I will write-protect my .cdr images now.

What if it is modified? (sorry if thats a dumb question ) Will it not mount?

Besides the annoyance of files being spammed over archived images of original CD's, and the incorrect dates, it is also a case of integrity. To preserve software you want it to be an untouched exact copy. If it contains files that do not belong, and has incorrect dates, then how do you know nothing else is changed? Or if it contains viruses, or malicious code? Or if some file is missing?

Even more importantly, it does cause problems - especially if you burn one of those modified images to CD to use on a real mac. Worst case scenario is that the burned CD cannot mount on your classic mac due to the corrupt file structure.

That has happened to me a couple of times, when I've used a downloaded image to make a CD. In some cases the images were screwed up so badly the only way to burn a CD readable on a 68k mac was to first burn a CD to get it from the OSX computer to PPC computer (which was compatible enough to mount it) and from there restore the file structure and burn *another* CD that the 68k computer was able to mount.

As pagan says, and I'll keep it simple - the site is all about the preservation of original Macintosh software. The Holy Grail of that is unmodified images of the original install media. It's what we should all be trying to achieve.

And I know sometimes this gets in the way of those who just want to download lots of stuff for free (usually everything) and play some of it. That's when we make a few compromises if we really must, ie. stripping out game demos from a CD image to cut the file size down to something easy to use. I've done it before for a few titles and I've had to go back and upload the full un-modified CD image to MegaUpload or similar, posting a second link on the game page.

Again, it might sound like we're making a big deal out of it, but that holy grail makes more than a few members here trawl eBay and other sites at least twice a week looking for new suitable titles, parting with our own money to make the original media available to all - rather than some warez version that was acquired from thepiratebay or similar that is missing the music, or video clips, or contains viruses.

Good point all, I think I left the audio discs out of some of the stuff I uploaded. I'll check.

ok ok dont kill me... everthing is a learning experience... ooops! ...I create the .cdr image from the Disk Utility of MacOS X, i will make a new one from the 9 and re-upload it. Working on it...

I don't think we're jumping down your throat, just trying to explain why it is so important to many of us. I do my best to keep the disc images original, but just sometimes it has to be modified.

OSX Disk Utility .cdr images are better than nothing, and they should have the correct modification timestamp, but this can be modified if you mount the .cdr disc image without locking it first. OS9 Disk Copy disc images are exactly the same, they should b locked before mounting. The biggest problem here seems to be that OSX Disk Utility and OS9 Disk Copy (from memory) automatically mount the disc image as soon as it's created, by default anyway, before you have a chance to lock it. We all have to remember to turn that option off in the create / save dialog box.

Toast, either OSX or OS9 versions are first rate at creating usable disc images that no-one should complain about. Again, lock them before mouning them.

Thanks for explaining .

Bertyboy, that s it. I made a locked .img file under the 9.2.2. mounted and checked. If somebody finds something out of place... well, tough luck! Im wearing an anti-flame suit by now...
Timestamps are checked, checksum, everything.
Toast 5.1 toast image give me the same problems as disk utility with the timestamps, files and folders.
In about 3 hours, links would be ready, people.

Toast, either OSX or OS9 versions are first rate at creating usable disc images that no-one should complain about. Again, lock them before mouning them.

Plus, Toast preserves the PC partition of a CD-ROM, if available.

It just depends on what you intend to do with the disc image. Personally I think it's a waste in this day and age of large memory and huge hard drives to burn cd's unless you absolutely must in order to get something to work. And some disc images containing old compact mac software won't work with Mini vMac unless altered from their original state. So there's reasons for going in either direction. I say preserve the disc as best you can--until preservation gets in the way of using it!

Is it Ok if I burn a CD image using Alcohol 120% or NERO?
That´s how I make my back-ups, even the Hybrid CD´s (music and data) result just like the originals
and work fine.

Absolutely.

Absolutely not. If the dates in my archives are changed, it means that the images were changed slightly to work easily with Mini vMac. Nothing else about the discs were altered. And I will not contribute to whatever kind of obsessive compulsive mania of yours it is that drives you to always be begging for redundant software.

Thanks for making me aware of this.
I had no idea you could damage the disk images in this way. I will be careful and follow the instructions here from now on.
However I will not remake my first few uploads, at least not for now as I don't think there have been any structural damage, maybe just some modified change dates.

Sticky now. Thanks for notification.