Treating DVD-R's like DVD-RW's

[mulberry]

One thing I've noticed in Vista, which sucks by all other measures, imho, you can actually copy and paste, delete, replace, etc files on DVD'R's just like they are DVD'RW's!

I know its not supposed to be possible, but I'm doing it right now! WTF?!

[Disk_Contented]

WTF? tut tut!

Actually, you can't. DVDR is write once medium. I expect the OS keeps a list of files you "deleted" and hides them. They appear to be gone.
The idea was used with CDs It is from the early 90s at least. Up to date Vista eh?

Those of us who used better systems way back that M$ helped to crush, will remember.

[mulberry]

Well, that would make sense, except they appear to be gone on my other computer thats running XP too.

[Disk_Contented]

Then the medium is still open, or it's a rewritable and you made a mistake.

[plthayer]

They are still on the disc, the OS just writes a new TOC (Table of Contents) to the disc each time you make a file change. So even though they are physically burned to the disc the OS can't read them after the TOC has been changed. Since all windows operating systems rely on the TOC to tell them where the files are located on the cd none of them will see files that are no longer listed. You will eventually run out of space on that disc even though you may only see a few smaller files.