** 1 page review / 680 words **

CD Writer Plus/CDbackup

Shiuming Lai dusts off that re-writable CD he bought many moons ago...


** BACKUP.GIF here **
** Caption **
Anodyne Software products are clear and easy to use
** /Caption **

All too often it's taken for granted some of the things the ST can do, since, in relative terms, it's a powerful machine. Just try graphical web browsing on a 1985 vintage PC, you can't - or 2x speed CD writing like the ST does, make sure it's no less than a 100MHz 486.

"What?!" is the invariable reaction of the ignorant and prejudiced when one mentions, "CD writing" and "ST" in the same sentence. Of course we know better, and Anodyne Software scooped two 80%+ scores for its ExtenDOS Gold and CD Writer Atari CD-ROM products last issue.

While these were being snapped up by eager enthusiasts, work was already nearing completion on the next logical product, a CD-R data back-up program. The name is CDbackup. It's not available as a stand-alone product, only as part of the CD Writer Plus package, which includes CD Writer for audio, and CDbackup for erm, backing up. Existing owners of CD Writer will be able upgrade to the CD Writer Plus package to get the full functionality.

CDbackup (the data part of CD Writer Plus, try not to get confused!) is the first Atari CD-ROM product to use the rewriting feature on many modern CD writers, such as the Yamaha CRW 4260 and 4416 series. This presents some people with a dilemma; should you wait for SoundPool to add CD-RW support in CDRecorder, or should you wait for Anodyne to add full Red Book audio mastering to CD Writer? Read on and judge according to your requirements.

The primary purpose of CDbackup is to store entire hard disk partitions, this is achieved by simply selecting the desired partition(s) and whether you want to record the entire partition or reject any redundant space for maximum economy. Once written, the sessions are seen by TOS and its associated applications in the usual way. To do this you need the latest version of ExtenDOS Gold (v3.1) because the active session needs to be manually set. A small drawback for a lot of convenience. For extra security there is a back-up validation feature available which performs a bit image comparison of the CD and hard disk.

Where CDbackup scores over SoundPool's CDRecorder is its ability not only to write to RW discs, but also to erase them. At the moment it's very simple and erases the entire disc - individual sessions can't be deleted. Similarly, the writing function doesn't allow selective file writing like CDRecorder (unless an entire partition is set aside as a compilation area, then back that up), so SoundPool's product remains the better choice for data CD creation. Anodyne's software will, however, recognise any sessions written by CDRecorder, giving the best of both worlds.

** Boxout **
ExtenDOS Gold 3.1 new features

** UL **
* Support for 68040 CPU cache
* Increased use of alternate (fast) RAM
* Added support for CDbackup component of CD Writer Plus, to allow back-ups to be viewed from the desktop
* CDaudio now blocks menu-dropping during recording, which previously caused drop-outs
* Added Session CPX to manage the different sessions on a CD
** /UL **

If you already have ExtenDOS Gold 3.0 and access to the internet, you can download an update from Anodyne's web site, otherwise return your disk and manual to System Solutions along with a œ5 fresh-up fee plus œ3.95 P&P.
** /boxout **

** Product box **
CDbackup

Publisher: Anodyne Software
Email: anodyne@cyberus.ca
http://www.cyberus.ca/~anodyne/

UK distributor: System Solutions
Tel: +44 (0)181 693 3355
Fax: +44 (0)181 693 6936
info-software@system-solutions.co.uk
http://www.system-solutions.co.uk/cafe/

Upgrade and mail order sales:
System Solutions, 119 Arthur Road, Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 1RU
Tel: +44 (0)1753 832212
Fax: +44 (0)1753 830344

Price: œTBA

Requires: TOS 1.4 or above (also tested with MiNT v1.08 and v1.12, Magic 2 to 6 and Geneva 3 to 6), ExtenDOS Gold 3.1
** /boxout **

** Images and captions **
** CDRW.GIF **

** SESSION.GIF **
Access back-up sessions from the desktop just like a normal CD-ROM