Using Easy CD Creator to Make a
Multisession CD

How to Make a Multisession CD

A multisession CD is a data CD to which data is added incrementally in more than one session, allowing you to periodically add and update files and folders to your CD.

Uses for multisession CDs include periodically backing up large quantities of data and Distributing data updates. Most CD-ROM drives can read multisession CDs.

Making a multisession CD involves essentially the same steps as making a data CD. To make a multisession CD, follow these steps:

1. To write the first session, add the files and folders to a CD layout.

2. Select CD Layout Properties from the File menu.

3. Click the Data Settings tab and select one of the two File System options depending on how you want to use your CD: ISO 9660 or Joliet. For more information on these settings, see the on-line help.

4. Click the Properties button and select either Mode 1: CD-ROM or Mode 2: CD-ROM XA in the General tab. See Deciding Which Format to Use: CD-ROM or CD-ROM XA.

5. Insert a blank CD into your ZipCD drive and select Create CD from the File menu.

6. To add another session, insert your data CD into your ZipCD drive.

7. Follow steps 1-4 above. Be sure to select the same file system properties used in the previous session on the CD.

8. Easy CD Creator automatically imports the previous session on the CD to the new session (This is the default setting. See Importing Previous Sessions below). If you want to import a different session, follow the instructions in Importing a Specific Session.

9. Select Create CD from the File menu.

The CD now contains two sessions on the CD. You can continue to add more sessions to the CD until the CD is full. Just be sure to import previous sessions (the default setting) so you can read all of the data on the CD.

Importing Previous Sessions

IMPORTANT! With multisession CDs, you must import information written in a previous session to the new session you are adding to the CD. Otherwise, you can view only the files in the most recent session. Importing a session means the most recent session contains the new information you are adding as well the file system information that points to the files written in the previous session on the CD.

To import the previous session to the new session you are adding, follow these steps:

1. Follow steps 1-4 in How to Make a Multisession CD above.

2. In the Data Settings tab of the CD Layout Properties, select Automatically import previous session (default setting).

3. Click OK and continue creating your CD.

Importing a Specific Session

To import a specific session on the CD, not necessarily the previous session written, follow these steps:

1. Follow steps 1-4 in How to Make a Multisession CD above.

2. Select Import Session from the Disc menu. The Import Session dialog box appears and lists all of the sessions on the CD.

3. Select the session you want to import and click Import to continue creating your CD.

Multisession CD Writing Tips

Deciding Which Format to Use: CD-ROM or CD-ROM XA

You can turn a single-session CD into a multisession CD at any time by adding another session. However, it's best to decide in advance whether or not your CD will be multisession, so that you can decide whether to record the first session in CD-ROM format (also known as Mode 1) or CD-ROM XA format (also known as Mode 2). Regardless of which format you use, the second session must be the same format as the first session. If you see only the first session when you attempt to read back the second or subsequent session on a multisession CD it may be because:

• The CD-ROM drive you are using does not read multisession at all (this is most likely the case if the drive is very old).

• The CD-ROM drive you are using recognizes a CD as multisession only if it is written in the CD-ROM XA format. This problem is less likely with the newest generation of CD-ROM drives, but is common with some older models.

Inconsistencies in the application of the standard may result in a multisession CD being read as if it were a single-session CD and you see only the data in the first session. To ensure the best possible multisession compatibility, record multi-session CDs in the CD-ROM XA (Mode 2) format.

NOTE: Do not combine CD-ROM and CD-ROM XA formats on the same multisession CD.

Importing Sessions

Easy CD Creator allows you to import either the previous session or a specific session on the CD to the new session you are writing. Only by importing a session to the new session you are adding to the CD can you view the contents written during a previous session. To see all of the sessions written on the CD, use the Automatically Import Previous Session option for each session you write. This ensures that all previously written sessions are continually imported to the most recent session on the CD.

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