Fun With Disc Burning in Vista

**Lemur** · 05-15-2007, 06:49

Just read a sobering article about burning CDs and DVDs in Vista. Sure as heck looks like another attempt by Microsoft to harness user inertia to spread a non-compatible format. Thoughts?

In several ways, users are pushed towards the Live File System (LFS) format, which is only compatible with Vista and XP. LFS is the format which is selected by default, and there appears to be no way to change this that I could find. In many cases, the user doesn't even get to see this selection, and following the easiest way to burn a CD or DVD will almost certainly result in an LFS format disk. Contrarily, in order to use the universally readable Mastered format, users have to select it consciously every single time, and still confirm this choice every single time. As far as I could see, LFS is some kind of unfinalized type of UDF -- with UDF standing for Universal Disk Format. Even if UDF is a universal format, LFS most certainly is not. I tried reading LFS format media on my Linux systems but failed, even though I installed udftools. Yes, K3b (a great Linux burning tool) could tell me that there was data on the disks, but it was unable to show the actual data itself. All other tools failed with the error message that the disk couldn't be mounted.

As for why Microsoft pushes LFS, I can't think of any good reasons. The only advantage of LFS over the Mastered format is the option to add files to an already burned disk later on. But there is already such a thing as multi-session, so this argument is largely moot, and besides, people actually expect to burn a CD or DVD in one go.

For all the rest, LFS has only drawbacks. First, it's confusing to the user, with no less than four versions, aimed at distinct Windows and Mac versions. Second, and most importantly, it will create compatibility problems in the world of creating CD's and DVD's – a world that at the moment features a near universal support and compatibility of available formats.

The only true reason I can think of for pushing LFS is that Microsoft attempts to lock its users once more into its products. Innocent users who use Vista's tool to save their photos, MP3 collection or back-ups in general may find that all of a sudden, they have no access to their own data any more, especially when abandoning Microsoft products. So far, I haven't been able to find any technical specifications with regard to LFS; and it is to be expected that Microsoft will consider it their Intellectual Property, the use and support of which is licensed under its terms to users. I think this is Not Good at all.

Oh great. So the next time Aunt Millie's disk of precious kitten photos can't be read by a Linux or OS X machine, the blame will fall on them for not "being compatible." Gah!

**sapi** · 05-15-2007, 09:13

It'll likely be cracked by hackers eventually and decoded (can't wait to see the MS reaction to that

) but it's still not good news

**Husar** · 05-15-2007, 11:10

Hmm, sounds bad, but then I almost never used the XP or Vista burning functionality since tools like Nero give a lot more options anyway and you get Nero for free with most burners.
Of course casual users may well fall for it, so many stupid little things they had to include.

**_Martyr_** · 05-15-2007, 21:41

Give it a few months and it will be supported in Linux...

Still though, it seems totally pointless to bring out a new CD format in this late stage of the technology... unless of course you are trying to lock customers in!

**Xiahou** · 05-15-2007, 22:06

Originally Posted by _Martyr_

Give it a few months and it will be supported in Linux...

Still though, it seems totally pointless to bring out a new CD format in this late stage of the technology... unless of course you are trying to lock customers in!

Yeah, that's just it- no doubt someone can/will reverse engineer it for Linux ect. But, it's still a bad precedent when MS makes defacto standards by foisting them on customers.

When MS subscribes to standards- good. When they make up their own "standards" and try to trick consumers into adopting it- bad.

**Bijo** · 05-16-2007, 19:16

Originally Posted by Xiahou

When MS subscribes to standards- good. When they make up their own "standards" and try to trick consumers into adopting it- bad.

Uhuh, them corporations are always at it. LFS, hah! Live File System, Schmive File System.

**Alexander the Pretty Good** · 05-16-2007, 20:11

Wait, so this is if you're burning stuff with Vista's built in software?

**Lemur** · 05-16-2007, 21:18

Originally Posted by Alexander the Pretty Good

Wait, so this is if you're burning stuff with Vista's built in software?

Correct. I know that most knowledgeable users will use Nero or some such, so it's not an issue uber-leet-haxor dudes will run across. My concern is for the Aunt Millies and the Uncle Jethros of the world. They're going to be burning their films of their poodles onto a non-compatible MS-only format. And they're gonna blame the rest of the world.