Procedure for creating a "hybrid" CD-ROM.

NOTE: This assumes you are using TOAST v3.5.5 on the MAC platform. I used a CLUBMAC 4x2x6 CDRW (Yamaha innards) but any CDR unit that can be run using TOAST should work. This will create a CDR disc that can be read by any MAC, or PC running Windows 95/98. I've not tested to see if it will work on Windows NT or Win 3.1, but it should be readable for any unit that can read ISO 9660 discs. This procedure is designed for "one-off" or final discs...not as a temporary storage media as you might with other CDRW materials. For those of you using Macs that want to keep their photoshop "little-bitty" picture icons associated with their images but want to "burn" a cross platform CD-ROM, here's the "secret" procedure that you can discover if you read between the lines of the TOAST manual. This works for a Mac using TOAST software (I ran it using 3.5.5), and will require that you have a separate volume (partitioned hard drive is fine) for the images. You will need to have saved all of your files using appropriate software so that the picture icons appear AND most importantly, with a standard PC file extension (.TIF, .JPG, .GIF, .EPS etc) and conforming to ISO standards (with JOLIET extensions you can use long file names up to 32 characters). Images saved from within Photoshop will not even appear on the ISO portion of the disc UNLESS this extension is included. If you wish to be MS-DOS compatible keep all filenames in UPPER case and saved in the 8.3 format.. For a hybrid disc the Mac data must be by itself on a volume or partition. Place the images you want to burn to CD-ROM on the partitioned drive or volume so that they are the only things on this volume (everything on this volume get's burned to disc). File and folder structures are fine, though there is a limit—subdirectories are allowed to nest up to eight levels deep. The shared data can be located anywhere in the directory structure of the Mac volume. It is not recommended that you create a multi session hybrid disc as no link can be established between the different sessions. On the PC side only the data from the last session is visible; earlier sessions are ignored.

PROCEDURE:
-Put a new disc in your burner, and fire up TOAST. Make sure you have emptied your trash for that drive as well.
-Under FORMAT (main menu) choose MAC/ISO hybrid.
-In the upper part of the TOAST window click on the MAC label/button. Choose the volume where you placed the images. You may get a dialog box appearing stating "Optimize for speed will be used because the allocation block size of "NAME OF HARD DRIVE/PARTITION" is not a multiple of 2K." (don't worry, this doesn't affect your burn). Click OK and move on.
-In the upper window right below the MAC button/label is another label that says "ISO." Click on this label and another window opens. Drag the files/folders that you want visible to both platforms to this window.
-Click on the SETTINGS tab (third tab over). Choose CDROM from the format pop-up, and make sure that you have selected JOLIET (MS-DOS + Win 95) extensions under NAMING, and that the box is checked for "USE APPLE EXTENSIONS".
-When you view the disc image under the first tab the full file names should appear. If you see a red arrow to the right of the file then something is screwy (maybe your filename has exceeded the 32-33 character limit) or you don't have apple extensions or Joliet extensions clicked; check the settings in the third tab again.
-Click OK to get back to the main TOAST screen. If you are simply burning image files you should have fairly similar numbers for your MB size. Make sure not to exceed the limit for your CD (usually 600-650 MB).
-Begin your burn. (OK, you can check the speed of unit first...but I'm assuming that you've already done other burns before).

When TOAST is done you should have a disc that will conform to both the MAC HFS and ISO conventions. When you view this on your mac you will be able to see your beloved picture icons. When you view this on a PC you will see the image names just like you normally would. That's all folks...for burning images to disc.

But wait there's more. You say you want to have your browser software available for users on both the WINDOZE and MAC sides but you don't want them getting confused? Or you have stuff that you want only viewable to those on a particular platform? The stuff you want seen only by MAC users DOES NOT have to conform to ISO standards (IE, you CAN have extremely long file names and you don't have to use PC extensions like .IF, etc). Anything that you want viewable on the Mac portion of the disc DOES need to be on the same volume (read partition) as the images...but to make this as easy as possible it should in a separate folder (easiest if not a subfolder of the image folder).

Like this:

Main level: (IMAGES) (MAC STUFF)

Sublevel: (IMAGE SUBFOLDER1)(IMAGE SUBFOLDER2) (Mac Subfolder1) (etc)

NOT THIS:

Main Level: (MY DISC)

Sublevel: (IMAGES) (MAC STUFF)

-Click to select the mac volume just like you did before. The MB amount of the entire drive will appear under the Mac label/button.
-From the same volume drag only the folder(s) to the ISO window that you want viewable to someone using the CD on a PC. If you want you can go in and deselect a subfolder (by revealing the folder name, selecting and clicking on the REMOVE button) but if you have other subfolders below this they will be not visible to PC viewers.
-Anything you want viewable to PC users ONLY (ie not visible to MAC users) needs to be on a separate volume (your regular hard drive) and conform to ISO standards. Drag this to the ISO window from a separate volume/partition.
-Check to make sure you have the Apple extension box checked, JOLIET extensions ON and MULTI SESSION (XA) OFF.
-Burn away.

TOAST is smart enough to figure out that the stuff that conforms to ISO standards that is on the volume gets seen by both PC and MAC users. Stuff without extensions or in a folder that was not dragged to the ISO part of the disc is visible ONLY to MAC users. Anything that is dragged in from another volume is viewable to PC users only. Don't ask me how it's done, it's magic to me! Hope that helps, feel free to submit suggestions/corrections as you see fit.

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This page last updated: Friday, May 12, 2000