OS/2 Warp & CD-Writers FAQ
Welcome to the OS/2 Warp & CD-Writers
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Frequently Asked Questions
Featured in OS/2 Magazine (Vol4, Number 1) Created and maintained by Fernando Cassia <fernando@cassia.com.ar>
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FAQ History / What's New:
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V2.3 (98-6-26)
Added information about Warp 4's JOLIET read support, known problems with Joliet CDs burned using Adaptec EZ-CD Creator, plus how to create Joliet CDs in OS/2.
Also included Joliet 1.0 specs in OS/2-friendly file formats, and information on Rock Ridge Extensions. Finally, I updated ASC-OS2.ZIP and WARP4ASC.ZIP to the latest drivers from Advansys (Version 2.8, dated 10/97). File:/web/20050319043124im /http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/fcassia/new.gif
V2.21 (98-1-2)
Minor maintenance and info about CD-RW drives, and a note on IDE and Parallel-port drives.
V2.2 (97-8-18)
Added links for RSJand their CD Writer for OS/2 product. Added links to download the OS/2 demo version.
Also added info on Elektroson's removal of OS/2 references from their web site and uncertain future of Gear/2.
V2.1 (97-4-07)
How to make Gear 3.30 for OS/2, Unite CD-Maker for OS/2 and EasyCD co-exist on the same system.
V2.0 (97-3-15)
Unite CD-Maker HP6020 support info - Notes on HFS/2 driver and CD-Maker compatibility.
V1.9 (97-1-28)
Gear for OS/2 supports the HP6020! : config tips to make Gear recognize it!.
V1.8 (97-1-16)
Added info on requesting session-linking support for Unite CD-Maker.
Buffer Underruns: what they are and How to Prevent them
and 'TOP FIVE REASONS I LIKE CD-R' (funny quote).
V1.7 (96-1-7)
Information about the new HP 6020i cd-writer.
V1.6 (96-12-26)
New, easier AdvanSys SCSI driver installation for Warp 4.0 users!
Added information about the v1.27 firmware update for the HP4020i.
Changed all dates to Year-Month-Day format. And changed this to HTML TABLE.
V1.4 (96-9-30)
Added JavaScript code for scrolling text messages, and this link to
The OS/2 Warp and Hewlett Packard (HP) Scanjet 3C and 4C Scanner FAQ
V1.3
Moved 'History' to the top, added info about OS/2 WARP 4.0 a.k.a. Merlin
(IBM fixed everything!),
Added links to www.cd-info.com and Greg Volk's HP SureStore FAQ.
V1.2 (96-9-7)
Added the "About CD-R technology" section.
V1.1 (96-9-2)
Added info on Easy CD PRO 3.0
V1.0 (96-9-1)
Original Version
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*** THERE IS NO INDEX FOR A REASON: to make you read the whole FAQ, so you do not ask questions already answered. *** |
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About this FAQ file:This document is an attempt to minimize problems for current owners and also potential buyers of HP SureStore CD-Writers. I've decided to make this home page after reading usenet posts from OS/2 Warp (3.0) users asking about cd-r software or drivers. All the initial information comes from my personal experience with the HP 4020i working first on Warp Connect Fullpack, and now under Warp 4.0. That means days of research, dozens of exchanged e-mails, and about two initial months of desperate Net surfing . If you have a HP CD-Writer running under os/2 please send me your experiences with the hardware and software. In particular I am looking for information on new versions of the drive that might come up in the future. - Thanks in advance, Fernando.
Disclaimer/Copyright:
Email Policy: All letters about CD-Writers become the property of this FAQ, and may be published. If you wish to remain anonymous, or if you do not want your letter published, please say so prominently in your message. This compilation is © 1996, 1997 and 1998 South Outpost Software. Please contact us if you want to reprint or redistribute anything contained here.
HP CD Writers and OS/2 Warp
Frequently Asked Questionsby Fernando M. CassiaRevision: 2.3 (June 26, 1998) HP SureStore 4020 and 6020 Hardware/Software description:
Q: What is the recommended installation procedure for this CD-Writer?
Q: Where I can get the SCSI controller drivers for OS/2?
Q: Can I install OS/2 from the HP4020i? A: Yes, if your HP SureStore is the only CD unit in your system, you can use it to install OS/2:.
Q: I have OS/2 already installed, how do I install the SCSI drivers on Warp 3.0?
A:
[[|]] Q: Is there an easier way to install the AdvanSys SCSI drivers on Warp 4.0? A: Yes there is!. In case you have Warp 4.0 already installed in your system, I have just modified the SCSI.TBL file included with Warp 4.0, adding an entry for the Advansys controller. Download this file (WARP4ASC.ZIP), place it in the root dir of the OS/2 boot drive (usually C:), and UNZIP it with sub-directories (using OS/2 UNZIP). After this, just go to 'System Setup', and select 'Selective Install'. With this hack installed, when you click on 'SCSI Support' you will see a NEW entry: 'AdvanSys ABP-5150 Bus Master ISA [HP SureStore]' just select it, click on 'Continue' and you're done. No floppy disks needed!. Q: Are there any known problems with these SCSI drivers?
Q: OS/2 Warp 3.0 (and Warp Connect) recognizes the SureStore as a CD-Rom, but how can use it as a Writer? A: Until a August '96, the answer to this question was only one: Buy a native OS/2 CD-R program (See the 'Native CD-recording software' section below for options available). With this minimum level of support (just adding the OS/2 SCSI drivers), the Windows software bundled with the drive (EasyCD for Windows, Easy-CD Audio, Alchemy and Magic Lantern) will not work: the programs end with a windows error message. This is because the OS2CDROM.DMD shipped by IBM with OS/2 Warp 3.0 (and Connect) does not support all features of the HP 4020. This does not apply to OS/2 4.0 aka Merlin!, see below for OS/2 4.0 specific info.
Q: So, is there a way to use Windows CD-R software under OS/2? A: Yes!. Here is a File:/web/20050319043124im /http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/fcassia/new.gifmodified OS2CDROM.DMD driver for Warp 3.0 which supports multi-session and digital audio transfer. Install the SCSI driver, then this fix, and reboot your computer. Then, proceed to install the HP SureStore software under Win-OS/2, but do it from the HP software CD (do not use the included diskette!). EasyCD will work now!. (Note: you should have plenty of ram (16 mb or more) to minimize disk swapping caused by the Win-OS2 session, remember that the PC must be able to sustain a continuous data transfer rate during cd recording). This driver was built by Rob Sims, an engineer from HP. (I think he deserves an "OS/2 Ambassador" medal, if not a job at PSP, OS/2 certainly needs more guys like him). While no support is provided for this OS2CDROM.DMD fix by HP, he has included his e-mail address for any comments or questions. If you use this then e-mail him!.
You can also obtain this from: ftp://ftp-os2.cdrom.com/pub/os2/drivers/hp4020i2.zip [[|]] Q: Is this fix only for the bundled software or does it work with other mastering software? A: I have installed Easy-CD PRO/MM v3.0 (the 16-bit version for Win 3.1/WfW and Windows 95) under Win-OS2 and it works too. This 'Pro' version is sold by Adaptec (they bought Incat), and includes the 'Waves' utility to convert WAV files of any sampling rate and resolution to 44.1 kHz and 16 bits in one step. A group of files converted together is saved in a single WAV file. As a separate step, Waves converts 44.1 kHz 16-bit WAV files to CD-DA standard audio tracks. This version also support writing more than 20,000 files per CD, which is not possible with the version bundled with the HP SureStore.
Q: What about OS/2 Warp 4.0 (a.k.a. 'Merlin')?[[|]]File:/web/20050319043124im /http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/fcassia/new.gif(9/24/96) A: This comes, again, from the always helpful Rob Sims: You don't need to apply any patches to OS2CDROM or VASPI. Everything is fixed in OS/2 Warp 4 - vaspi has been fixed and OS2CDROM.dmd patched to understand the writer, so you can install EasyCD for Windows and use it right away. (Great work IBM!). ' [[|]] Q: What are the native OS/2 applications available for CD-Recording? A: There are currently three native OS/2 cd-recording solutions that I know:
Q: I am a beginner with this technology, which is the best software? Choosing software is very subjetive, and it depends on what you plan to do with your CD-Writer. Two of the three native os/2 solutions listed (Unite CD-Maker and Gear for OS/2) are available in 'Demo' versions from the publisher's web pages. The demo versions are fully functional copies of the software, but limit you to storing a few megabytes on each recording session. So, you can try two of the three native os/2 solutions, and if you bought the original HP SureStore kit and install the fix described previously, then you already have the bundled windows software and can now use it. It's up to you to decide.
[[|]] My personal ranking of cd-r software for os/2: As you see I'm highly opinionated (is that a word?, sorry english is not my native language, e-mail any typos please).
[[|]] Q: Will we ever see a OS/2 version of Unite CD Maker with session linking support? Here is the answer I've got from Brian Held at Unite: "Enhancements will only be added to the product (Unite CD-Maker for OS/2) as required by demand. Unfortunately, Multi-session linking will require a fairly signifigant effort, and no development time has been scheduled. I currently have you in the unsupported functionality database, and will inform you of any future plans to enhance it." If you're interested in getting an os/2 product with session linking, e-mail Brian Held at bheld@cirunite.com asking to be added to their 'unsupported functionality database' with 'session linking' as your request. Or better, e-mail cpayne@cirunite.com, she is in charge of marketing. If they get enough requests they may support it. Q: On Warp 3.0, I have installed the OS2CDROM.DMD fix, why did Unite CD-Maker stop working?. A: Yes, this is normal. Unite CD-Maker disables OS2CDROM.DMD and installs its own manager (CTCDROM.DMD) that supports the enhanced "use as drive" multi-session features of the cd-burner object. If you install the fix by loading OS2CDROM.DMD instead of CTCDROM.DMD, this extended functionality will be lost. ' Q: On Warp 3.0, is there a way to make EasyCD for Windows and Unite CD-Maker co-exist? (BTW: On Warp 4 nothing of this is needed). A: On Warp 3.0, can EasyCD and Unite work on the same system if you first install the SCSI drivers for the Advansys Card, then the OS2CDROM.DMD fix, and last, Unite CD Maker. In this way, the VASPI.DLL fix will enable EasyCD for Windows to work under win-os2, while CTCDROM.DMD will provide the functions needed by Unite CD Maker. (Just make sure that you have the CTCDROM.DMD line enabled and the OS2CDROM.DMD line REM'd out). [[|]] Q: Is it possible to install and run GEAR 3.3x for OS/2, Unite CD-Maker 2.1 for OS/2 and EasyCD for Windows on the same system?. A: Yes, just make sure that, after you have Unite and EasyCD working, that Gear drivers are correctly installed. Gear installs its own driver, which should be at the bottom of CONFIG.SYS as follows: ' (OS2ASPI and CTCDROM.DMD already installed) REM ***** Gear specific settings (begin) ***** REM ***** Gear needs it's OWN ASPI interface driver to be loaded at boot time: ***** DEVICE=D:\OS2\APP\GEAROS2\GEARDRV.SYS REM ***** Gear needs the following setting in order to be able to read (static) user specific settings ***** SET GEARDIR=D:\OS2\APP\GEAROS2 REM ***** Gear specific settings (end) ***** [[|]] Q: I have installed the freeware OS/2 HFS driver and now I can't change sessions using Unite's CD-Burner object, what's up? A: The freeware driver HFS/2, available at http://www.student.nada.kth.se/~f96-bet/HFS/ allows OS/2 to access Macintosh HFS-formatted floppies and removable media (including CD-ROMs but I was unable to test that since I don't have any CD-ROM discs in HFS format). HFS/2 consists of several pieces, a FILE SYSTEM driver (HFS.IFS), a FILTER driver (HFSIFS.FLT), and a CONTROL PROGRAM (HFS.EXE). Well, I found that with HFS/2 installed and HFS.EXE running, Unite's 'CD Burner' object will stop working. It will let you change current sessions on a multi-session disc, but while it informs it worked, it will continue accessing the LAST session on disc. The solution?. When you want to change the active session of a disc using the CD Burner object, STOP or kill the HFS.EXE process. When you are done with that and want to re-enable hfs support, simply open an os/2 window and restart HFS.EXE. [[|]] Q: Where I can get more information about the HP-4020i in general (not OS/2-related)? A: Greg Volk has compiled a very complete FAQ file for the HP4020i, you can visit it at http://www.cd-info.com/CDIC/Technology/CD-R/HP-FAQ.html ' [[|]] Q: What's the story about the HP4020i firmware? A: The 4020i was first shipped with version 1.14 firmware. This original version was buggy and was quickly replaced with version 1.20. The unit I bought came with v1.20 firmware. I have burnt about a dozen data CDs using this firmware and haven't had any problems. However, while it is stable, v1.20 has some bugs, including: not recording CD-XA discs correctly, and switching the right and left audio channels when recording a CD Audio disc. HP released a v1.25 firmware upgrade to improve overall compatibility and allow disc at once recording. This v1.25 firmware was password-protected at HP's web site, you had to request the password to HP technical support by e-mail. Not only that, but you had to state WHY you needed to upgrade. Many users had problems installing v1.25, and HP's decision to password-protect the files and discourage upgrades (i.e. "only download it if something you need doesn't work") made things worse, as some users got very angry at HP. It seems that after many messages from the customers, they listened to the complaints, and have now (finally!) released v1.27 firmware, which is not password protected and *very* stable and doesn't seem to have the installation problems of 1.25. I've upgraded my unit (booted to DOS just to be safe) from 1.20 to v1.27 and I haven't had a problem with it. To summarize:
Q: What's the latest HP4020i firmware available, should I update it ? A: The first publicly available (not password protected) release of the HP 4020i firmware is version 1.27, which you can download from the Hewlett-Packard technical support web page at http://www.hp.com:80/isgsupport/cdr/00index.html. Or, you can download it by clicking the following link: [4020_127.exe (10/16/96)] Beware: after updating firmware to v1.27, make sure that you record only on 'fresh' blank discs. If you try to record an additional session (previously written using v1.20 firmware) using v1.27, you might damage ALL data on the disc. ' [[|]] Q: What are the specs for the new HP 6020 cd-writer? A: Hewlett-Packard has launched in the latest Comdex show what they call its 'next-generation CD-R technology'. This unit has faster read capabilities (6x), is available both internally and externally, and comes supporting either SCSI- or parallel-port connectivity. The 6020 uses the same Phillips 2000 drive and command set as the HP4020i. [[|]] Q: What is the current level of support for the new HP 6020 drive from HP? (Contributed by Brooks Pace). A: " Just wanted to give you a update that you might want on your page. Unite CD-Maker has JUST added support for the HP 6020 as well as for the Sony 926S and the Philips CDD-2600. You need version 2.1C to get it or if you already have 2.1b you can get a file off their webpage with the needed DLLs to get support for those drives new drives". "One big drawback with this unit is that the 6020i firmware is HARD CODED. It can not be updated as with the 4020i. (big mistake on the engineers)". [[|]] Q: How can I make GEAR for OS/2 recognize the HP6020?File:/web/20050319043124im /http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/fcassia/new.gif A: You must have their latest OS/2 version, 3.31. You can recognize the CD of this GEAR version by the Green print on the silver CD. If all the text on the silver CD is in blue color, you have version 3.30 / 4.00. Gear for OS/2 was included on the Gear Multi-platform CD (which included Gear for Windows, for OS/2 Warp, and for Macintosh in a single CD). You can still find this version, but only as part of bundles with 2x generation writers. Add the following ID string to the correct recorder type in the GEARCDR.CFG file (it's an plain ascii file, so you can use your favorite text editor).
[Philips 2000] HP CD-Writer 6020;ATAPIDISCINFO=TRUE;RDSPEEDBITS=0023 Gear for OS/2 Install tips: There is an OS/2 Command-file (INSTALL.CMD) on the GEAR CD that should enable you to install GEAR 3.xx correctly in Warp 4.0 systems or Warp 3 systems at fixpak 17 level or higher (This is included in case you get a SYS3175 error from the .exe install). Also check your CONFIG.SYS for the following line: BASEDEV=OS2ASPI.DMD and place /ALL behind it. This should enable you to use a scsi 'type-5' device both as a Reader & Writer. But be careful that no other application tries to access the CDR while burning. The "/ALL" parameter allows an ASPI-application to access a device which is allocated by another device manager (e.g. OS2CDROM.DMD). Because this other device manager (e.g. OS2CDROM.DMD) has allocated the device he does NOT care about any other access but his own. Because ASPI wasn't designed for multitasking systems (there are no features like an allocate or release of a device) nearly all programmers ignore the possibility that other applications access a device at the same time. If this concurrent access happens, an ASPI-call could be rejected by the ASPI manager. An application exception (error message) will ocurr. ' [[|]] What is a buffer underrun and how can I prevent them? A: A buffer underrun is a situation where your PC can't keep up with the data transfer rate needed by your cd-writer (300,000 bytes/second for 2x and 600,000 for 4x writers) and the cd recording fails. Since the cd-recorning ('burning') process is destructive and the cd-r format does not allow the laser to be turned off during a writing session, a buffer underrun error means that the cd-r disc is not useable anymore (the data recorded is corrupted), and you now have a useless disc (often called coasters or frisbees). This is often caused by: 1) Running other programs or cpu/disk-intensive tasks while recording. Buffer underruns can be easily prevented by following these simple rules: 1) Disable any CPU Monitors, POP-up reminder programs and schedulers.
[[|]] What about the new cd-rw drives? Does any OS/2 software support them? A: Currently only RSJ supports cd-rw drives, and allows you to erase contents on rewritable discs. To get the list of CD-RW drives currently supported, I stronly suggest that you contact RSJ Gmbh before making a purchase decision. [[|]] Q: I have just purchased a Parallel-port, or IDE (Atapi) CD-Recorder and it does not work! A: You MUST do some market research, including reading this FAQ ;-) BEFORE purchasing a device for use under a non-Windows operating system like OS/2, Linux, BeOS or others. Currently, all OS/2 CD-Writing software supports only SCSI devices. Quickly, RUN, don't walk, RUN to the place where you bought that drive, and exchange it for a SCSI one. If you need an external device, you can get a SCSI one. Fortunatelly nobody has taken the time and effort to write drivers and modify CD-R programs to include support for these brain-damaged parallel port devices. If you want reliability and speed, that rules out Parallel port devices. The parallel port was not designed for maintaining a constant data stream speed, so parallel port devices HOG your CPU, no matter how well engineered are the underlying O/S and drivers, and are much more subject to buffer underruns and loss of data. It bears repeating: RUN, don't walk, RUN, and get a SCSI device.
About CD-R technology:[[|]] '
[[|]]
Are you tired of the current state of CD-R technology?
Getting buffer underrun errors? Tired of making coasters? : - )Top five reasons I like CD-RBy James F. Rorie, Jr. <jfrorie@uncc.edu> 5) Chicks dig coasters. 4) SCSI termination is a stimulating challenge. 3) I can get a lot of house cleaning done during a defrag. 2) My blood pressure was dangerously low to begin with. 1) A 10 pack is cheaper than a weekend in Las Vegas... and the odds are slightly higher. Jim, The Punch-Drunk CD-R Master
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