Hi, B.W.:
Yes, your're correct; a CD-ROM is the kind that's mass-produced with all the
informatioin permanently etched into it, as opposed to a CD-R or CD-RW that
you "burn" on your computer. You cannot add data to a CD-ROM (or remove
data, for that matter).
If, for instance, you have a CD that contains music and you want to add a
few songs to the existing tunes, you would need to copy the CD's tracks onto
your computer and then create a CD-R or -RW with the desired tunes, all of
which need to be on your hard drive first.
Does this help?