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Plextor PLEXTOOLSPRO Reference Manual

Summary of PLEXTOOLSPRO

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    Software for dvd and cd-r/cd-rw drives april 2003 plextools® professional reference guide.

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    Plextor reserves the right to make improvements in the products described in this manual at any time without prior notice. Plextor makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents hereof and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particu...

  • Page 3: Table of Contents

    Plextools professional reference guide iii table of contents 1. System requirements ...................................................................................... 1 2. Installing plextools professional.................................................................... 3 3. Getting started.....

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    Table of contents iv plextools professional reference guide entering cd text ........................................................................................... 45 making a disc copy ...................................................................................... 46 changing preference...

  • Page 5: 1. System Requirements

    Plextools professional reference guide 1 1. System requirements plextools® professional software runs independently and requires that your system is properly set up and fully functioning. System requirements: • ibm compatible personal computer, preferably pentium ii or higher. • microsoft windows 95...

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    Section 1. System requirements 2 plextools professional reference guide this page intentionally left blank..

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    Plextools professional reference guide 3 2. Installing plextools professional the latest version of plextools professional is shipped on the cd-rom included with your plexwriter premium. Updates will be made available on the plextor web site at: http://www.Plextor.Be to install plextools professiona...

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    Section 2. Installing plextools professional 4 plextools professional reference guide this page intentionally left blank..

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    Section 3. Getting started 6 plextools professional reference guide selecting the adapter and drive selecting an adapter and a drive is done in the same way as in windows explorer: just click on the desired adapter in the hardware window, and you see general information about this adapter appear in ...

  • Page 11: Using The Options Menu

    Section 3. Getting started plextools professional reference guide 7 using the options menu to view extra features, click the options selection in the menu bar. Figure 4: options menu • print information: prints system information. • save information: saves system information. Plextor’s technical sup...

  • Page 12: Getting Help

    Section 3. Getting started 8 plextools professional reference guide getting help to get help about plextools professional, click the help selection in the menu bar. Figure 5: plextools professional help windows • plextools professional help or f1: starts the windows help system for plextools profess...

  • Page 13: General Information

    Plextools professional reference guide 9 4. Plextools professional functions this section gives information about plextools professional functions. General information to find more information about a plextor drive, select the drive and choose the general information option. Figure 6: general inform...

  • Page 14: Adapter Information Window

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 10 plextools professional reference guide for atapi drives only: • jumper settings: visual indication of the settings on the selected drive. • ide setup: shows if the drive is connected as master or slave on the ide bus. Note: this information pertains to ...

  • Page 15: Changing The Drive Settings

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 11 changing the drive settings to change a drive's reading speed, spindown time or audio output settings, select drive settings in the command bar. Then select the desired tab and change the desired settings. To save ...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 12 plextools professional reference guide selecting advanced drive settings figure 9: advanced drive settings window • auto insert notification: enables/disables automatic insert notification for the current drive. • enable buffer under run proof: enables/...

  • Page 17: Changing Varirec Settings

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 13 changing varirec settings the varirec function allows you to change the laser power when writing cd-da on cd-r at 4x or 8x (tao or dao). The default setting reflects an optimized laser power with lowest jitter. Cha...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 14 plextools professional reference guide in order to use the gigarec feature, you need: • cd-r drive (such as the plexwriter premium) that supports gigarec. • recording software, such as plextools professional, that supports gigarec. (gigarec is sometimes...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 15 changing silent mode settings figure 12: silent mode drive settings window • enable silent mode: enables silent mode. • max. Write speed: slows writing speed, making this process quieter. Smaller numbers mean quiet...

  • Page 20: Changing Securec Settings

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 16 plextools professional reference guide changing securec settings the plexwriter premium’s securec function lets you password-protect the entire file system on a cd-r disc. To view the contents of an password-protected disc—or even to see a catalog of fi...

  • Page 21: Getting Drive Information

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 17 getting drive information this function allows you to see more information about your plextor drive. Drive information–general figure 14: general drive information window the drive’s general read and write capabili...

  • Page 22: Drive Information–Cd Read

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 18 plextools professional reference guide drive information–cd read figure 15: cd read drive information window this window shows all possible read speeds for each type of cd. It also shows additional information regarding these features..

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 19 drive information–cd write figure 16: cd write drive information window this window shows all possible write speeds for each type of cd. It also shows additional information regarding these features..

  • Page 24: Dvd Read

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 20 plextools professional reference guide dvd read this window is available only for plextor dvd readers. Figure 17: dvd read drive information window shows all possible read speeds for each type of dvd. • note: shows additional information regarding these...

  • Page 25: Dvd Write

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 21 dvd write this window is available only for plextor dvd writers. Figure 18: dvd write drive information window shows all possible write speeds for each type of dvd. • note: shows additional information regarding th...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 22 plextools professional reference guide retrieving cd/dvd information the cd/dvd info window shows more information about the inserted disc. Figure 19: cd/dvd information window cd information for cd’s the information comprises: • type, label: indicates ...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 23 dvd information for dvd’s the information comprises: • type, label: indicates the dvd type and label. • capacity: shows the capacity of the disc in sectors and mb (megabytes). • copyright protection: shows the copy...

  • Page 28: Using Multimedia Player

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 24 plextools professional reference guide using multimedia player multimedia player uses the mci drivers installed on your system to play audio tracks and other types of multimedia files. The list of possibilities with multimedia player varies from system ...

  • Page 29: Multimedia File Types

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 25 multimedia file types figure 22: open file window the mci device list can be extended by installing the latest version of windows media player from microsoft. Some of the possibilities are: • all supported formats:...

  • Page 30: Create/edit Playlist

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 26 plextools professional reference guide create/edit playlist create/edit playlist lets you create or edit a playlist. Figure 23: creating or editing a playlist • add... Files: adds the selected files to the playlist. Directory: adds all valid files from ...

  • Page 31: Using Audio Cd Player

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 27 using audio cd player with audio cd player, if you select a device that can play tracks directly from a cd, and a suitable cd is inserted, you can play all the tracks from the disc. Figure 24: audio cd player windo...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 28 plextools professional reference guide performing digital audio extraction plextools professional allows digital audio extraction at high speed. Selecting the digital audio extraction function will show the disc and track information. If the audio disc ...

  • Page 33: Track Options

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 29 track options right-clicking on a track will show the following options: • extract selected tracks: this option will extract all the selected tracks. • play track: plays the currently selected track (digitally). • ...

  • Page 34: Dae Progress Window

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 30 plextools professional reference guide dae progress window during audio extraction, you will see a progress indicator. If any problems occur during the reading of an audio track, they will be displayed here. Figure 27: digital audio extraction progress ...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 32 plextools professional reference guide dae error recovery the dae function of plextools professional can detect uncorrectable read errors. This detection is based on the c2 flag that is read together with the audio data. It is impossible to correct thes...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 33 • mp3 (lame): select this option if you want to extract to mp3 format using the lame encoder. This is a free mp3 encoder and can be downloaded from: http://www.Mp3-tech.Org/ all you need to do is copy the lame_enc....

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 34 plextools professional reference guide for more information about these settings, please visit the monkey’s audio web site. Http://www.Monkeysaudio.Com/ • ogg vorbis: select this option if you want to extract to *.Ogg format. Extra options: brings up ex...

  • Page 39: Using Audiocd Maker

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 35 using audiocd maker audiocd maker allows the creation of custom audio cd’s by simply importing *.Wav, *.Mp3, *.Ogg, and *.Ape files. The digital audio extraction function can be used for creating these files. Note:...

  • Page 40: Audio Cd Maker Properties

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 36 plextools professional reference guide audio cd maker properties this window is visible when you double-click the track list or select the properties button in the audio cd maker window. Figure 33: audio cd maker properties window disc properties: • tit...

  • Page 41: Audio Cd Maker Write Dialog

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 37 audio cd maker write dialog selecting the start button in the audio cd maker window displays the write dialog window. Figure 34: audio cd maker write dialog window destination: • select drive: selects the recorder....

  • Page 42: Audio Cd Maker Progress

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 38 plextools professional reference guide creating the cd • create cd: writes to the cd using the selected options. Audio cd maker progress during writing you will see a progress indicator. If any errors occur, they will be displayed in the activity log wi...

  • Page 43: Using Cd-Rom Maker

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 39 using cd-rom maker cd-rom maker allows the creation of custom cd-roms by simply using windows explorer to drag and drop files and folders into the window, then starting the write process. Figure 36: cd-rom maker wi...

  • Page 44: Cd-Rom Maker Options

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 40 plextools professional reference guide cd-rom maker options identifiers: figure 37: cd-rom maker identifiers window • iso 9660: specifies the created cd-rom will be in the iso 9660 format. • joliet: specifies the created cd-rom will be made using the jo...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 41 • copyright: identifies the file in the root directory that contains the copyright notice for this volume. • abstract: identifies the file in the root directory that contains the abstract statement for this volume....

  • Page 46: Cd-Rom Maker Preferences

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 42 plextools professional reference guide cd-rom maker preferences figure 39: cd-rom maker preferences window • character set: specifies whether the iso 9660, dos, or ascii character set should be used. • iso level: level 1: specifies that the filename can...

  • Page 47: Copying A Disc

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 43 copying a disc plextools professional can make a copy of a cd in three ways. • making a direct copy: the first method is to copy a disc directly. The source disc will be read and written to the destination without ...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 44 plextools professional reference guide figure 40: cd copy window • source: specifies source drive to use for the copy. • read speed: specifies the reading speed. For good results, the reading speed must be higher than the recording speed. • destination:...

  • Page 49: Entering Cd Text

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 45 • preferences: displays the cd copy preferences window for choosing copying preferences. • start: launches the copying process. Entering cd text clicking on the cd text button opens the cd text editor. Figure 41: c...

  • Page 50: Making A Disc Copy

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 46 plextools professional reference guide making a disc copy to make a disc copy: 1. Insert a blank disc in the recorder drive. 2. In the cd copy window, select the source drive. 3. Select the reading and recording speed. For good results, the reading spee...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 47 changing preferences for cd copy to change the preferences for cd copy, select options in the toolbar, select preferences, and go to the cd copy tab. Figure 43: cd copy preferences window • include cd+g: specifies ...

  • Page 52: Specifying Recording Options

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 48 plextools professional reference guide • retries: the number of retries is set to 10 and cannot be changed. (to reduce the number of reties below 10, select option 3, read again upon error. • maximum errors: specify the maximum errors that will be toler...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 49 • always leave disc open: specifies that a new session is automatically created on every copy. Caution: this will create a disc that may not be an exact copy of the source disc. The created disc is multisession-rea...

  • Page 54: Erasing A Cd-Rw Or Dvd Rw

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 50 plextools professional reference guide erasing a cd-rw or dvd rw this function is only available on a plextor cd or dvd recording drive in combination with a cd-rw or dvd rw disc. There are two ways of erasing a cd-rw/dvd rw disc. Figure 45: cd/dvd rw f...

  • Page 55: Performing A Cd Test

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 51 performing a cd test this function will scan the complete disc and detect read errors. It is for use on pressed or recorded media that contains content. Figure 46: cd test window • print: prints the test results. •...

  • Page 56: Testing Read Transfer Rate

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 52 plextools professional reference guide testing read transfer rate the read transfer rate selection lets you test the transfer rate of data read from a disc. This test is for use on pressed or recorded media that contains content. Figure 47: read transfe...

  • Page 57: Testing Write Transfer Rate

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 53 testing write transfer rate the write transfer rate selection lets you test the transfer rate of data written to a disc. This test is conducted on blank media to determine the capabilities of the drive/media combin...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 54 plextools professional reference guide choosing transfer rate test preferences figure 49: transfer rate test preferences window read test options: • sample length: specifies the time of each read sample. • test every: specifies how often to perform the ...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 55 measuring q-check c1/c2 errors this function reports on the c1, c2, and cu errors on the current disc in the plexwriter premium drive. This test is for use on pressed or recorded media that contains content. Figure...

  • Page 60: Q-Check C1/c2 Preferences

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 56 plextools professional reference guide q-check c1/c2 preferences figure 51: q-check c1/c2 preferences window graph options: • scale limit: specifies the limit of the measuring scale on the graph. • time length indication: specifies the time length indic...

  • Page 61: Error

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 57 measuring q-check focus error and tracking error this function reports on the mechanical characteristics of the disc you’re using in the plexwriter premium drive. It measures the amplitude of the laser focus error ...

  • Page 62: Fe/te Test Preferences

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 58 plextools professional reference guide fe/te test preferences figure 53: q-check fe/te test preferences window graph options: • scale limit: specifies the limit of the measuring scale on the graph. • time length indication: specifies the time length ind...

  • Page 63: Measuring Beta/jitter

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 59 6. To end measurement, click the stop button, or wait for the measurement to stop by itself. You see a graph of the errors recorded by the application. The fe/te graphing capability of the plexwriter premium drive ...

  • Page 64: Beta/jitter Preferences

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 60 plextools professional reference guide beta/jitter preferences figure 55: q-check beta/jitter test preferences window graph options: • sample length: specifies the length of one sample. • time length indication: specifies the time length indication of t...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 61 customizing general preferences the startup options for plextools professional can be changed by opening the options menu in the toolbar and then selecting the general preferences tab. Figure 56: general preference...

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    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 62 plextools professional reference guide • clear registry settings: clears the windows registry settings for plextools professional. Only the plextools professional settings will be affected. The functioning of plextools professional will not be disrupted...

  • Page 67: Customizing Freedb Settings

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 63 customizing freedb settings the freedb database is an information database containing artist, disc title, track titles and other information for digital audio compact discs. Figure 57: freedb preferences window ret...

  • Page 68: Freedb Server Settings

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions 64 plextools professional reference guide submit/save options: • submit to freedb server: specifies that plextools professional will submit track and cd information to the freedb server. • submit email address: specifies the e-mail address used for request...

  • Page 69: Freedb Database Settings

    Section 4. Plextools professional functions plextools professional reference guide 65 freedb proxy server settings users behind restrictive firewalls might need to use a proxy server to connect to the freedb database server. Figure 59: freedb proxy settings window • use proxy: specifies that plextoo...

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  • Page 71: Appendix A: Glossary

    Plextools professional reference guide 67 appendix a: glossary this section explains some terms used in this manual. This information will make the use of plextools professional easier. A-characters consists of the following characters: a-z, 0-9 and _ (underscore). Advanced error detection as oppose...

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    Appendix a: glossary 68 plextools professional reference guide clv constant linear velocity (clv) is when the rotational speed of the disc is changed in order to keep the read speed constant. The whole disc will be read at the same speed. Cu cu error correction applies to uncorrectable errors, or er...

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    Appendix a: glossary plextools professional reference guide 69 msf minutes, seconds, frames. This is the structure of a cd: 2048 bytes per frame, 75 frames per second, 60 seconds per minute. Otp: opposite track path a variation of dvd dual-layer disc layout, where readout for the first layer begins ...

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  • Page 75: Appendix B: Error Messages

    Plextools professional reference guide 71 appendix b: error messages this appendix gives a description of errors that may be generated using plextools professional. Errors during installation no valid version of plextools professional found. Upgrade aborted this error may occur when an attempt is ma...

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    Appendix b: error messages 72 plextools professional reference guide application and program error codes this section lists error codes that may be returned by the drive. It contains a brief description of the possible cause of each error. Since it is impossible to give a more detailed description f...

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    Appendix b: error messages plextools professional reference guide 73 052600 illegal request: invalid field in parameter list 055302 illegal request: medium removal prevented 056300 illegal request: end of user area encountered on this track 056400 illegal request: illegal mode for this track 058100 ...

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    Appendix b: error messages 74 plextools professional reference guide 056301 illegal request: packet does not fit available space 056401 illegal request: invalid packet size 057204 illegal request: empty or partially written reserve track 057203 illegal request: incomplete track in session 098000 ven...

  • Page 79: Appendix C: Tips and Tricks

    Plextools professional reference guide 75 appendix c: tips and tricks auto insert notification auto insert notification is a function of the windows 95/98/me operating system. It allows the notification of changes (eject or insert) of a cd in a drive. When this happens, windows will send a message t...

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    Appendix c: tips and tricks 76 plextools professional reference guide mci software the simultaneous use of several mci and or aspi applications may result in unexpected behavior of the devices and should be avoided. When more than one program is used to control a certain drive, this device will 'lis...

  • Page 81: North America

    Plextools professional reference guide 77 appendix d: technical support store plextor’s e-mail, web site, phone, and fax numbers in a convenient location. Keep your drive’s serial number and a copy of your sales receipt handy as well. Note: we encourage you to visit the plextor web site ( http://www...

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    Appendix d: technical support 78 plextools professional reference guide this page intentionally left blank..

  • Page 83: Notes

    Plextools professional reference guide 79 notes.

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    P lextor c orp . 48383 fremont blvd. Suite 120 fremont ca 94538-6509 phone: fax: 510-440-2000 800-886-3935 510-651-9755 e-mail: info@plextor.Com http://www.Plextor.Com/.