CD Burned using Windows Vista - compatible with Windows 98?

[funkydan]

I took some photos of my friends band recently and have tried twice now to give him a CD of the photos but to no avail. I make the CD on my Vista laptop and he says the CD comes up as empty when he tries to look at it on Windows 98 - are the 2 incompatible? They're only jpeg files and they went straight onto the CD (i.e. they're not in a folder). I can see that they have burned onto the CD and they appear when I double checked the cd on my laptop. I've not experienced this problem with anyone else so I think the problem must be at his end.

Could I put the jpg files onto my external hard disk/memory card and take that round to his computer and copy them on like that? That should work shouldn't it?

nb: upgrading to a more recent OS is not a financially viable option for him!

Thanks

Dan

[VR46]

Can't see why the two wouldn't be compatible, assume his CD drive reads other CD's OK.

As long as his Win 98 laptop has USB drivers installed it should read any external USB device OK.

[funkydan]

Can't see why the two wouldn't be compatible, assume his CD drive reads other CD's OK.

As long as his Win 98 laptop has USB drivers installed it should read any external USB device OK.

Tbh, I think his CD drive is a bit crap - I have an old external one that works fine so I might take that round as well and see if that works better - if so, he can have it!

As for the lack of compatiblity, I don't get it either - I've done CDs for other people and they seem to be fine - weird

Cheers David

Dan

[Hohum]

It's because Vista by default creates cds in a newer format that can only be read by XP/Vista.

Understanding the difference between the Live File System and Mastered disc formats

If you have burned CDs using Windows XP, you are already familiar with the Mastered format. The latest version of Windows offers a new format, called Live File System. Discs that use the Live File System format are often more convenient because you can copy selected files immediately and as often as you want, as if the disc were a floppy disc or USB flash drive. On the other hand, Live File System discs can?t be used in all computers and devices. Use this guide to understand the difference between Live File System and Mastered discs:
Discs formatted with the Live File System option:

• Work like a USB flash drive or floppy disk, meaning you can copy files to disc immediately without having to burn them.
• Are convenient if you want to keep a disc in the burn drive and copy files whenever the need arises.
• Are only compatible with Windows XP and later versions of Windows.

Discs formatted with the Mastered option:

• Don?t copy files immediately, meaning you need to select the entire collection of files that you want to copy to the disc, and then burn them all at once.
• Are convenient if you want to burn a large collection of files, such as a music CD.
• Are compatible with older computers and devices such as CD players and DVD players.

Taken from Windows help.

[funkydan]

Ok thanks Hohum, thats helpful - so can I still use the 'Mastered' disc option? If so, can you tell me how please?

EDIT: it's ok, I figured it out - thanks so much (stupid Vista! )