Talk:Drive Letter Access

message: This page reads suspiciously like a marketing document for DLA.  Pronouns are overly friendly and encouraging ("DLA gives us the ability", "Using Windows Explorer you can drag & drop"), and the style in general seems designed to get people excited about DLA.
More seriously, the article has nothing bad to say about the product.  I don't know much about this product, but given the compatibility problems that something like this could create, it seems unlikely that there are *no* disadvantages, limitations, or competitors to this apparently controversy-free product.
I may be wrong, but I think somebody who knows more about this than me should have a look at the article to make sure it's not pure shill.
Fang2415 23:19, 10 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  article quality 

message: == Negative Statements 1 ==
Hi!
Yes, the article is very simple and doesn't contain any negative statements about DLA.  I own an IBM Thinkpad with pre-installed DLA (an OEM version for IBM) which does pretty much that what is stated in the article right now.  Negative: yes, there are some things that are not so good:
* On the Sonic Solutions webpage there is no information about which version is the latest release.
* It is only available in english language (as far as I could find out - please correct me if I'm wrong).
* I think that most users use it only because they got it with their hardware (either it was pre-installed or it came with the optical recording device). If they had to buy it, users would probably buy something else (like Nero InCD) - but all that is only my personal opinion, I wouldn't write something like that in an article of wikipedia.
* I occasionally read something about incompatibility with other Packet Writing software. So it is possible that DLA-recorded disks that use UDF (like DVD-RAM media) cannot be read/changed/written to on other operating systems or with other Packet Writing software.  Such a statement would have to be verified before it would go into an article!  I personally once had the problem that I couldn't read an UDF formated media that was filled with Windows .exe files (Service Packs, Freeware and such things) with Linux (Kernel 2.6.10+, Gentoo 2006.0) in my Windows XP SP2 + DLA 5.2 system. I rarely have to do such things because I normally use Linux. Windows is just there because it was pre-installed.
So there ARE some negative things about DLA, but none of them are acknoledged and therefore ready to go into this article. I think, for the mean time, this article should stay like it is.
Greetings, Andreas Y2kbugDE 10:50, 8 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Negative Statements 

message: Hi!
Yes, the article is very simple and doesn't contain any negative statements about DLA.  I own an IBM Thinkpad with pre-installed DLA (an OEM version for IBM) which does pretty much that what is stated in the article right now.  Negative: yes, there are some things that are not so good:
* On the Sonic Solutions webpage there is no information about which version is the latest release.
* It is only available in english language (as far as I could find out - please correct me if I'm wrong).
* I think that most users use it only because they got it with their hardware (either it was pre-installed or it came with the optical recording device). If they had to buy it, users would probably buy something else (like Nero InCD) - but all that is only my personal opinion, I wouldn't write something like that in an article of wikipedia.
* I occasionally read something about incompatibility with other Packet Writing software. So it is possible that DLA-recorded disks that use UDF (like DVD-RAM media) cannot be read/changed/written to on other operating systems or with other Packet Writing software.  Such a statement would have to be verified before it would go into an article!  I personally once had the problem that I couldn't read an UDF formated media that was filled with Windows .exe files (Service Packs, Freeware and such things) with Linux (Kernel 2.6.10+, Gentoo 2006.0) in my Windows XP SP2 + DLA 5.2 system. I rarely have to do such things because I normally use Linux. Windows is just there because it was pre-installed.
So there ARE some negative things about DLA, but none of them are acknoledged and therefore ready to go into this article. I think, for the mean time, this article should stay like it is.
Greetings, Andreas Y2kbugDE 10:50, 8 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Negative Statements 1 

message: I have a brand new HP/Compaq nw8440 notebook with a TSSTcorp TS-L632D DVD-RW unit and DLA preinstalled.
* sometimes when a CD-ROM medium is inserted, DLA prevents its ejection with a dialog saying something like "DLA detected that files are in use, save  work first..."
* hangs with certain RW media. The explorer locks up when trying to access the CD (or DVD). CPU is burned at 100%. Reboot takes ages, complains that explorer.exe and DLACTRLW.exe are not responding. (same media can be read under linux without problems).
xerces8, 195.3.81.25 08:39, 17 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Negative Statements 2 

message: * DLA is reported to cause system lockups with software for mounting CD/DVD images on a virtual drive (e.g. Daemon Tools, MagicISO). --Funnels 10:37, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Negative Statements 3 

message: Finell wrote:
* DLA may prevent ejecttion of media from an optical drive. When this occurs, a solution is to restart the operating system.
 QUESTION: What about poking a paper clip, etc., in the eject whole?
Well, I personally never had that problem. This is because I don't write to optical media when I run Windows due to my first operating system being Linux.
I'd say, that one could eject the media using this "emergency eject the very importaint CD/DVD NOW" hole using a paper clip, but this would still leave open file handlers on the software side and do more harm than good.
‣Andreas•⚖ 13:01, 11 February 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Known problems with DLA 

message: * DLA versions
*# DLA was originally developed by Veritas.
*#* Circumstantial: IBM MIGR-41602  The titel says: "IBM DLA and Veritas DLA software - IBM IntelliStation E Pro"
*#* Circumstantial: IBM MIGR-42199  The titel says: "Veritas DLA UDF reader"
*#* Circumstantial: file.net - tfswctrl.exe Error (german)  Under "Datei Info: Der Drive Letter Access Component oder Direct Access Component Prozess gehört zu..." (german, sloppy translation: "File Info: The Drive Letter Access Component or Direct Access Component Process belongs to...")  Uncertainty: Both DLA and DirectCD are mentioned in that article.
*#* The formaly well quoted Argentum DLA page  On this page Argentum actually wants to tell us about "Argentum Backup" (scroll down a bit), but the top part describes very carefully how to get and install DLA.  Veritas and Sonic Solutions are mentioned in the article, DLA is said to have been sold to Sonic Solutions in 2002.
*#* Clearly: www.answers.com writes that DLA originally was from Veritas. But: the article is very similar to the one from Argentum... (cut & paste? maybe...)
*# The DLA version I used to get information for this article is the OEM version from IBM, which can be found at:
*#* IBM MIGR-40970
*# Dell also provides its OEM versions of DLA:
*#* Dell's DLA version 4.95 (update)
*#* Dell's DLA version 5.2 (update)
*# On the mentioned sites (IBM, Dell) you can find the supported Windows version for each version of DLA.
*# That there are also OEM version from HP and Sony is stated in the Argentum DLA article.
*# A user added Toshiba to the german DLA artilce.  This is yet unconfirmed, but I decided to leave it in. Feel free to correct it.
* Technologies used in DLA
*# packet writing ≠ UDF
*#* There should be plenty information on packet writing and UDF in the corresponding Wikipedia articles.
*# DLA uses UDF as the file format
*#* Well, that just is so, I presume that there is no discussion about that.
*#* Argentum DLA article: "UDF packet writing driver for your CD/DVD drive"
*#* Circumstantial: IBM MIGR-42199, the titel says: "Veritas DLA UDF reader"
*# For DVD-RAM DLA only provides Windows (the user of Windows) with the UDF file format (– so it is not packet writing that is being used here!)
*#* (references wanted)
*# DLA does support Mount Rainier aka EasyWrite
*#* Argentum DLA article: "DLA and EasyWrite drives"
Note: This list is not complete. 
If you add information to the article, please be so kind to add you source of information (reference) here! Thank you. --Andreas
== DLA is not compatible with Internet Explorer 8. ==
More information needed.  AFAIK, only the "browser helper object" is incompatible with IE8, and it can be disabled without affecting DLA. And, AFAIK, the IE add-in for IE-7 is not compatible with IE 8 only because it is not certified, and it can be enabled without affecting IE8.
I do not know what the browser add-in is supposed to do. More information is needed.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.214.18.240 (talk) 09:40, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  references 

message: More information needed.  AFAIK, only the "browser helper object" is incompatible with IE8, and it can be disabled without affecting DLA. And, AFAIK, the IE add-in for IE-7 is not compatible with IE 8 only because it is not certified, and it can be enabled without affecting IE8.
I do not know what the browser add-in is supposed to do. More information is needed.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 218.214.18.240 (talk) 09:40, 5 February 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  DLA is not compatible with Internet Explorer 8. 

message: * It relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications.
True, I've never seen an article about this software other than in general How-To Guides about CD/DVD recording. Most references are from software vendors about DLA version updates, fixes and workarounds.
* The notability of this article's subject is in question. If notability cannot be established, it may be listed for deletion or removed.
I hope it will not be removed. It was very well known for a decade as a packet writing software for Windows 98SE to XP. Since the support for XP ends on April 8, 2014, Windows XP users may still be using it for writing to CD-RW/DVD±RW/DVD-RAM. DLA is no longer required under Windows Vista and newer.
About the distribution of DLA, I could not find any references from independent authors and third-party publications other than statements that imply that it was mainly distributed by computer (desktop, laptop) manufactorers as OEM software. A great variety of OEM versions of DLA are also a hint.
I'm sorry if this should not be enough for a Wikipedia article.
‣Andreas•⚖ 06:38, 29 April 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  This article has multiple issues. (Tagged since April 2012.)