Back in August of last year , I wrote about QuickErase , a utility that clear it easy to delete rewriteable discs . ( As their names imply , rewriteable discs — a.k.a . , CD - RW and DVD - RW disk — can be reused , unlike received CD - radius and DVD - R disk , which can be sunburn only once . ) Although you could erase rewriteable magnetic disc using OS X ’s own Disk Utility , the process is a routine of a hassle : put in the disc , launch Disk Utility , pick out the disc in Disk Utility ’s list of volume , snap the Erase button in the Disk Utility toolbar , and then respond to the Erase Disc dialog that appears . As I noted back then , I canburna disc straight in the Finder , so why ca n’t Ieraseit ?
QuickErase makes this process a bit easier : With a rewriteable disc in your Mac ’s optic cause , launching QuickErase right away presents you with Disk Utility ’s Erase Disc dialog . But thisstillisn’t convenient enough for some people ( including me ) , because it expect you to found an coating . So I sustain attend for a better resolution , and I think I ’ve found one : mild ’ o ’ matic ’s freeEraseCMPlugIn 1.3.1(;download link ) . With EraseCMPlugIn installed — it ’s a contextual menu plugin , so you place it in ~/Library / Contextual Menu Items if you want it to work only in your own account , or in /Library / Contextual Menu Items if you want it to form in all accounts on your Mac — Control / right - clicking on a rewriteable disc in the Finder will give you with a new “ Erase ” item in the Finder ’s contextual menu ; choosing this item bring up the Erase Disc dialog . It does n’t get much easier than that .
( If you ’re odd about the Erase Disc dialog ’s Quickly vs. Completely options , I sum up them last capitulation : According to Apple , the former “ prepares the magnetic disc so that you may spell over the existing data but it does n’t really delete the information . ” The latter overwrites the entire disc with zeros — a unconscious process that is more complete and secure , but take importantly longer . )
EraseCMPlugIn also includes a configuration diligence that lets you decide whether newly - delete discs should be ejected now or seem in the Finder for use . ( There are actually two such practical software include with EraseCMPlugIn — one in English , one in French . The former is calledSetup.app , the latterConfiguration.app . ) just double - get across this software and then click the appropriate button in the dialog that appear :
EraseCMPlugIn ’s functionality should be build into the Finder ’s own contextual menus . Until then , EraseCMPlugIn fills the gap nicely .
UPDATE May 1 , 2006 , 7 phase modulation PST : Edited to ponder the inclusion of English - language Setup utility .
EraseCMPlugIn is compatible with Mac OS X 10.3 and later ; it presently does not work on Intel Macs .