Windows CDs do not mount under Ventura OS

g_wolfman wrote:

As KiltedTim indicates, there is no difference - specifically there's no such thing as a "Mac formatted" or "Windows formatted" CD. There is only one CD data format, ISO-9660.

Macs used to offer the option to format CDs using either Mac format or hybrid format.

If I remember correctly, Mac-formatted discs used HFS (no "+"). The hybrid discs probably contained both HFS and ISO 9660 filesystems pointing to the same data.

Catalina removed all support for HFS (no "+") and reportedly, if you try to use either a HFS CD or a hybrid CD on a modern Mac, the Mac will see the HFS filesystem, choke on it, and reject the disc even if it is a hybrid disc, where the Mac theoretically could still read the data using the "PC" (ISO-9660?) filesystem.

This doesn't sound like the OP's problem. If the OP was running into this, the Mac would likely just reject the discs instead of spinning them forever without mounting them.

It’s doubtful it has anything to do with being a Windows or Mac CD. There should not be a difference. What it probably is, is a rewritable or recordable disk that was not properly closed when the creator finished burning it.

As KiltedTim indicates, there is no difference - specifically there's no such thing as a "Mac formatted" or "Windows formatted" CD. There is only one CD data format, ISO-9660.

Hence the reason the issue is something else like an improperly closed RW disk.

HFS was forever ago - given the OP posted here and not in "Earlier Operating Systems", "Older Hardware" or "Older Software" and never mentioned anything about trying to read old CDs...well, honestly it never even occured to go there.

Servant of Cats wrote:

If I remember correctly, Mac-formatted discs used HFS (no "+"). The hybrid discs probably contained both HFS and ISO 9660 filesystems pointing to the same data.

Thanks for the info. Years ago in Roxio Toast I chose to write hybrid data CDs to be as cross-platform and future proof as possible. I keep that HFS tip in mind if I still happen need to copy some data from them.

I tried to search if Toast indeed used HFS but could not readily find solid facts about this. My newer Macs do not have optical drives and my older Macs with CD/DVD drives can't run Catalina or later so I can't test how those old CDs/DVDs might behave. I might use old Macs to try to check if they are HFS or HFS+ hybrids.