Using QPxTool to check optical drives and media for errors

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Article from Issue 169/2014
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Optical disks vary greatly in terms of quality. To use them optimally and avoid data errors, you need only two things: Linux and QPxTool.

Optical disks are still used for backups and multimedia applications because they are much less expensive than Flash media and their service life is reasonably well known. Blanks, however, vary greatly in quality, and not every burner is suitable for use with any CD-R. In the worst case, the backup ends up with errors on the disk, and you may be left without a copy in an emergency.

The QPxTool program [1] helps you avoid blanks that are incompatible with your drive. In most major distributions and their derivatives, you will find the tool in the repository, from which you can install with a single mouse click. To compile the source code manually, check out the instructions on the QPxTool homepage  [2].

First Start

After starting, QPxTool first guides you to a somewhat cluttered application window that lists many parameters on the right in the Media R/W Capabilities and Generic Capabilities sections.

[...]

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