1. What is a CD-RW?
2.
Why can't I put more than half a gigabyte on my 700MB CD-RWs?
3. How many times can a CD-RW disc
be rewritten?
4. What happens after 1,000
rewrites to CD-RW has been reached?
5. What is the expected
life for CD-RW?
6. Why are my Nashua Media CD-RWs
not being recognized by my CD-RW writer?
7. Will a CD-RW play in my Car
Stereo?
8. Can DVD drives read CD-RW discs?
9. Are CD-RW discs compatible with
audio CD players?
10. What does
"Multi-read" mean?
11. Can CD-R drives be
used to write to a CD-RW disc?
12. Can CD-RW drives
be used to write to a CD-R disc?
13. Why won't
my CD-RW drive work with the new CD-RW discs?
14. Can I use a High Speed CD-RW in my CD-RW drive?
15. Why won't my CD-RW drive
make a CD at maximum recording speed?
16. What is the
best way to handle, store, and clean CD-RWs?
17. What is your recommendation for labeling DVD media?
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1. What is a CD-RW?
The
CD-RW, formally referred to as "Compact Disc Rewritable," is the first
media in the CD family with rewriting capability. Data can be written repeatedly
on a CD-RW 1,000 or more times. CD-RW, unlike CD-R, performs recording by making
use of phase change materials in its recording layer that, when irradiated by
a laser beam, can be erased (crystal phase) and recorded (amorphous phase).
Then, by means of differences in their reflectivity, the data is read. This
enables repeated overwriting of data. During playback, the laser detects the
alternation between crystalline and amorphous light and dark. The process requires
a disc surface far darker than CD or CD-R; CD-RW is only 25% reflective. As
a result, CD-RW discs can only be read on drives designed to accommodate a wide
latitude in disc reflectivity. Most current CD-ROM drives are able to read CD-RW
discs and are designed as "Multi Read". DVD-ROM hardware, as well
as CD-RW recorders can read CD-RW discs.
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2.
Why can't I put more than half a gigabyte on my 700MB CD-RWs?
A 700MB CD-RW truly has a blank capacity of 700MB,
but 200MB are sacrificed to formatting so that data can be filed and erased.
Double-sided high-density floppy diskettes have an inherent capacity of 2MB,
but everyone is used to the 1.44MB capacity that remains after formatting.
The same applies to CD-RW.
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3. How many times can a CD-RW
disc be rewritten?
Today's specifications state that, with proper handling and storage, CD-RW discs
can be rewritten up to 1,000 times.
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4. What happens after 1,000
rewrites to CD-RW has been reached?
Software such as the UDF file system overcomes the "wearing out" of
particular areas on the disc (marginal segments are reassigned to a reserved
area on the disc), making the overwrite limitation much less of an issue. As
the technology improves, it is expected that media that can be re-written 10,000
or more times will be available.
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5. What is the
expected life for CD-RW?
Keep in mind that handling and storage conditions play
a big part in how long a CD-RW disk will last. Extreme temperatures or scratching
will obviously shorten the life expectancy of any optical media. CD-RW is rated
at 1,000 Rewrite cycles and over 25 years of archival life when stored correctly.
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6. Why are my Nashua Media CD-RWs
not being recognized by my CD-RW writer?
We have seen many issues in the past where an upgrade
of the writer’s firmware drivers corrected the issues. The Firmware upgrade
will tell the writer what speeds to read the CDRs at. You can get the Firmware
upgrade from the manufacturer's web-site for your specific writer.
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7. Will a CD-RW play in my Car
Stereo?
CD-RWs that are designed for music may not be compatible
in some car stereos. CD-RW has a lower reflectivity than CD and CD-R. Therefore
it cannot be played back in some car CD players unless the player is Multi-read
compatible.
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8. Can DVD drives read CD-RW discs?
"Multi-read" DVD-ROM drives are able to read CD-RW discs.
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9. Are CD-RW discs compatible
with audio CD players?
CD-RW discs will play in most CD audio players made after the year 2000. However,
older audio players produced prior to 2000 usually will not. CD-RW has a lower
reflectivity than CD and CD-R. Therefore it cannot be played back in conventional
CD players unless the player is Multi-read compatible.
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10. What
does "Multi-read" mean?
"Multi-read" is a drive specification that can read four media types:
CD-Digital Audio, CD-ROM, CD-R, and CD-RW. "Multi-read" drives can
play all CD media as well as DVD media. All DVD equipment that supports "Multi-read"
will also be able to read CD-RW data.
11. Can CD-R drives
be used to write to a CD-RW disc?
No, a CD-RW drive is required to record a CD-RW disc.
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12. Can CD-RW
drives be used to write to a CD-R disc?
Yes, CD-RW drives can read and write CD-R discs as well as CD-RW discs.
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13. Why won't
my CD-RW drive work with the new CD-RW discs?
There are two different types of CD-RW:
a)
the 1X-4X version
b)
the High Speed 4X-12X version.
Older drives with a maximum rating of 4X for CD-RW are limited to the 1X-4X
discs. New drives can use either type of disc up to the maximum speed rating
of the medium. The ability of CD-RW discs to be erased and recorded again has
led to changes. Unfortunately, some of these changes have run into some technological
restrictions that have required a new, incompatible CD-RW disc.
Almost all drives being manufactured today are CD-R/-RW drives that can record
both CD-Rs and CD-RWs. These drives are described by the maximum speeds they
can achieve for three operations: CD-R writing/CD-RW rewriting/and CD-ROM reading.
For example, a drive that is specified as 48X/12X/40X is capable of:
1)
writing CD-Rs at a maximum speed of 48 times the standard playback speed.
2)
rewriting CD-RWs at 12 times that speed.
3)
reading back a CD-ROM at a maximum speed of 40 times the playback speed.
In an attempt to make the CD-RW more popular, engineers redesigned the CD-RW
to be capable of faster recording speeds. That meant both a change in the formatting
process whereby some formatting was done during recording and also a change
in the design of the disk and recording drives to overcome earlier technical
restrictions that limited recording speed. The design changes mean that older
1X-4X drives will not work with the faster 4X-12X CD-RWs. Even though the older
CD-RWs rated at 1X-4X and the new CD-RWs rated at 4X-12X share a 4X speed, many
people may assume that there is some compatibility at the 4X speed. The two
versions share only the speed rating, but they are just not designed for each
other. Fortunately, the newer, high-speed drives do recognize and are able to
use the older 1X-4X CD-RW discs at their maximum 4X speed.
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To Top)
14. Can I use a High Speed CD-RW in my CD-RW drive?
High Speed CD-RW media are ONLY compatible for recording with the latest CD-RW
drives which bear a High-Speed Logo. High Speed media can be used for playback
in existing 2X/4X CD-RW drives and Multi-read CD-ROM drives.
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15. Why won't my CD-RW drive
make a CD at maximum recording speed?
There are several possible solutions as to why the burner may not be working
at it's maximum speed.
1. Drive Space is low -
A minimum free drive space of 1GB.
2. The Speed of the Processor is to slow.
3. Not enough RAM - A minimum of 64 Megs of RAM
is needed.
4. Drive is fragmented.
5. IDE channel conflict - The hard drive and the
CD-RW drive need to be on different IDE channels so that it can obtain the maximum
bus speed of the system.
6. Media is not at maximum speed - Even though
the media is rated for the max
speed of your burner, it may burn at a lower speed. Try another speed of media
or
different package to ensure that the media is not the issue.
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16. What is
the best way to handle, store, and clean CD-RWs?
Nashua Media Products CD-RW media is labeled and packaged to provide maximum
product protection. To maintain the integrity of the disc and the data stored
on the disc, please use the following care and handling guidelines.
Handling and Care
1. Handle the disc only by the outer edge to
keep fingerprints from the surface.
2. Use a soft, lint-free cloth for cleaning the
disc to remove dust, or fingerprints.
3. Wipe from the center to the outer edges and
never wipe in a circular motion.
4. Don't touch the unlabeled shiny side of a
disc — that's the recording surface.
5. Don't set a disc down on hard surfaces that
can scratch the recording surface.
6. Don't use abrasive or solvent cleaners, audio CD disc cleaners, or conventional
vinyl record cleaning solutions on the disc. Chemical-based cleaners and cleaners
that are safe for audio CDs might not be safe for CD-RWs.
Storage
1. Store discs in their storage cases to avoid
scratches.
2. Store discs in a cool, dry place, away from
direct light. The ideal storage temperature is between 23° F - 86° F.
3. Don't leave
the disc in direct sunlight or in a hot, humid environment.
4. Don't spill
liquids or allow moisture to condense on the disc.
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17.
What is your recommendation for labeling CD-RW media?
You
can write on the inner diameter or designated label area of the CD-RW (the
entire inner non-recorded side). Use only
soft-felt-tipped, permanent ink pens (such as Nashua
Media Products CD Writer Pens),
and write only on the designated areas. Water-soluble pens work best—their
ink dries quickly and minimizes smearing. Ball-point pens or other hard-point
writing utensils may damage the disc. Be careful when using adhesive labels.
Use only labels with high-quality adhesive designed not to corrode the reflective
layer of the disc. Be sure to apply it properly. Labels applied off-center or
with ripples can harm your CD player. If you misalign the label or don't
smooth the label down and there are air bubbles under the surface, then you
run the risk of your CD-RW spinning out of balance, which could cause reading
and tracking problems. If you try to reposition the label after it is partially
stuck, then you run the risk of damaging the CD-RW as you remove the partially
stuck label.
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