When I format an 80 min cd-rw w/directCD i only have 571 megs availible. What's with that?

[wctkdman]

Can somebody explain to me why there are 229 megs lost?

[Mordred]

Because of the file system:(
If you want to use your 80 min RW full size don't format it and just use it like regular CD R with option copy CD. When you want to erase it use full erase....

[Wolf87]

Direct CD-uses fixed size packet-writing (OSTA's UDF format) to write to CD-RW so as to allow random erasure of files. The overhead is tremendous to also account for sparing and marking of bad sectors: around 125 MB. "Sparing" means note is taken for writing is each time to a different sector of the CD-RW so as to avoid damaging it excessively in the same sectors and preserving 1000 uses and full erasures of the disc. An 80 min disc is equivalent to 700 megs so your loss of 129 megs due to formatting was not unusual. The writing is also very slow: 2X-5X times a diskette but most of it occurs in the background, hidden by multitasking. However should the computer be stopped or the disc prematurely removed data loss occurs. Direct CD formatting of CD-R is fast (variable length packet-writing that cannot be erased) and so is the writing but still slower than usual creation of a data CD in ISO 9660 format.

When an UDF formatted disc is absolutely needed, it is safer, faster and more adviseable to create a UDF or UDF bridge disc using the program Nero Burning Rom.

Mariposa's FAQ: http://users.forthnet.gr/ath/axatis/FAQs/CDR/Basics/packet.htm#cdr-cdrw