IE, CDRW or DVDRW? CDRW disks seem to have a very limited lifespan, typically perhaps 5-10 cycles at best, and appear to degrade in storage fairly fast, often becoming unreadable within a year. DVDRW disks appear to be worse. If you quick erase them (at least via nero), they no longer work at all, and a full erase takes nearly an hour, much longer than it takes to write them. Considering they're about 5 times the price of the write-once variety, is there any point in bothering with them?

pca

Hmm. I use a CD-RW to backup my important documents every night. Quck format, write and verify. Been duing so for over a year with the same disk with no problems

Hmm. I use a CD-RW to backup my important documents every night.

Have you tried restoring from it? .

I have one DVD+RW that has been burned at least 50 times for DVD video tests. I have another that I trust enough for backups of important documents. I've only ever owned one CDRW that came with a CD burner 5 years ago. I used it for a couple months, had no real need for it, then it stayed in a drawer. A couple months ago I thought I'd try using it again, and it's been working fine for me after being burned several times.

When I'm burning to my DVD+RW discs (I've got four, I think) in Nero, I don't seem to have to worry about erasing. It usually starts burning immediately. I assume it's doing a quick erase just before it burns, but it isn't even noticeable. I bought a couple DVD-RWs the other day, though, and they seem to need a full erase every time they get burned, which is annoying.

I'm with you. I'd rather pay less for a single write. It's not very often that I burn a coaster.

I'm with you. I'd rather pay less for a single write. It's not very often that I burn a coaster.

Too bad, because at $1 and change per DVDR, I've saved over $100 with my DVD+RW discs.

Perhaps I've just been unlucky, but I really haven't had much joy with RW media. Several CDRW disks I have which have never been used, just stored for a couple of years, refuse to write in any of the CDRW drives around the place, and I have others, not the same make, which have gradually become corrupted. This isn't helped by the rather uncharitable behaviour windows has toward media it doesn't like, which often results in the machine locking up having swallowed the disk and choked to death on it.

The DVD+RW I tried burning last night failed, and after being erased so I could try again just hangs any machine I put it in until it's removed. I have no idea what's happening as no error message is produced, all that happens is that the hard drive light comes on solidly for 10 seconds or so, repeating every 10-15 seconds, and everything stops responding. Eject the disk, and it all returns to normal, which is at least an improvement over a BSOD I suppose

pca

There's something to be said for quality media and the sense of security you get, but I have been using these for a few months now, and they really kick ass. I have never had a coaster and they always write at 4x in my Pioneer DVR-106. For $0.53/disc, it's hard to justify ±RW media over just tossing the cheap disc. I have been using them for 3-4 months now and the data is still good. Just pointing out (what I think is) a good deal.

Anyway, I have used DVD+RW discs a few times and had no problems writing, quick erasing, re-writing, etc. on the NEC ND-1100A at work. Most of the time using un-branded media. I have had the problem you describe with CD-RW media and Nero, but a fresh OS install cured that (for whatever reason).

I have never had a coaster and they always write at 4x in my Pioneer DVR-106. For $0.53/disc, it's hard to justify ±RW media over just tossing the cheap disc.

Well, even at that price, I'd rather use my one DVD+RW to make 50 test videos than spend around $30 and have 50 plastic coasters filling up the dump. I'm not a huge environmentalist, but it just seems like such a waste.

However, I'm glad you posted about this! I have about 150GB of TV shows I need to back up (and that's after backing up about 70GB of Buffy/Angel). I had no idea there was such inexpensive media out there, especially for 4x media. Thanks a lot!

I rarely burn anything to a CD that I don't plan on keeping for the long haul, so single burn disks work just fine for me. And I tend to purchase them when rebates are available, so I rarely pay $1 per disk.

Perhaps I've just been unlucky

I have 10 Kodak CD-RW's, three years old, I use them in strict rotation and each week one of them is erased and re-used as an audio CD for the odd times that I use my wife's car. Additionally, they're used for Mp3 CD's in my Rio MP3 CD portable, but that use stopped with the arrival of the Karma.
They show no sign of letting me down so far.
CD - R's that, at one time, I used for back - up are temperamental: for instance they'll work in one drive and not another with no apparent reason.

I use CDRWs for testing purposes. I hate to waste a CD when I discover that I forgot to set an execute bit or some such. Once I'm happy, I burn to real CDR.

I rarely burn anything to a CD that I don't plan on keeping for the long haul, so single burn disks work just fine for me.

Same here, and that's why my CDRW stayed in a drawer for so long. But I was talking about DVDRW media. I do a large amount of DVD video burning (concert videos, downloaded TV shows that I want to watch on large screen, ripped Tivo shows, home videos), and burning a one-off TV show I downloaded (I wanted to watch the HD rip of Tru Calling I downloaded on the new widescreen TV) onto a write-once DVD makes no sense.

And I tend to purchase them when rebates are available, so I rarely pay $1 per disk.

Ditto. The Office Depot across the street from my office was moving and had a 50% off sale. I bought two 700MB 100CD spindles for about $20 each. I've been living on those since. But until recently, you couldn't get DVDRs for under $1 each, and that's what I was talking about. Thankfully Rob found a good deal, though I still won't be using them for short-term storage.

Similar experience with a CD-RW that came with my ex ex CD burner (bought in 2000). It's currently got a boot install of FreeDOS on it, the surface is scuffed a bit, and it boots and reads with no problems whatsoever.

(Meanwhile the CD burner that came with that disk failed ages ago to even recognise a CD, and now the one that replaced it is not recognising a disk in the drive one time in two. Odd that the physical media is more durable than the thing that wrote it...)

Have fun,

Paul