the write session is complete you will have a Red Book Standard audio CD.

 Writing Mixed Mode

 A mixed mode CD is one with a single data track, and one or more audio tracks. The first track must consist of an ISO file, which you would create prior to editing your Cue Sheet. To make a mixed mode CD, you would follow the same steps as stated above in the audio example except for a few minor changes.

· In Step 3F above instead of opening the Cue Sheet as CD-DA, you would open as CD-ROM

· Drag your ISO file (created earlier) into the Cue Sheet first, before any WAV files.

· In Step 4D above, instead of seeing CD-DA under Close Session As, you would see CD-ROM

· Under the TOC you will see either Mode 1(2048) if the ISO file is highlighted or Audio (2352) if any of the WAV files are highlighted

PLAYING AUDIO CD’s

RCD-200/202 with JBBL firmware / RCD-1000

Use the Adaptec CD-Player utility for Windows to play audio CD's through the RCD drive. Use the following steps to set up your system correctly to be able to use this utility:

1.) Load the ASPICD.SYS driver in your config.sys file.

[ In the config.sys add this line ]

Device=C:\SCSI\ASPICD.SYS /D:ASPICD0

[In the Autoexec.bat file add the same /D:ASPICD0 name]

C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE /D:RCDSIM01 /D:CDWO /D:ASPICD0

Note that the driver ASPICD0 gets assigned a drive letter at boot up. Also note in this example that the ASPICD0 drive name(ASPICD0) is loaded last, following RCDSIM01 & CDWO, so it is recognized as the third device in this example. This is important to remember for later.

2.) Launch Windows.

3.) Open the Windows Control Panel, then open the Drivers icon. If you see the driver [MCI] CD Audio as an installed device continue on to step 4, otherwise click on the install button and install that device(you will need your Windows installation disks for this). Go to step 5.

4.) Double click on the driver [MCI] CD Audio.

5.) In the MCI Redbook CD Audio Setup dialog you will see three devices to select from, device number 0, 1, and 2. Select drive number 2, the last of the three devices since ASPICD0 loaded last in the MSCDEX line in the example autoexec.bat file, then click the OK button.

6.) Close the MCI Redbook CD Audio Setup dialog.

7.) Open the Adaptec SCSI icon, double click on the CD Player utility, and proceed to play CD's.

RCD-200/202 with IBBK firmware

With the IBBK firmware drive you MUST use our pre-historic CD player utility called PLAYRCD. There is absolutely no functionality with this software. You simply put the audio CD in the drive and run PLAYRCD N, where N stands for the Track number you want to start with. It plays from the track specified to the end of the disc. No other functions.

The Playrcd utility can be downloaded from our BBS: (714) 789-3048 & (714)789-3110

Settings: 8 data bits, No parity, 1 stop bit, 2400-14,400 baud, Filename: IBBKPLAY.EXE

How do I tell which firmware revision I have?

RCD-PC V2.0 OR V2.01 USERS:

Launch the RCD-PC application and click on the Pinnacle INFO button:

If the command revision is ' I ', then you have IBBK firmware. If the command revision is ' J ', then you have JBBL firmware.

RCD-PC V2.1, V2.11, V2.12 USERS:

Launch the RCD-PC application and click on the icon in the toolbar which resembles a yellow baggage tag:

The sets revision will tell you whether you own IBBK or JBBL firmware.

UNDOCUMENTED/POORLY DOCUMENTED ERRORS EXPLAINED

Servo Tracking Error

Description:

The laser has skipped off the CD track during recording. Each recordable CD already contains a track spiraling from the center of the disc all the way to the outside edge. The laser follows this track during recording and if for some reason the laser moves away from the track, the above error message will be displayed.

Causes:

There are three major causes of a Servo Tracking Error: Media, Dust, & Heat.

Media: Once in a while you may come across a bad piece of media, (1 of 20, or 1 of 50), that will cause a Servo Tracking Error. There really isn’t any way to tell, by visually inspecting the media, whether or not it will produce a Servo Tracking Error. You should, however, check to make sure there are no scratches on either side of the disc before recording. Surprisingly to most users, the worst place for a scratch to be is on the label side of the media, not the recordable side. If there is a scratch through the gold "label" side of the disc, you will definitely see a Servo Tracking Error. Always run a TEST before recording, as a TEST will give you a Servo Tracking Error in most cases if the media is bad.

Dust: If you happen to leave a recordable disc laying around, outside its jewel case, it WILL collect dust. Yes, a single piece of dust can cause a servo tracking error during recording. A TEST may not warn you of a servo tracking error caused by dust, as the dust could re-position itself before recording, thus causing the problem during recording. Always keep the disc in its jewel case or the caddie. If the disc appears dusty, use a CD-ROM cleaning kit to clean it, or wipe the recordable side with a lint-free non-abrasive cloth before recording.

Heat: If the RCD-1000 drive is in an unusually hot environment, or if the fan stops spinning on the external chassis causing the drive to heat up, a servo tracking error may occur. The RCD-1000 drive should never be warm to the touch. If the RCD-1000 is mounted in its external chassis, make sure the fan is working by listening and by feel. If the fan is making a strange sound, it may not be spinning correctly. The fan blows air into the mechanism, not out the back, so you will not feel a rush of air against your hand. You will feel slight air movement through the air vents on the back of the drive. If the fan seems to be the problem, contact technical support so they may issue an RMA for repair of the RCD-1000 drive.

If Media, Dust, and Heat have been ruled out, and you continue to be plagued by Servo Tracking Errors, then fill out the Troubleshooting data form located in your manual or in this document, and contact technical support for further troubleshooting.

Uncorrectable Data Error (Mode 1, Mode 2)

Description:

The RCD-1000 drive detected a problem reading the data on your CD. The drive expected to be reading a CD recorded in Mode 1 and read an area of the disc that was something other than Mode 1, or the drive expected to be reading a CD recorded in Mode 2 and read an area of the disc that was something other than Mode 2.

Causes:

There are two very common causes and one known incompatibility that will produce this error. The two most common causes of this error are user related. Either the user recorded a multisession CD, and wrote both Mode 1 & Mode 2 tracks to the disc, or closed the session incorrectly. The known incompatibility has to do with the SCSI host adapter being used. If the user attaches an unsupported SCSI host adapter, then he/she may see this error while loading the contents of the first track recorded to CD.

Multisession: You may not record both Mode 1 and Mode 2 tracks to the same CD. You must consistently record the same type of track to the CD once you have started. Mode selection is done in the CD-Image pull-down menu in the RCD-PC application window.

Closing the Session: Once you have selected the mode, you must make sure you close the session correctly also. Rule number one is, if you are recording in Mode 1, you must close your session as CD-ROM.

Rule number two is, if you are recording in Mode 2, you must close your session as CD-XA.

Incompatibility: Two known SCSI adapters that will produce this error are the Adaptec AHA-1640 & the AHA-1740. The incompatiblity seems to have more to do with the Aspi Manager than the card itself.

No Write Data (buffer underrun)

Description:

The data buffer on the RCD drive emptied onto the CD faster than it could be refilled by the system.

Causes (Hardware):

The most popular hardware issue is the hard drive, but the speed of the computer also plays an important role.

Hard Drive:

Speed - Our minimum system requirements for the Hard Drive are as follows: 12ms avg. access time, and 1 MB /second sustained data throughput. If your hard drive does not perform to these specifications, it may not be fast enough to keep the buffer full on the RCD drive.

Recalibration - Hard drive recalibration is another factor involved in stopping data from flowing to the RCD drive buffer during recording. Most hard drives still perform a recalibration of the heads to the drive platters, to compensate for the platter expansion & contraction due to the changes in temperature inside the drive. Some of the best SCSI & IDE hard drives, that are made for real time applications such as recording to CD, have an intelligent recalibration which does not recalibrate as long as the drive is in use.

Fragmentation - If the hard drive has to grab information that is fragmented all over the disk, then obviously it is going to take longer to grab the data, thus adding to the possibility of receiving a buffer underrun error. Always defragment the hard drive before recording.

Computer:

Speed - Our minimum system requirement with respect to the microprocessor is a 386-DX33 or better. If you are using a system that does not perform as well as a 386-33, this may contribute to buffer underruns.

Memory (RAM) - The minimum requirement for system board RAM is 4MB.

 Causes (Software):

 Software can also contribute to Buffer Underrun errors. Memory resident utilities, screen savers, network messages, and aplpications running in the background can all play a part in ruining a disc. Smartdrive is a concern when recording ISO files, or just extreemly large files in general to CD.

 Memory Resident Utilities, Screen Savers, Network Messages:

You should avoid using any memory resident utilities that load during start up of your computer system, when recording to CD. Anything that takes processing time away from the task of recording can potentially cause enough of a slow down to allow the RCD-1000 buffer to empty onto the CD faster that it can be filled.

If a screen saver pops on during recording, depending on the speed you are recording at and the complexity of the screen saver, it may slow the system down enough to cause a buffer underrun. A network message can do the same thing.

Do not run any Windows applications in the background while recording to CD. These applications may use processing time, even when they are in the background, thus giving the potential for buffer underruns.

Smartdrive:

Smartdrive can also contribute to buffer underruns, depending on how you will be recording to CD. The situations where you need to be concerned with whether or not you should have Smartdrive enabled are as follows:

ISO File Recording - If your Image Source for recording is an ISO file, you should have Smartdrive disabled. Smartdrive is great when used to access many files at a time, but when running in an environment where the hard drive opens and reads one ISO file, it becomes extra overhead in the system. NOTE: Do not disable Smartdrive until you are ready to record the ISO file to the CD. It will seem like it takes decades to create the ISO file to hard disk if smartdrive is diabled during this process.

Virtual Recording - If your Image Source for recording is VIRTUAL, and the data to be recorded to CD is made up of all different sizes of files( 2 bytes-5MB), then smartdrive should be enabled. This type of situation is ideal for smartdrive.

Virtual Recording - If your Image Source for recording is VIRTUAL, and the data to be recorded to CD is made up of all extreemly large files (>20MB each), then smartdrive should be disabled during during recording.

Que Sheet Recording - If you are writing full length audio tracks to CD through a Cue Sheet, smartdrive should be disabled.

Bottom Line: When recording extreemly large files, disable smartdrive during recording. When writing all different sized files to CD, enable smartdrive.