How to add files to a DVD RW disc

My problem seems simple.
But googling gives me hundreds of hits-- NONE of which answer my simple question–which is:

I made a DVD with some jpg files, and now I want to add a few more files to the disc. But I can’t. WHY NOT?

Here’s the whole story:
I copied a bunch of pictures from my camera to my computer- about 400 jpg files,2 gigs total size.
I copied them from the PC to a re-writeable disc,
Now I want to add a few more jpg files to the disc.
But the disc has been finalized, or whatever you call it. A right-click on the icon shows its properties as 100% full.
I cannot add to it. But I also cannot erase from it, or re-format it.
I made the disc with the following procedure:

  1. I inserted a new, blank DVD +R RW disc* into the drive. A window opened called “Autoplay”
  2. I selected “Burn Files to disc using Windows Explorer” (I did not choose the other option of "burn a DVD video disc using Windows DVDMaker)
  3. The next window opened: “How do you want to use this disc?”
    I selected “like a Flash Drive: save,edit and delete files on disc anytime”. (I did not choose the other option of “with a DVD player–files cannot be be deleted”)
  4. I copy-pasted the list of files from my PC to the DVD.

When I pressed the button to eject the disc, it said “please wait while the disc is closed so it can be used on other computers”

The disc now contains all the jpg files, and displays them for me—But I cannot add to the disc. I also cannot delete any files.
WHY NOT?

Please help me!

*details of the disc: it is labelled “DVD +R DL” and “240min/8.5GB” and “8X” with an additional logo saying “RW” printed on a background of a white square )

My Hardware:
I have a simple, 4-year-old desktop PC with Windows 7. The disc drive in it is labelled “hp1265” and printed with several graphic logos in stylized scripts: one says “DVD Multi recorder” another says “RW +R DL” and a third one says “Compact Disc Rewritable”, with a plus sign as part of the logo.

You need to specify, in advance, that you may be adding files at another session. Otherwise, the software will close your session and finalize the disk. Then you cannot add anything later.

Sometimes, finalizing is necessary to make the disk readable on (or compatible with) other devices, so you may have to decide on which mode you want in advance.

Re-reading both my post and yours, I realize I did not give you explicit directions like “press this button or click on this option.” That’s because I don’t have the particular hardware and software you do to emulate. I merely described the concept. Maybe someone else can do better.

You might be confusing R/W disks with R/O disks. Either can be added to, if the format written by the software knows about this in advance (R/W disks can be erased, R/O cannot). Another detail…R/W disks can be erased totally (format), but erasing a single file does not reclaim the space, it just marks that file as unavailable. Doing this many times will shrink the available space, unlike magnetic disks, where the space is truly reclaimed (if you empty the recycle bin).

If you plan on doing this kind of operation frequently, you might consider a non-Windows program instead of the internal routines. Personally, I like Nero, but there are many available, either free or cheap. Most seem to have more options and better interfaces than native Win stuff.

You also might consider that R/O disks are cheaper, write faster, yet can still be appended to. I consider the inability to erase an asset, not a liability. If I really need to erase a 30 cent disk, I toss it in the trash, otherwise, I’m not worried about accidentally wiping out my data.

Something like this?:
https://sc01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB16ifcJVXXXXXCXXXXq6xXFXXXO/200161034/HTB16ifcJVXXXXXCXXXXq6xXFXXXO.jpg

The “RW” logo does not mean it’s rewritable. As you detailed, the disc is labeled as “DVD +R”. It’s a DVD+R disc. There’s no way to rewrite that.

Then what does the RW mean?

Never mind—I googled it.

Those are strange markings. The “RW” sure looks like a branding, not a description, and Monimonika may be right. That’s misleading for sure.

The 8.5GB designation is also puzzling. A single-sided, single layer disk would be 4.7GB, so 8.5 suggests either double-layer or double sided, neither which appears on the packaging.

Maybe you need to get a more reliable disk source. I recommend diskmakers, although quantities less than 100 aren’t usually available from them.

Those are not rewriteable DVD blanks

They would be marked DVD +RW what you have is DVD +R9 (AKA DVD +r DL)
it is a double layer disc hence the 8GB

They are not rewritable

You need discs that explicitly read DVD +RW
and then of course do not close the session

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD%2BR_DL

The RW logo is confusing as hell because it does NOT denote a DVD+RW. It denotes the DVD+RW Alliance as noted, but it does NOT denote a rewritable disk unless it’s explicitly labeled “DVD+RW” and not “DVD+R”. I have a whole pile of DVD+R blanks with the RW logo and they are definitely not rewritable.

Adding files to an existing DVD (or CD) involves leaving the disc non-finalized and has nothing to do with whether it’s rewritable or not. The statement about finalizing “so it can be used on other computers” isn’t quite accurate – finalizing makes it basically look like an ordinary pressed CD or DVD (except that it’s not allowed to carry encryption) so it can be read on anything, but non-finalized discs can only be read properly (or added to) by DVD writing software (or an OS with that capability built in to its file manager) – though possibly ordinary programs might see the first or last session (only) – I can’t remember for sure.

A rewritable disc is a different kind of physical medium that is completely erasable.

The “DL” designation means dual layer and hence the larger capacity. Not all DVD burners handle DL reliably but probably most of the newer ones do.

The OP’s question has been answered, but I can add a little historical footnote to the +RW branding. Back in the year 2000 I was working for a big company in the DVD+RW alliance, helping to develop recordable DVDs. The competing system* was DVD-RW, which registered their trademark first, and in the style of the existing CD-R and CD-RW nomenclatures. It was meant to be pronounced “D V D R W”, just like “C D R” and “C D R W”, but some genius decided to call our system “D V D plus R W”, which meant everyone started referring to the other system as “D V D minus R W”. They were furious. It didn’t help that DVD+RW was generally technically superior too, mostly because +RW snapped up all the best patents first.

  • There was a third system, DVD-RAM, but it was never very popular in Europe.