How to *only* erase CDRs from command line?

[doctorfrog]

I just want to create a shortcut that tells ImgBurn to open, erase the CDR if present, and exit. Currently, the menu option to erase is located four levels deep in the menus. (Tools > Drive > Erase Disc > Quick).

 

I've tried the various command line options outlined in the Readme, with no luck. The /ERASE function appears to set the option to erase the CDR, not direct the drive to actually perform the erase. It next expects an image to burn. Is it possible to conveniently use ImgBurn to bulk-erase CDRs?

[LIGHTNING UK!]

Erase is a sub function of the writing modes. There's no way to make it run on its own (via the /erase cli switch I mean) - and there won't ever be unless I actually make an 'Erase' mode (which is quite likely).

 

Btw, you can right click the drive selection box for direct access to that same 'Drive' menu.

 

Why would you need to 'just' erase a disc anyway? So you can put it away in the CD case all nice a 'clean' again?! To me anyway, it just makes more sense to erase a rewritable before you're about to write something else to it.

[doctorfrog]

Thanks for your reply, Lightning UK.

 

Well, first, for general use, it may be useful to have ImgBurn as a bulk eraser if you need to blank out a bunch of rewritables without burning images onto them. You may wish to do this because you prefer to use a different program for mastering CD's, or for security reasons, say for erasing backups of sensitive data.

 

If you want my specific use case, it is a little complicated. I burn mp3 CD-RW's using iTunes, which then play in my DVD player, which can play mp3's. That way, I can listen to a random, custom mix of music on my nice stereo system instead of my PC speakers. This may sound a little far-fetched, but is actually a decent way to get a mix of music onto a big stereo without connecting a computer to it. It has totally changed the way I listen to music.

 

After I'm done, I must manually erase the CD before putting new music onto it, because the good folks at Apple have not built this functionality into iTunes. Since iTunes does a magnificent job of creating dynamically-generated playlists and burning them to CD, I'd prefer to keep this software in spite of its minor limitations.

 

In other words, I use ImgBurn to only erase CD's because I prefer to use another program for mastering blank ones. (In this scenario, anyway. I also use ImgBurn for other things.)

 

I understand that this is a limited use case, and I want you to know that whether or not you can help me with this, I do appreciate your time and effort in creating an impressive and well-written piece of software.