The most reliable brands of CD-R/Ws?

Factual Questions
1

I recently had some problems with another PC, and am not sure if I’ll ever even be able to recover the files from it. So I’ve decided that I’d rather not risk losing any of my important files again. I know back-up hard drives and the like are probably the best option for that, but I haven’t got much money right now.

So does anyone know which are the most reliable brands of CD-R/Ws? I found out the hard way not to use Memorex discs. I put some files onto one of their discs and it was barely a year and a half before the whole disc screwed up, erasing most of the files on it, and corrupting the rest. I hadn’t subjected the disc to any abuse or extreme conditions whatsoever either. I’ve got some Sony brand discs that haven’t let me down yet, but I’d rather be sure that I’ve got a brand that’ll at least last 3+ years.

I was also just wondering if there’s any real difference between CD-R discs and CD-RW discs other than the fact that CD-RWs are rewritable. Does one type tend to be more reliable than the other, or have any other particular advantages I should know about?
Thanks in advance for any and all replies,
Ignatz

2

In the past when questions like this have come up, helpful dopers have posted a link to the CD-Recordable FAQ.

In particular, you may want to see What’s the best brand of media?, although that section’s apparently a few years old.

3

I advise you get a DVD-RW. You get about 5 times the storage per disk. Drives can sell for as low as $30. Byte for byte I’m betting the media is cheaper.