CD-Recordable FAQ

Are they identical to normal CDs?
The CDs you buy in a store are pressed from a mold. CD-Rs are burned with a laser. They may look different (often green, gold, or blue instead of silver), they're less tolerant of extreme temperatures and sunlight, and they're more susceptible to physical damage. Whether CD-Rs or pressed CDs last longer is difficult to answer. While they're not physically identical, they work just the same. Some CD players and CD-ROM drives aren't as good at reading CD-R and CD-RW discs as they are at reading pressed CDs, but by and large they work just fine. By the way, you can't record on pressed discs, so you might as well throw out all those AOL CD-ROMs you've been accumulating. Buying a bunch of old CDs in the hopes of writing new stuff onto them is a bad idea. For similar reasons you can't record on DVD media, not even DVD-R and DVD+RW, unless your drive explicitly supports the DVD formats. You have to buy blank CD-R or CD-RW media.

What's CD-R? CD-RW?

Are they identical to normal CDs?

Can I create new audio and data CDs?

Can I use it to copy my CDs?

How much can they hold?

Can I just copy files onto a CD-R like I would to a floppy?

What can you tell me about DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, etc?

Can I copy DVDs with a CD recorder?

What's the cheapest recorder and best place to buy media?

Can I get step-by-step installation and use instructions?

Can I download MP3s from the Internet and make an audio CD?