How the Mac Does Disks

Chapter 11. CDs, DVDs, and iTunes How the Mac Does Disks Burning CDs and DVDs iTunes: The Digital Jukebox DVD Movies 11.1. How the Mac Does Disks Apple shocked the world when
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How the Mac Does Disks Chapter 11. CDs, DVDs, and iTunesHow the Mac Does DisksBurning CDs and DVDsiTunes: The Digital JukeboxDVD Movies11.1. How the Mac Does DisksApple shocked the world when, in 1998, it introduced the iMac without a floppy diskdrive—and proceeded to eliminate the floppy drive from all subsequent Mac models inthe following years. Apple argued that the floppy disk was dead: It was too small to serveas a backup disk, and, in the Internet age, it was a redundant method of exchanging fileswith other computers.These days, even Windows PC manufacturers have left the floppy drive for dead. Joiningit in the great CompUSA in the sky: Zip disks, Jaz disks, SyQuest disks, SuperDisks,Peerless disks…11.1.1. Disks TodaySo whats springing up to take the floppys place? Let us count the disks:11.1.1.1. Hard drives and the iPodThanks to the Macs FireWire or USB jacks, its easier than ever to attach an external harddrive for extra storage. It would be hard to imagine a more convenient second hard drivethan, for example, Apples iPod. Most models are not only outstanding MP3 musicplayers but also double as self-powered, extremely compact, bootable hard drives.11.1.1.2. CDs, DVDsYou wouldnt get far in todays computer world without a CD/DVD drive. Mostcommercial software comes on a CD or DVD—not to mention the music CDs that theMac can play so expertly.CD-ROM stands for compact disc, read-only memory—in other words, you cant freelyadd and delete files from one, as you can from a hard drive.But your Mac can also record onto blank CDs, of course, and probably blank DVDs too,thanks to a built-in CD/DVD burner. A burner can record onto either of two kinds ofblank discs: • CD-R (or DVD-R). You can fill this type of disc with your own files—once. (The R stands for recordable.) The disc cant be erased, although you can add to it (see Section 10.30.9). • CD-RW (or DVD-RW).The initials stand for rewritable; using Disk Utility (Section 10.23.1.4), you can erase one of these discs and rerecord it, over and over again. Of course, CD-RW and DVD-RW blank discs are somewhat more expensive than the one-shot kind.The standard Mac CD/DVD drive can also play DVD movies that youve rented orbought, but you may also occasionally use it for data DVDs—that is, DVDs that containMac files or software installers.Most Leopard-capable Macs contain what Apple calls the Super Drive: a drive, actuallymade by a company like Pioneer or Matsushita, that can play and record DVDs (andCDs, too). A SuperDrive means that you can use blank DVDs as massive backup disksthat hold 4.7 GB or 8.5 GB each. (Thats 4.7 gigs for regular blank DVDs, and 8.5 gigson the newer, more expensive dual-layer blanks. Not all Macs recognize dual-layerDVDs, though. Check your copy of System Profiler, as described on Section 10.30.19.)If youve used iMovie to edit your home camcorder footage, you can also save them ontoone of these DVDs for playback in standard home DVD players—the perfect way todistribute your masterpiece to friends and family with spectacular quality.The first generations of SuperDrive could record only onto so-called DVD-R and DVD-RW blank discs (note the hyphen).The latest SuperDrives, found in, for example, thePower Mac G5, can also record your files onto DVD+R and DVD+RW discs (note theplus sign), which have dangerously similar names but very different formatting.11.1.1.3. Flash drivesThe most recent invention is among the most convenient: tiny, keychain-sized flashdrives or thumb drives, which plug directly into your USB jack and serve as low-capacityhard drives with no moving parts. Inside, they contain nothing but RAM—pure memory.Flash drives are fantastic, inexpensive gadgets that typically hold between 128 megabytesand 64 gigabytes. They work on any Mac or Windows PC, and dont require any driversor special software installation. Ask for one for your birthday.11.1.2. Disks In, Disks OutWhen you insert a disk, its icon shows up in three places (unless youve changed yourFinder preferences): on the right side of the screen, in the Computer window, and in theSidebar (Section 1.2). To see whats on a disk youve inserted, double-click its icon.Note: You can make the Mac work like Windows, if you choose. For example, to open asingle window containing icons of all currently inserted disks, choose Go Computer(which produces the rough equivalent of the My Computer window).To complete theillusion that youre running Windows, you can even tell Mac OS X not to put disk iconson the desktop at all. Just choose Finder Preferences, click General, and turn off thefour top checkboxes—Hard disks, External disks, CDs, DVDs, and iPods, andConnected servers. Theyll no longer appear on the desktop—only in your Computerwindow. (You can stop them from appearing in the Sidebar, too, ...