New iMac G5, OSX 10.4.3, Retrospect 6.1 - Won't Work!

[chickering]

I have a new iMac G5, 1.8 ghz, 1gb memory, OSX 10.4.3. CD/DVD is Matshita/Panasonic CW-8124 (a Retrospect approved drive). Installed Retrospect 6.1. Now, I am trying to restore to iMac from DVD backup set made previously on G4 (which uses version 6.0).

 

iMac G5 loads Retrospect 6.1 program okay, shows the backup catalog, lets me choose which files to restore, and tells me which disc from the set to insert -- just like on my G4, everything perfect to that point. But then, when I insert the requested DVD disc from the backup set, iMac G5 just barfs the disc back out! No explanation, no error code, just won't accept or acknowledge the disk. (Disc works and restores fine on G4).

 

So I tried to "configure" the drive using the program routine. Same deal, iMac G5 just threw out the disc with no explanation.

 

What's up? Why is Retrospect not liking discs on my iMac G5?

 

Thank you for your help.

 

John CHickering

Rockford, Michigan

[natew]

Hi

 

The CD-8124 cannot read or write DVD disks created with Retrospect. It can only read and write CD-R/RW.

 

I'm a little puzzled. You have a new imac with this drive? I thought all new imacs had DVD burners?

 

Thanks

Nate

[chickering]

Hi Nate,

 

Thanks for the reply. Yes, this is a new iMac, bought from the Apple store here in Grand Rapids, just a couple weeks ago. I know the drive cannot write to DVD, but it can read DVD, because (a) it plays regular video DVDs just fine; ( System Profiler utility says "Yes" next to "Reads DVD" under "Disc Burning"; © nomenclature for the machine corroborates these facts and indicates it will burn and read CDs, and act as a "DVD Read Only" drive.

 

So, all I want to do is READ from a DVD backup set made on my other machine (a G4 running OSX 10.3.9 and Retrospect 6.0).

 

If my G5 DVD drive can read other DVDs, why can't it also read Retrospect DVDs?

 

-- John Chickering

Rockford, MI

[michaeln]

Hi,

 

Retrospect DVD backups can only be read from DVD writers/burners and cannot read from DVD-ROM's.

The same is true for Retrospect CD's which can only be read from CD-R/RW and not CD-ROM's.

 

This is because Retrospect uses a special disc writing method that allows the user to keep the write session open while still being able to read the contents written to the disc which is different from other burning software that writes to the disc and then closes the session but doesn't allow you to use the full capacity of the disc.

[chickering]

Okay, you answered my question, and I appreciate that very much! Thank you for taking the time to help.