Burn image on multiple drives

[steadi]

Hello everybody, I'm a long time ImgBurn user, but my first topic here. 

 

starting from here, a very old thread

http://forum.imgburn.com/index.php?showtopic=2022

 

I have a intel i7 2600Mhz based PC (year 2011) with 8 GB RAM, SSD system drive + 2 HDD 7200 rpm, and 3 optical drives.

I sometimes have the necessity to burn 50-100 copies of the same DVD-video ISO.

 

In the past (when I had only 2 burners) I used 2 ImgBurn instances simultaneously opened, with 2 ISO images on 2 different hard drives, with good results.

 

Now with 3 optical drives... I tried to use Nero for this, but burning time for 3 simultaneous DVD at 8x is about 12 mins (instead of 8 mins as 1 only DVD): results are good but I would like to save time, if possible, and to use ImgBurn that I prefer.

 

I would ask if you suggest me to use ImgBurn with 3 instances simultaneously opened, and eventually the best and affidable way to do it (create 3 copies of ISO image on 3 different HDD? or only one and put it on SSD), without stress too much the PC and HDD drives.

 

Thanks for your answer

[LIGHTNING UK!]

This is probably where an autoloader would come in handy. I have a couple and used them when I was having to produce similar sized runs of school production dvds for parents.

 

Using existing hardware though, I've never actually tried burning to multiple drives from an ssd. If it can handle it, and you'll know if it can because the buffer levels will be ok, you're fine to just open 3 instances and burn to 3 different drives.

 

So really, just use as many ssd/hdd and copies of the ISO as required to reliably burn to 3 optical drives at the same time.

[steadi]

This is probably where an autoloader would come in handy. I have a couple and used them when I was having to produce similar sized runs of school production dvds for parents.

 

Using existing hardware though, I've never actually tried burning to multiple drives from an ssd. If it can handle it, and you'll know if it can because the buffer levels will be ok, you're fine to just open 3 instances and burn to 3 different drives.

 

So really, just use as many ssd/hdd and copies of the ISO as required to reliably burn to 3 optical drives at the same time.

thanks for your answer.. i know autoloader, my colleague buyed one, but I don't have so often this necessity to buy one.

 

Nero, which as you know offers multi-burning from a single ISO, actually works in this way:

- 3 optical drives, (On Nero software they figure connected as 2 serial ATA and 1 ATAPI, but I know all is connected by serial ata on my motherboard)

- burning a single ISO from one non-system HDD drive

I tried to put also ISO in SSD windows-system but no increase of performance in burning time, and in this way it seems to me not to fill buffer efficacely at the same way (as i can see empirically on nero software indicators).

 

I have to say that rarely Nero fails burning, but it takes about 12 minutes to burn at 8x (I want however not to go over this velocity).

 

So to clarify your suggestion: in case of using 3 istances of ImgBurn simultaneously, do I have to put 3 copies of the ISO on 3 different hard disks? Are they to be in a particular connection on motherboard in respect of optical drives?

 

And last thing: with this configuration in your opinion will I be able to burn 3 DVDs in 8 minutes or only a test will clarify this?

 

my fear is that, unlike a single software that controls the 3 burnings, instead 3 indipendent instances of imgburn can create peaks of data exchanges between the devices, that may fail the burning.... what do you think?

 

thanks a lot for the support!

[LIGHTNING UK!]

It's going to be trial and error.

 

Put the ISO on an SSD and open 3 instances of the program.

 

Start #1 going.

Start #2 going.

Check the buffer levels in both instances... say when the 2nd reaches 20% done or something... do they look ok?

Start #3 going.

Check the buffer levels in all three instances... say when the 3rd reaches 20% complete or something... do they look ok?

 

If the buffers are full, you're fine to always work with burning a single iso from the ssd on 3 drives at the same time.

 

Even if the buffer levels do drop off, it won't break the burn. Drives can handle that type of thing just fine these days.

 

If the buffers stay full and 1 would normally burn in 8 mins, yeah all three will burn in 8 mins.

 

As for the SATA connections, if the controllers they're attached to are compatible with optical drives (lots of 3rd party addon type ones aren't), you'll be fine. Even SATA 1 can easily cope with the throughput required for burning the fastest BD media currently available, so there's definitely no issue with DVD.

[steadi]

thanks for your reply!

so, I tried as you suggested

 

- started #1, waited until 20% completed (always 100% buffer and device buffer)

- started #2, waited until 20% completed (always 100% buffer and 98/100% device buffer)

- started #3, buffer always at 100% and device buffer continuously variating beetween 86 and 100%, even when #1 and #2 yet successfully completed burning 

 

#1 burned in 7'39"

#2 in 8'08"

#3 in 7'45"

 

as you see in attachment

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d9dbkr1kv0pwqi3/burning.jpg?dl=0

so mission completed, I think...? and I will save time :-)

Edited July 20, 2018 by steadi

[steadi]

just to know, now I'm had this error:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/j64vcxat7n051oo/error.jpg?dl=0

 

 

After a few minutes nothing happened so I aborted the operation, I said NO to "try to close disc", re-started the burning and now it goes.

 

something similar problem (power issue) happened only today on this burner also with nero...what type of problem is this? 

thanks

Edited July 20, 2018 by steadi

[LIGHTNING UK!]

It seems your drive has an issue with the media you’re using. That’s normally a decent MID, so perhaps the drive is at fault... especially if the other two drives are fine with them.