I more or less understand how CDs work… lasers and all checking for the Zero and Ones. What about a re-recordable CD ? Is it a magnetic or a physical change when you record ? Why can’t you just delete some files and instead need to wipe out the whole CD when you need free space ?
Unlimited recording and erasing ? Or do they start having problems after 30-50 uses ?Oh forgot… should I avoid exposing the CDs to some specific radiation or sunlight ?
The laser in your CDRW is physically altering the CD when you burn it. CD’s are not magnetic. I believe your software, and how you have formatted your CDRW will determine whether you can delete files, or have to reformat the whole CD when you need more space. Theoretically, it is unlimited use, but, due to handling, I find many CD’s dont last as long as your proposed 30-50 uses. The quality of the CD, and the depth of the burn (as determined by the burn speed) will also have a bearing on how many uses you can get…
A CD will be ok if it is exposed to the sun. However, if it sits in the sunlight, it can warp, and be destroyed. Radiation depends on the concentration. Obviously, your laser is a form of radiation, and that alters the cd. Can it sit on top of your monitor? Sure. Again, beware of prolonged exposure to heat…
See CD-R FAQ. (Some parts are a little out of date. Any burner you buy now does both CD-Rs and CD-RWs.)
This is correct. If you’re using software like Roxio’s CD Creator, you can format the CD-RW disk. Then, you can treat it just like any other storage medium - you can delete files, drag files to it in Windows Explorer, and even use DOS commands to copy files to it (this is how I do backups - I’ve got a script that copies new files onto the CD-RW, replacing the older versions).