IBM / Lenovo provided burning software

[Homer1987]

Hi.

For my T43 and T42 I was looking to a no cost option for a burning solution.

Both systems are clean install of XP and do not have a recovery partition so anything that was origially included is no longer available.

Searching the Lenovo site I found "Multimedia Center for Think Offerings", dated 6/30/08.

Seems to work ok.

Was wondering if anyone had found anything on the IBM/Lenovo site that was newer or better?

Thanks, Kirk

[Harryc]

I installed Roxio Creator Small Business Edition on my R500. It was a download from Lenovo. I don't know if it will install on a T42.
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 72359.html

[RealBlackStuff]

That's a crazy size download!
Just get the smaller freeware programs, like CDBurnerXP for CD/DVD burning and VLC or GOM-Player for DVD playback.

[keithsketchley]

Multimedia Centre for Think Offerings - evaluation

Bundled with the Lenovo 41N5629 PN/ 41N5630 FRU external DVD recording drive, its core software appears to be version 9.06 of Roxio/Sonic RecordNow, looking just like RecordNow8Premium and called RecordNow in some installation steps plus the icon it places on the Windows desktop. It includes dual layer and Lightscribe capability.

The bundled CD also has WinDVD 5.011 (which can also be downloaded from Lenovo) and WinDVDCreator 3.01 editing software, plus UDF Reader 9.05 (to provide readability on other computers), all optional installations. I did not try them. (RecordNow itself, with DLA, can be downloaded from Lenovo as basic plus large upgrade, but is an earlier version (while Lenovo’s module version numbering is different from the bundled CD, the telling factor is vintage of the “PX engine”).)

Despite the hype of its name it is a disappointing piece of software, really just a small upgrade of RecordNow with its old limitations but new defects. You may need to purchase something better for volume work or ensured readability by many recipients. (I have not used Windows’ DVD recording feature, only its confusing CD recording feature in XP.)

[keithsketchley]

It works, including for DL, but has apparent defects:
- to recognize the drive the software must be installed from that drive, whereas v8 recognizes new drives automatically.
- DLA cannot be omitted from the installation (perhaps can be removed using Windows Control Panel Add/Remove Programs feature – DLA type software (aka “drag and drop”) has a reputation for messing up Windows Explorer)
- slowness in refreshing the list after folders are added is much worse than it is in version 8 (I think the software is working in the background without telling the user it is).
- may omit much of some folders from the recording (the space remaining display does show the reduced quantity of data). Initial testing indicates it does not cope with saved html files (which have separate text and graphics files, the latter in a directory, a warning message is displayed). I have not seen that with version 8, which doesn’t necessarily mean it is better, v9 may be doing the right thing for compatibility with readers. Another cause may be doing something before processing of adding a folder is finished (adding another folder or selecting a different drive may stop adding files from the source folder). You have to wait until the folder shows in the list and check the estimate of space remaining against expected size of data. I’ved ruled out number of files, number of levels of sub-directories, format ISO versus ISO+Joliet (an extended version of ISO format, it allows 106 character file names which all mine are at or below) and ISO level 2 (which includes further extension to 212 character name length) as causes of that.
- It also has a problem with number of levels of sub-directories, saying files cannot be found.

[keithsketchley]

... continued
- Another defect is that removing a folder from the list to be recorded does not always remove its contents from the project memory, you have to start a new project. Version 8 does not have that problem. (The symptom is that its checking of files before recording flags files that were already corrected - typically name to long or containing unacceptable character.) Yet v9 does not retain selection of the last drive used if more than one is available.

Some actions seem to be blocked until the software finishes doing something, a subtle reddish shading of the command button may be a clue that the command was recognized, but some critical cases are not blocked.

The installation menu resulting from autorun of the CD is more useable than average for software CDs, offering a look at documentation before installation (and providing Acrobat Reader 7.0 if needed). Be advised that the “Notices” for WinDVD and Direct X link also provides information on o/s compatibility and other limitations including when the power brick is needed. The offer to register RecordNow works the same as it does with version 8.
Note that installation of RecordNow 8 Premium or RecordNow 9 does not delete/uninstall a previous version – they appear to co-exist, at least if only one is opened at a time, but the older is of course superfluous.

BTW, Roxio’s web site has information on which vintages of their software can record double-layer, seemingly going back to v6 or earlier, but that may depend on whether you have OEM, basic or deluxe – the IBM-bundled v7 I have does not, the Premium v8 upgrade I purchased does.

[keithsketchley]

General comment on CD/DVD recording:
There are many traps, some of them detailed in my old messy web pages http://www.keithsketchley.com/cdinfo.htm and http://www.keithsketchley.com/dvdinfo.htm, some inherent to the nature of CD/DVD formats not specific software. For example, I’ve encountered “file cannot be found” error message caused by unusual characters in the file name but not flagged by RecordNow as such.

And file managers like Windows Explorer have problems, perhaps some coming from defects in software that worms itself into it (as DLA must, but Acrobat and ESET should not). As I write this I had an error message when copying some files to a USB memory stick, to the effect that the path of a specific file is too deep. But that file is in the root of the directory being copied from, the actual problem appeared to be lockup of the memory stick during copying of that file which was corrupted on the stick, I don’t know why as I copied it successfully later and checked OK for virus.

Software goes backward too – v8 and 9 cannot add multiple folders at once, whereas v7 could. (v8 and 9 can add multiple files by the usual SHIFT+CLICK Windows convention, but not folders – v7 has a single Add command whereas v7 and 9 separate files and folder Add commands and programmed them differently. Duh? (I know, each command may have been written by different people though you’d think they would have copied the code from v7).