Norton Ghost 2003 compatibility with CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD drives

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Norton Ghost 2003 compatibility with CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD drives

Situation:
Norton Ghost 2003 can save image files directly to most CD-R (Recordable), CD-RW (ReWritable), and DVD drives. This document explains what drives are considered compatible with Norton Ghost 2003.

Additional compatibility information and references can be found under Technical Information.

Solution:
In general, Ghost is meant to work with all current and newly released drives. If you find that Ghost does not work with your particular CD-R, CD-RW or DVD, follow the steps in the document How to troubleshoot problems writing to CD-R and CD-RW drives.

Technical Information:
About drive names
Many computer manufacturers such as Dell, Compaq, IBM, Gateway, and Hewlett-Packard ship some or all of their computers with CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD drives that were made by another company. Such drives are listed under the name of the drive's manufacturer, rather than under the name of the computer manufacturer. To find the drive manufacturer and the model number, consult your computer's documentation.

Alternatively, find the drive Inquiry String by using the steps in the "Identifying your drive" section. The Inquiry String can be used to determine whether the drive is listed in one of the tables.

Identifying your drive
To identify the drive that is installed in your system, follow the appropriate directions below, then look through the drive lists for the matching Inquiry String.

To identify the drive for Windows 98/Me

Click Start > Settings > Control Panel.
Double-click System. This opens the System Properties dialog box.
Click Device Manager.
Double-click DVD/CD-ROM drives. This displays the list of installed CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD drives. Each entry listed is the Inquiry String for the drive.

To identify the drive for Windows XP/2000

Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
Click the Hardware tab.
Click Device Manager.
Double-click CD-ROM. This displays the list of installed CD-R, CD-RW, and DVD drives. Each entry listed is the Inquiry String for the drive.

DVD compatibility notes

Ghost only supports DVD -R/RW and DVD +R/RW media. Ghost does not support DVD-RAM.
Some DVD drives are sensitive to the type of media. If a cloning operation fails, repeat the operation with a different brand or type of DVD disc. For more information, consult the documentation that accompanied your DVD drive. Some DVD manufacturers include a list of recommended disc media.
In most cases, only a DVD+ RW device can write files, including image files, to a DVD+ RW disc, and only a DVD- RW device can write files, including image files, to a DVD- RW disc.
- Ghost does not support writing image files from other DVD drives to DVD+ RW, DVD- RW, DVD+R, or DVD-R discs.
- Ghost does not support writing image files from DVD+ RW or DVD- RW drives to discs that are not DVD+ RW, DVD- RW, DVD+R, or DVD-R.

Compatibility with CD-R/RW discs

Ghost is compatible with both CD-R and CD-RW discs.
Do not format the CD-RW disc before writing to it with Ghost. Ghost will not write to a CD-RW disc that already has a file system or data on it.
If you want to re-use a CD-RW disc (that is, save a new image file that replaces the old image file), first use the CD's utility software to wipe the disc. Remove all data and all formatting information. With some CD utilities this procedure is called a "deep erase" or a "physical erase."

Compatibility with other storage devices

These lists do not include external USB devices, as compatibility is based on the USB connection, and not the drive itself. For additional information, read the document Ghost compatibility with external USB devices.
These lists do not include devices that attach via a FireWire connection, as such connections depends on the FireWire standard that you use. For additional information, read the document Ghost compatibility with external FireWire devices.
For information related to compatibility with other storage devices, hardware, operating systems, or other versions of Ghost, see the document Ghost compatibility.
Ghost is not compatible with CD-R/RW drives attached to parallel ports. See the document Ghost compatibility with parallel port devices.

Other ways to save images to CD-R/RW drives
If Ghost cannot successfully save an image file directly to your CD-R or CD-RW device, you can save the file to a hard disk, and then copy the file to a CD. For a discussion of this topic, see the documents: Burning a Ghost Image to a CD, How to Split an Image File, and How to save a large image file onto separate CD-ROMs.

Performing a restore over a FireWire or USB connection
Note that with FireWire or USB connections, Ghost cannot perform a Restore operation from a DVD or CD drive when you use the Ghost Basic Restore option in the Ghost interface in Windows. To restore an image from a DVD or CD drive over a FireWire or USB connection, choose the options "Ghost Advanced" and then "Run Ghost Interactively." For more information on the problem, see the document Error: "Symantec Ghost could not find the image file on the CD/DVD" when restoring an image.

Tested Drives

Note: The drives listed in this section have been tested with Ghost and proven to function correctly. This list is not an all-inclusive list of compatible drives. Instead, it is a list of those drives that were identified as problem drives by Ghost technical support. These drives were tested, and Ghost was updated to work with all of them. If your drive does not appear on this list, it does not mean that the drive will not work with Ghost.

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Tested DVD drives

Tested CD-R and CD-RW drives

References:
For more information on saving image files directly to CD-R/RW drives, see the following documents:

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Document ID: 2002030414141625
Last Modified: 03/01/2005
Date Created: 03/04/2002
Operating System(s): DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP
Product(s): Norton Ghost 2003