CDR vs. CDRW

This week's newsletter sparked a tremendous amount of email already about the use of CDR/W drives and their use. Specifically, newsletter readers were interested in knowing the difference between CDR and CDRW.

In a nutshell, CDRW allows you to use a CD like a floppy disk and copy, delete and recopy files. CDRW's do NOT work for music CD's, and are not easily shared with other computer users. CDRW media also tends to be more temperamental than CDR's. Average cost for a CDRW is $1.30 each.

CDR's can be used for music CD's, data CD's and (with the right software) used like floppy disks. CDR's can be shared readily with almost any computer user and they cost an average of 30 cents each!

To use a CDR as a floppy, you must have a software package that supports 'packet writing'. If you use Roxio EZ-CD Creator, it includes a software called Direct CD that will handle this method. The other popular CDR burning software is Nero Burn. It too supports packet writing with its InCD software.

It is still highly recommended to use the "burn at once" method of creating data CD's when sharing with other users.

The following resource provides a fairly exhaustive list of answers about CD burning:

CDR FAQ