SecurDisc FAQ

1. What is SecurDisc?
2. Who developed SecurDisc?
3. What makes SecurDisc unique?
4. Can SecurDisc increase the chances of reading partially damaged media?
5. Can SecurDisc guarantee the origin of data on media?
6. Can SecurDisc restrict unauthorized access to files or folders on media?
7. Who currently provides SecurDisc drives?
8. What if I don't have a SecurDisc drive, can I still read a SecurDisc?
9. Is SecurDisc offered in languages other than English?
10. What are the minimum system requirements for using SecurDisc?
11. What versions of the Nero suite support SecurDisc?
12. Does the Nero 8 Trial version support SecurDisc?
13. Why does recording time take longer with SecurDisc than with other optical drives?
14. What types of files can be protected using the SecurDisc Copy Protection* feature?
15. Can SecurDisc features be combined for added security?
16. What software applications does SecurDisc consist of?
17. What are some examples of how SecurDisc features can be used to help me protect my data?
18. What version of Nero is required to install InCD Reader 5?
19. Are there any conflicts between InCD Reader and other packet writing software?
20. Is it possible to install InCD Reader on my PC if I use Nero 6 or earlier?
    

1. What is SecurDisc? SecurDisc is an innovative hardware and software based security technology that provides robust and highly secure data protection and content access control for information recorded on regular CD and DVD media.
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2. Who developed SecurDisc? SecurDisc was jointly developed by Nero and HLDS (Hitachi-LG-Data-Storage). Nero is the sole licensor of SecurDisc.
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3. What makes SecurDisc unique? SecurDisc is the only solution to protect data on optical storage media against unauthorized access and copying, while also ensuring that it is stored securely and redundantly. It uses mandatory storage level security features such as checksums to verify data integrity and readability, and redundancy storage and defect data management systems to ensure maximum data reliability. SecurDisc also provides user level security that can be enabled or disabled by the user, including robust encryption via double protection of user data (ie., through password protection and digital signature authentication.)
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4. Can SecurDisc increase the chances of reading partially damaged media? Yes. SecurDisc increases the chances of reading partially damaged media if it is a SecurDisc. This additional reliability is possible thanks to SecurDisc's checksum and redundancy functionality. Please note that although SecurDisc increases the chances of reading a damaged disc, this is only possible to a certain degree of damage. Back to Top
    
5. Can SecurDisc guarantee the origin of data on media? Yes. SecurDisc provides this capability through use of the digital signature authentication feature. Back to Top
    
6. Can SecurDisc restrict unauthorized access to files or folders on media? Yes. SecurDisc's password protection feature uses data encryption (AES-128) to restrict access to confidential files and folders.
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7. Who currently provides SecurDisc drives? Hitachi-LG Data Storage, LG Electronics, Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions and Lite-On IT Corp. provide SecurDisc capable drives. To find out more, click here
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8. What if I don't have a SecurDisc drive, can I still read a SecurDisc? Yes. To read a SecurDisc in a non SecurDisc drive, you will need InCD Reader 5. Once you enter the disc into your drive, SecurDisc will automatically determine whether you require InCD Reader. If you do, a message will appear notifying you to download a free copy, and will also provide you with a link to where you can download it. In order to read a copy protected SecurDisc, a SecurDisc compatible drive is required. Back to Top
    
9. Is SecurDisc offered in languages other than English? Yes. SecurDisc is currently offered in 26 languages. For a full overview of language support, please visit www.nero.com.
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10. What are the system requirements for using SecurDisc? The system requirements for SecurDisc are as follows: - Microsoft Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4 or higher), XP, 2003 Server, XP Media Center Edition, Vista (32-bit support only) - Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher - Microsoft DirectX 9.0c or higher 1.8 GHz CPU recommended, 256 MB RAM (512 MB RAM for Windows Vista) - Fast hard drive with 7200 RPM and short access time recommended - 80 MB of free hard drive space (for installation of Nero Express and InCD Reader) - Graphics card: 8 MB video memory, 800 x 600 resolution, 16-bit color settings (DirectX9 compatible graphics card for Windows Vista) Back to Top
     
11. What versions of the Nero suite support SecurDisc? Nero 7 and Nero 8 retail versions support SecurDisc.
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12. Does the Nero 8 Trial version support SecurDisc? Yes the Nero 8 Trial version support SecurDisc.
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13. Why does recording time take longer with SecurDisc than with other optical drives? On average, SecurDisc recording time is longer than with a non SecurDisc optical drive. This is because SecurDisc always fills the CD or DVD completely, regardless of the size of data that you are copying. The additional information stored on the CD or DVD consists of redundancy and check-sum data, included in order to increase the chances of retrieving information in case your disc gets damaged. Also, some additional time is required to prepare SecurDisc files on the hard drive. Back to Top
     
14. What types of files can be protected using the SecurDisc Copy Protection* feature? PDFs can be protected using the SecurDisc Copy Protection* feature. In order for you, or anyone else, to view a copy protected PDF, you require a special application called SecurDisc Viewer. SecurDisc Viewer can be downloaded free of charge at www.securdisc.net. PDFs that are copy protected using SecurDisc can only be read from the original DVD that was created. That means, if a SecurDisc copy protected PDF is copied to another media, it will no longer be readable, even with SecurDisc Viewer installed. In order to read a copy protected SecurDisc, a SecurDisc compatible drive is required.
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15. Can SecurDisc features be combined for added security? SecurDisc provides a number of different security features, including password protection, digital signature, and Copy Protection*. These features can be applied to individual files or folders, and can be applied either alone or in any combination that you require. For maximum security, you can apply all the features listed above to a file or folder. Back to Top
     
16. What software applications does SecurDisc consist of? To take full advantage of SecurDisc's features, you will need the following applications: Nero Express, to create SecurDiscs Nero InCD / InCD Reader, to access content on a SecurDisc, SecurDisc Viewer, to view copy protected PDFs.
    InCD Reader is available at www.SecurDisc.net.
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17. What are some examples of how SecurDisc features can be used to help me protect my data? SecurDisc was developed to help you protect your files not only from an accessibility standpoint, but from a data integrity standpoint as well. Below is a list of sample usage case scenarios:
    
    ROBUST HARWARE AND SOFTWARE ENCRYPTION
    Scenario: You have confidential data that you need to ensure is kept away from prying eyes. Therefore, you need to set up encryption to protect your files and folders.
    SecurDisc Solution: Password Protection
    How This Works: SecurDisc allows you to create a password protected disc, meaning that anyone wanting to view the contents of your files and folders must enter the correct password in order to do so. Since you set the password and you control who receives this password, you can feel safe knowing that access to your critical information is restricted.
    
    DATA AUTHENTICATION CHECKER
    Scenario: Highly confidential information is transmitted between hospitals to insurance companies everyday, including MRIs, CT scans, x-rays, etc. The accuracy of this information is critical to determining medical payouts for patients, and insurance companies need to be absolutely certain that this information is authentic, and that it has not been manipulated in anyway.
     
    SecurDisc Solution: Digital Signature
    How This Works: With SecurDisc's digital signature feature, you can digitally sign a disc to ensure that the information is valid, and that it has not been manipulated in anyway. The doctor, in this example, would digitally sign the confidential medical files, and then distribute a public key to the disc's recipients. The recipients can then verify the authenticity of the disc's contents, ensuring that they are receiving accurate, non-tampered data.
    
    MAXIMUM DATA RELIABILITY
    Scenario: You would like to show the family vacation photos and videos that you stored on a CD to some friends, only to find out that the disc has been scratched quite considerably, potentially damaging the data on the disc.
    SecurDisc Solution: Data Reliability
    How it Works: The data reliability feature of SecurDisc utilizes the empty space that is available on your disc after all your files have been copied by adding redundancy and check-sum data. Adding this data increases the chances that your fondest memories are retrievable even if the disc itself is damaged. If your disc gets damaged, the chances of retrieving data from it are much higher with a SecurDisc than a standard CD or DVD.
    
    INTEGRITY CHECKER
    Scenario: You have a large selection of CDs and DVDs storing everything from important personal data to family photos. Although this information might not be required regularly, the information stored on the discs is nonetheless critical, and it is imperative that the data does not become altered due to the physical decay of the disc. You want to make sure that you can check if your media may become unreadable.
    SecurDisc Solution: Data Integrity Check
    How it Works: Although SecurDisc cannot prevent disc decay, the data integrity check feature will show you the readability (integrity) of your data archived on a CD or DVD. In addition, a disc burned with SecurDisc will prevent the total loss of data by notifying you of the need for an emergency backup to be made to a different disc.
    
    COPY PROTECTION* *
    Scenario: You have confidential information stored in PDF format backed up on a DVD. You want people to be able to view the PDFs using the original DVD, but you need to ensure that the PDFs cannot be viewed with anything other than this original DVD.
    SecurDisc Solution: Copy Protection* *
    How it Works: SecurDisc's Copy Protection* * feature prevents PDFs copied from a SecurDisc to be read on any other device or via any other media. Copy Protection* ensures that the only way to read confidential files is with the original DVD, keeping the distribution of this information in your hands.
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18. What version of Nero is required to install InCD Reader 5? InCD Reader 5 can only be installed with Nero 7 and Nero 8. If you are using a previous version of Nero (Nero 6 or earlier), you will need to uninstall it and upgrade to Nero 8.
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19. Are there any conflicts between InCD Reader and other packet writing software? Using two different packet writing software products on one PC may cause conflicts. Please uninstall any packet writing software before installing InCD Reader.
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20. Is it possible to install InCD Reader on my PC if I use Nero 6 or earlier? If you are using Nero 6 or earlier, you will have to uninstall it completely to install InCD Reader 5.
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