# CDRW - Simple Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 22, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cdrw-simple-question/163414 "2003-03-22T19:45:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hobbes730](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/97f17d/32.png) [@hobbes730](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobbes730)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cdrw-simple-question/163414/1 "2003-03-22T19:45:15Z")
Okay, about 2-3 years ago I got a CD-RW drive with my Compaq Presario. For reasons I’ll leave to the BBQ Pit, I had to scrap the computer and salvage a few parts, such as the CD-RW drive, for a new computer that I built myself. The problem is, when that happened I lost the (remarkably good) burning software that originally came with the Compaq. This hasn’t been a problem so far, since most of what I burn are audio CDs, and common programs like Nero (the one I use) will burn CD-Rs just fine. But what about CD-RWs?? They need to be formatted before you can use them, and as near as I can tell Nero doesn’t support this. So what do I do? Is there a simple, free program out there that’ll just format CD-RWs for me, so I can drag and drop files just using My Computer? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cdrw-simple-question/163414/2 "2003-03-22T19:57:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hobbes730 \* > \*\*Okay, about 2-3 years ago I got a CD-RW drive with my Compaq Presario. For reasons I’ll leave to the BBQ Pit, I had to scrap the computer and salvage a few parts, such as the CD-RW drive, for a new computer that I built myself. The problem is, when that happened I lost the (remarkably good) burning software that originally came with the Compaq. > > This hasn’t been a problem so far, since most of what I burn are audio CDs, and common programs like Nero (the one I use) will burn CD-Rs just fine. But what about CD-RWs?? They need to be formatted before you can use them, and as near as I can tell Nero doesn’t support this. So what do I do? Is there a simple, free program out there that’ll just format CD-RWs for me, so I can drag and drop files just using My Computer? \*\* Umm… IIRC almost all versions of Nero should support CDRW formatting and burning. I think a more pertinent question might be if the burner itself supports CDRW because not all older burners did. Some were CDR only. look for the term “Re-writable” just under on the Compact Disk logo on the front bezel of the drive. ---
**Author:** ![hobbes730](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/97f17d/32.png) [@hobbes730](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobbes730)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cdrw-simple-question/163414/3 "2003-03-22T20:10:27Z")
No, it says “ReWritable” on the front of the drive. How do I burn an RW in Nero? Do I just treat it like a multi-session CDR, or is there a special option somewhere? BTW I have Nero 5.0 ---
**Author:** ![hobbes730](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/97f17d/32.png) [@hobbes730](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobbes730)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cdrw-simple-question/163414/4 "2003-03-22T20:12:26Z")
My mistake, it’s 5.5. Blah :smack: ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cdrw-simple-question/163414/5 "2003-03-22T20:46:16Z")
Won’t the “erase re-writable” option as a drop down under the “recorder” tab at the top do what you want? ---
**Author:** ![hobbes730](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/97f17d/32.png) [@hobbes730](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobbes730)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cdrw-simple-question/163414/6 "2003-03-22T20:56:40Z")
I tried it, it starts erasing and then says “Internal Target Failure” and ejects the RW. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cdrw-simple-question/163414/7 "2003-03-22T21:16:58Z")
This message from [Cdrinfo.com](http://Cdrinfo.com) [Nero error message](http://www.cdrinfo.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8230) seems to address your issue. If you have a 4X CDRW burner and use a CDRW disk rated any higher than 4X Nero will potentially choke. The CDRW rating is actually embedded into the disk and read by Nero. If you just bought these CDRW disks this may be the problem. > [@](#): > > Your old burner cannot handle High Speed CD-RW discs. Such discs have “High Speed” included in the Compact Disc ReWritable logo on their covers, and are usually rated at 4x-10x or 4x-12x, but even 1x-10x indicates an HS disc (since the rated speed exceeds 4x). Although your burner can rewrite at 4x, its laser system doesn’t meet the requirements of the newer HS technology. > > You should look for CD-RW discs rated at 1x-4x, or older discs rated at 2x. Such discs are gradually disappearing from the market, so in the long run, upgrading your burner may be the only solution. ---
**Author:** ![hobbes730](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/97f17d/32.png) [@hobbes730](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobbes730)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cdrw-simple-question/163414/8 "2003-03-22T21:32:13Z")
I see…that’s rather unfortunate, since I have a stack of 100 HS discs here…but if that’s the only solution, I’ll see what I can do. Thanks for the info. ---
**Author:** ![DVous\_Means](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@DVous\_Means](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DVous_Means)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cdrw-simple-question/163414/9 "2003-03-22T22:38:16Z")
As far as I know, Nero will burn to blank CDRW discs on its default settings - cetainly my installation of Nero 5.0 does. I have several CDRW’s that were burnt in multisession mode in exactly the same manner as non-rewritable discs. However, if what you want is the ability to drop & drag files to the CDRW in the same manner as a quick save to a floppy, then you will need a program that supports UDF format, such as Nero’s InCD or Roxio’s DirectCD (part of the Easy CD Creator suite). ---
**Author:** ![hobbes730](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/97f17d/32.png) [@hobbes730](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobbes730)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2003, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cdrw-simple-question/163414/10 "2003-03-22T23:57:14Z")
But if my drive is 4x max, then it’s not going to work with ANY high-speed CD-R(W)s regardless of what program I use to burn them, correct? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cdrw-simple-question/163414/11 "2003-03-23T00:17:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hobbes730 \* > \*\*But if my drive is 4x max, then it’s not going to work with ANY high-speed CD-R(W)s regardless of what program I use to burn them, correct? \*\* That’s what the response in the link seems to indicate. Using Roxio I’ve tried to burn an HS speed CDRW with an older 4X drive and it would not initiate. ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cdrw-simple-question/163414/12 "2003-03-23T00:18:58Z")
The “speed rating” of the media should be entirely irrelevent. As long as the burner is set to a speed both it and the media support, you’ll be fine. Try installing the latest ASPI layer from [www.adaptec.com](http://www.adaptec.com), failing that you might just need to replace the burner. They do go bad after a time. A new top of the line Lite-On 52X CD-RW drive can be had for $50, with slightly older models (such as 48X or 32X) going for the $30s or $40s. ---
**Author:** ![guy\_from\_wpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5e9695/32.png) [@guy\_from\_wpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guy_from_wpa)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cdrw-simple-question/163414/13 "2003-03-23T02:06:20Z")
You need In-CD from Nero to format the CD-RW. Go to [nero.com](http://nero.com), and get it.