• Selfboot or Selfboot Inducer

This tutorial is designed to help people use CDRecord within the Selfboot or Selfboot Inducer v3 GUI. This tutorial does not cover using CDRecord to burn any type of disc other than selfbooting Dreamcast homebrew discs. It does not cover using CDRecord as a command-line utility.

Using CDRecord within the Selfboot GUI

Selboot CDRecord Config

Selfboot GUI

Selfboot should not be confused with Selfboot Inducer.

1. When you attempt to use CDRecord for the first time, you will need to configure it for use with your CD burner. Both Selfboot and Selfboot Inducer will attempt to configure it for you. 
   If you are using Selfboot, you simply need to click “Yes” when the dialog box pops up to ask if you want to configure CDRecord. Then, simply click “OK” on the next dialog box, and you are ready to roll. 
   Note: If you have previously used Selfboot, and did not configure CDRecord, you will need to find the file called Selfboot.ini within your Selfboot directory, and delete that file.
2. Once you have chosen the directory that you want to build an image from, choose “CDRecord” from the select box at the top of the Selfboot GUI.
3. Input the speed at which you want to burn the first session of the disc (selfbooting Dreamcast discs require two separate sessions). Do not burn any part of this disc at more than 12x. If you burn at higher than 12x, the disc will sometimes not work.
4. Click the first “Burn”.
5. Now wait. CDRecord will give you ten seconds to cancel the operation, then your burner will start running. When you hear your burner slow down and stop then you are ready for the next step. It will take between thirty seconds and two minutes, depending on the speed of your computer and the speed of your burner.
6. Click “Msinfo” and watch the Command Prompt screen. A one digit number, followed by a comma, followed by a five digit number will appear in the window. Input that number in the textbox to the right of the “Msinfo” button.
7. Input the Volume for your disc. This can be whatever you want the disc title to be. It can be up to 11 characters, and it can include only capital letters, numbers, and underscores.
8. Click on the “Make ISO” button. This will create an ISO 9660 image of the second session. This step may take a while, depending on the size of the project you are putting together. The ISO will be saved on your hard drive (in case you want to use it again later).
9. Input the speed at which you want to burn the second session. Keep in mind the same notes I added above.
10. Click on the second “Burn” button to finish the disc. This step may also take a while, depending on the speed at which you burn the disc, and the size of your project.
11. The completed disc will eject itself from your CD drive when it is finished. Label it with a Sharpie or disc label so that you will know what it is, and then put it in your DC to test it out.
12. Selfboot will save a small file on your harddrive called “Selfboot.ini“. This file contains information pertinent to CDRecord (the scsibus of your CD burner, and the msinfo from the first session of the disc).

Note: If CDRecord does not work for you, try downloading “ForceASPI” and running it on your computer. A lot of times, the ASPI layer that is installed on your computer is not compatible with CDRecord, but most people have said that ForceASPI fixed their problems. 

Using CDRecord within the Selfboot Inducer v3 GUI

Selboot Inducer CDRecord Configuration

Selfboot Inducer - Step 2 - Select Burn Speed and Find MSInfo

Selfboot Inducer - Step 3 - Create the ISO and Burn the Image

These steps are slightly different for other versions of SBI.

1. If you are using Selfboot Inducer, you will need to do a bit more. First, you need to click on the button that says “Scanbus“. Then, look in the Command Prompt window (DOS prompt) to find the list of drives on your computer. Locate your CD burner, and remember the number all the way to the left hand side of that row. Type that number into the box at the bottom of Selfboot Inducer exactly as it appears in the window. The number should be a one digit number, followed by a comma, followed by a second one digit number, followed by a second comma, and then a third one digit number. Then click on the arrow at the bottom that points to the right..
2. Input the speed at which you want to burn the first session of the disc (selfbooting Dreamcast discs require two separate sessions). Do not burn any part of this disc at more than 12x. If you burn at higher than 12x, the disc will sometimes not work.
3. Click the “Burn” button.
4. Now wait. CDRecord will give you ten seconds to cancel the operation, then your burner will start running. When you hear your burner slow down and stop then you are ready for the next step. It will take between thirty seconds and two minutes, depending on the speed of your computer and the speed of your burner.
5. Click “Msinfo” and watch the Command Prompt screen. A one digit number, followed by a comma, followed by a five digit number will appear in the window. Input that number in the textbox to the right of the “Msinfo” button.
6. Click on the arrow pointing to the right, at the bottom of the Selfboot Inducer GUI.
7. Click on the “Make ISO” button. This will create an ISO 9660 image of the second session. This step may take a while, depending on the size of the project you are putting together. The ISO will be saved on your harddrive as “data.iso” within the same directory you have Selfboot Inducer installed. If you want to use the same ISO at a later date, you can follow all of the same steps I am describing here, but simply skip the “Make ISO” step and move on to the next one.
8. Input the speed at which you want to burn the second session. Keep in mind the same notes I added above.
9. Click on the “Burn” button to finish the disc. This step may also take a while, depending on the speed at which you burn the disc, and the size of your project.
10. The completed disc will eject itself from your CD drive when it is finished. Label it with a Sharpie or disc label so that you will know what it is, and then put it in your DC to test it out.
11. Selfboot Inducer will save a small file on your harddrive called “CDRecord.ini“. This file contains information pertinent to CDRecord (the scsibus of your CD burner, and the msinfo from the first session of the disc).
12. If you click on the arrow pointing to the right again, it will bring you back to the main Selfboot Inducer GUI, so that you can clean out your Inducer directory if you want to.

Note: If CDRecord does not work for you, try downloading “ForceASPI” and running it on your computer. A lot of times, the ASPI layer that is installed on your computer is not compatible with CDRecord, but most people have said that ForceASPI fixed their problems.