Toast 9 Titanium... please help

[Angantyr]

Here is the plan:

I am going to swich files over to a new computer without spending one cent.

Although I have a measly 2gb memory stick, I currently have Toast Titanium 9, and I am trying to burn "photo discs" and "mp3 discs" which will give me the ability to put my files on my new computer.

Here is the problem:

Technology sucks. Every time I drag files from iPhoto to TT9, it fails, regardless of how much free space is on the actual disc. Here is what I do, step by step:

1) I open the pathetic TT9 application.
2) I click on the far left option, which is entitled "Data Disc."
3) I click on "Photo Disc." Please take into consideration that at the bottom, it says "Space remaining: 4.39GB." So I could easily fit my entire photo collection on this disc with a few gigs leftover, right?
4) We'll do one photo at a time for this short example. I drag a photo (not from iPhoto) from my freaking desktop onto the panel where it actually says, "drag pictures into this area."
5) I get excited, because everything seems to be going perfectly.
6) The picture I dragged onto the panel is 904kb, so I have a good 4.39gb still remaining on this disc, right?
7) I click the big red button, which I assume is "burn disc," so that I can have my one photo on my disc.
8) A window pops up that says "blah blah blah, # of copies, etc."
9) I click "Record."
10) A tiny window that says "Writing My Disc" comes up, and even goes all the way to 100%

BUT WAIT!

11) Another pointless window pops up and says this...

"THE DRIVE REPORTED AN ERROR:
SENSE KEY = MEDIUM ERROR
SENSE CODE = 0x73, 0x03"

WTF.

Then I get this:

"LEAD-IN OR LEAD-OUT FAILED TO BE WRITTEN."


And that is that. How pathetic. Was my 904kb .jpeg image too large? Maybe I should cut the image in half and burn it to two discs (kidding). In all seriousness, is there not an easier way to backup my files without using Toast Failtanium 9? I'm so sick of this crap, I honestly hate technology.

I also want to backup my audio files, but that is a WHOLE 'nother story. Since iTunes quit burning discs long ago, should I create a thread about those complications as well? Sorry but I am absolutely furious. It is 2009, things should be much simpler by now.

If you are able to help me, thank you in advance, kind sir.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

What it's trying to tell you is that, due to an error, the finishing stage of the burn process could not be completed - this is usually caused not by the size of the files you are burning, but rather by either a kind of disc incompatible with your optical drive, or a bad optical drive. To test both causes at once, try different brands of disc. If they ALL fail with the same error, you have a bad drive. If some fail and others work, then your drive doesn't like the discs you're using.

 

[Angantyr]

What it's trying to tell you is that, due to an error, the finishing stage of the burn process could not be completed - this is usually caused not by the size of the files you are burning, but rather by either a kind of disc incompatible with your optical drive, or a bad optical drive. To test both causes at once, try different brands of disc. If they ALL fail with the same error, you have a bad drive. If some fail and others work, then your drive doesn't like the discs you're using.

Well when I attempt to burn music files through iTunes, I get something like "CPU isn't generating enough power" or something like that. I don't know for sure, I haven't tried in over a year.

So what you're saying is that I need to buy new discs in order to successfully burn files onto discs? I thought the standard CD/RW discs would do the job.

For the record, it used to work perfectly (with these same exact discs), so maybe it is a bad optical drive? Which I am not going to spend one cent on, so is there any other way in the universe to back up my files? This 2GB memory stick won't complete the task, but I'll shove my most important files on it.

There is no website in which I could store data until my new CPU arrives?

Anything?

Thanks.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

Well when I attempt to burn music files through iTunes, I get something like "CPU isn't generating enough power" or something like that. I don't know for sure, I haven't tried in over a year.

So what you're saying is that I need to buy new discs in order to successfully burn files onto discs? I thought the standard CD/RW discs would do the job.

For the record, it used to work perfectly (with these same exact discs), so maybe it is a bad optical drive? Which I am not going to spend one cent on, so is there any other way in the universe to back up my files? This 2GB memory stick won't complete the task, but I'll shove my most important files on it.

There is no website in which I could store data until my new CPU arrives?

Anything?

Thanks.

Got an external hard drive handy? If you do, or have a internal drive and an external case for it, you can use the following procedure:

1. Select the drive in Computer view in the Finder, and do a Get Info on it - is it Mac OS Extended format?
2. If it is, great! If not, then... you've got several options.
3. Reformat the drive to Mac OS Extended and use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone your disk OR leave the drive as is, and, assuming it's in a format Mac OS X can write to, copy files over manually.

The best part about using CCC to make a clone is that, should something go horribly wrong, you can boot from the clone and continue working.

 

[sickmacdoc]

Well when I attempt to burn music files through iTunes, I get something like "CPU isn't generating enough power" or something like that. I don't know for sure, I haven't tried in over a year.

So what you're saying is that I need to buy new discs in order to successfully burn files onto discs? I thought the standard CD/RW discs would do the job.

For the record, it used to work perfectly (with these same exact discs), so maybe it is a bad optical drive? Which I am not going to spend one cent on, so is there any other way in the universe to back up my files? This 2GB memory stick won't complete the task, but I'll shove my most important files on it.

There is no website in which I could store data until my new CPU arrives?

Anything?

Thanks.

Before you give up on the disks you already have, be sure to set the maximum write speed to a low number (in the range of 4x) at the start of the burn. On quite a few occasions setting the speed down allows drives to successfully use disks that they cannot deal with at full "rated" speed.

EDIT: There a plenty of websites to store data online as a backup- the main downside being the speed of uploading data to the net with many ISPs. Take a look at Mozy which offers 2Gb for free and unlimited for $4.95/mo.

 

[Angantyr]

Before you give up on the disks you already have, be sure to set the maximum write speed to a low number (in the range of 4x) at the start of the burn. On quite a few occasions setting the speed down allows drives to successfully use disks that they cannot deal with at full "rated" speed.

EDIT: There a plenty of websites to store data online as a backup- the main downside being the speed of uploading data to the net with many ISPs. Take a look at Mozy which offers 2Gb for free and unlimited for $4.95/mo.

I tried it at 2x, and got the same results.

I'm going to do this without spending once cent (I'm building a new computer, so I need to save as much money as possible).

Is this simply impossible? Would it be possible to rar files, even though I have a Mac? I just need to back up my files for free, it doesn't seem like too much to ask.

thanks again

PS: when I try to burn files through iTunes, all I get is something like "the device failed because the laser power level cannot support this media etc." I dunno exactly.

Pleeeeeease help.

 

[Angantyr]

Well, I've decided to stop caring. I will simply re-download all 2,000 of my mp3 tracks. Mac sucks. I'm buying a real computer now.