I know that RWs are rewritable, and I normally format them and use them as
large floppys to keep temporary stuff, or accumulate enough to burn on to a
CD-R or DVD-R. What I am curious about, but have never seen discussed is: Is
it pussible to use an UNformatted CD/DVD-RW as a conventional CD/DVD-R, then
erase or delete the entire disk when the stored data is no longer needed, or
are they only useful and practical as packet-writing (formatted) media? I
realize they are invariably slower than Rs, but the erasable quality, if
available, would make up for this.

Thanks for any help.

>-----Original Message-----
>I know that RWs are rewritable, and I normally format
them and use them as
>large floppys to keep temporary stuff, or accumulate
enough to burn on to a
>CD-R or DVD-R. What I am curious about, but have never
seen discussed is: Is
>it pussible to use an UNformatted CD/DVD-RW as a
conventional CD/DVD-R, then
>erase or delete the entire disk when the stored data is
no longer needed, or
>are they only useful and practical as packet-writing
(formatted) media? I
>realize they are invariably slower than Rs, but the
erasable quality, if
>available, would make up for this.
>
>Thanks for any help.
>
>

What is preventing you from burning an unformatted disk to
see what happens, especially since you know that you can
erase it if you don't like what happens? Or maybe you
*don't* know that? As an aside, I caution you to be
careful about what's being stored on packet-written media,
as the format is unreliable at best. Note also that CD and
DVD-Rs may be burned more than once, but until they are
finalized or "closed" might not be readable in other
devices.

Yes a CD-R/W can be used as a CD-R. However, just as you mentioned, you
can't delete individual files from a CD-R/W burned that way you can only
erase the entire disk.

Alex Nichol's has a great primer here on CD Burning
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpcd.htm

--

Harry Ohrn MS-MVP [Shell/User]
www.webtree.ca/windowsxp


"Cooter" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
newsbh2d.23932$(E-Mail Removed)...
| I know that RWs are rewritable, and I normally format them and use them as
| large floppys to keep temporary stuff, or accumulate enough to burn on to
a
| CD-R or DVD-R. What I am curious about, but have never seen discussed is:
Is
| it pussible to use an UNformatted CD/DVD-RW as a conventional CD/DVD-R,
then
| erase or delete the entire disk when the stored data is no longer needed,
or
| are they only useful and practical as packet-writing (formatted) media? I
| realize they are invariably slower than Rs, but the erasable quality, if
| available, would make up for this.
|
| Thanks for any help.
|
|

Yes, as H.Ohrn wrote. That's how I use them when transporting files too big
to fit on floppy (movies, MP3s etc) somewhere where there is no net
available (or on modem)


--
Tumppi
Reply to group
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"Cooter" <(E-Mail Removed)> kirjoitti viestissä
newsbh2d.23932$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I know that RWs are rewritable, and I normally format them and use them as
> large floppys to keep temporary stuff, or accumulate enough to burn on to
a
> CD-R or DVD-R. What I am curious about, but have never seen discussed is:
Is
> it pussible to use an UNformatted CD/DVD-RW as a conventional CD/DVD-R,
then
> erase or delete the entire disk when the stored data is no longer needed,
or
> are they only useful and practical as packet-writing (formatted) media? I
> realize they are invariably slower than Rs, but the erasable quality, if
> available, would make up for this.
>
> Thanks for any help.
>
>