How the @*$^! do I erase a DVD-RW in OS X?

[anonymouse1]

So I've got a DVD-RW of a movie that I want to erase. I hop into disk utility and do a quick erase on the Disk, not the Volume. Erase worked, but now the DVD-RW gets nothing but "Disk Not Recognized from OS X, Disk Utility, and Toast!

Help a brother out, here! What's the right way to erase a DVD-RW in OS X?

Thanks!

[MacMagus]

Erase it with Toast.

The long erase.

[Big Daddy Cool]

I believe you can use Disk Utility as well.

[Big Daddy Cool]

Sorry, didn't read your whole post. I'm sure I've used Disk Utility before though.

[landlox]

Yes Toast

I have a similar but related question.

How do you 'zero out' erase a DVD-RW?

I discovered a freeware DVD copy program (to back up my legal copies of course). After extracting the video you put the Video_TS folder on a blank DVD using Toast.

This problem came up after trying some test burns to DVD-RW when first using this stuff.
The 2nd use of a new DVD-RW always fails Toast's post-copy data verification, even after a 'long erase' in Toast which I realized must just zap directories and leads and stuff but not all the old data.

Just curious, really
'Lox

[landlox]

I forgot to say

Disk Utility has a zero erase option, but it was grayed out for DVD erasure,

Lox

[anonymouse1]

What finally worked was this: Turn (external, and only) DVD drive off. Start Toast. Open DVD drive, insert "broken" DVD-RW, go directly to Toast erase function.

Worked perfectly, even though Disk Utility hadn't recognized the disk. Thanks, MacMagus.

[MacMagus]

> Thanks, MacMagus.

'Welcome.


> even after a 'long erase' in Toast which I realized must just zap directories and leads and stuff but not all the old data.

Long erase zaps everything. Imagine the data (1's and 0's) on the disc as hills and valleys on the surface of a piece of fabric. The long erase irons it all out.


> The 2nd use of a new DVD-RW always fails Toast's post-copy data verification

That's usually due to a caching error. If you're using an external burner, try turning it off between burns. It may also be that the laser isn't preparing the surface of the disc well enough -- try a different brand of media, burn at a lower speed or switch to DVD +RW discs.