ISO, BIN and MDS files - please explain.

[Uncle Buck]

I am new to this Forum, so go easy on me.

 

I recently decided to back up my old VHS footage to DVD-R’s using a DVD Recorder. This was working great – I just used the Ez Mode Picker to ‘Create image file from disc’ and hey – presto, a .ISO file was created. I could then use the same interface to ‘Write image file to disc’ and create as many copies as I needed. This was done using Version 2.4.4.0. I now had a good electronic backup of my videos.

 

Midway through the production process I upgraded to Version 2.5.5.0 and the first comment I got when creating an image was “That I was trying to catch Yoda out” in some way (I would never try to do that to a Jedi) and instead a .BIN was created with an associated .MDS file. This happened a couple of times. As I had installed the new version over the old one, I uninstalled and re-loaded 2.5.5.0 and now get .ISO files - which is what I requested as the destination format - but still get an associated .MDS file with each .ISO image. These .MDS files all seem to be 4.21KB (8.0KB on disc). If I right click on both the .ISO and the .MDS files, the first option is to ‘BURN USING IMGBURN’, but with the BIN files only ‘PLAY’ is optioned.

 

Could someone please enlighten me to the exact purpose of the MDS files, is it like a project file and can I just burn the ISO file to disc without it?

[LIGHTNING UK!]

If you got the yoda message reading a DVD, you should use Build mode to make a new image from the disc (just point it at the drive letter) rather than using Read mode to do a sector by sector copy. You got that message because it's a multisession disc - avoid those if you can.

 

As for the whole MDS/ISO/BIN thing, it's been covered loads of times - i.e. here -> http://forum.imgburn.com/index.php?showtopic=17662&view=findpost&p=130711

[Uncle Buck]

Thanks for the prompt reply Lightning UK. Regarding the multisession/BIN issue: the DVD was not taken out of the DVDR at anytime and files added to before finalising - but I might have used the PAUSE function as a crude edit, which might have made it a multisession?

 

I've trawled through other posts and only found a few about MDS files. From what I've read, the MDS is really important with DL discs, but not needed for single layer - to do with layer break smoothness. What about DVD+R discs - although not dual layer, I've read they do burn at different levels - unlike DVD-R - or am I talking rubbish?

 

From what version was .MDS funtionality implemented, as I never came across it in my older version.

 

Many thanks.

[LIGHTNING UK!]

I don't think you need to have done anything special to get a standalone recorder to make a multisession/track disc, they just seem to do it sometimes. You can check the disc layout by switching to Read mode and looking at the disc info in the box on the right.

 

MDS support has been in the program since day 1.

 

By default and when the option is left on 'Auto', it'll only make an MDS when certain criteria are met...

 

1. The file has been split into multiple pieces (either due to the file splitting option or FAT32 limitations.

2. The source disc was a double layer DVD.

3. The source disc is

4. The source disc was

[Uncle Buck]

Many thanks Lightning, for your help and a great product.