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Media Storage Information
CDs (Compact Disks)
CDs are used for a number of purposes: images, photo’s, archived data, music, internet downloads, transportation of files, presentations etc. They give great performance with low failure rates. There are two types of CD available and several speeds.
CD-R
This “R” stands for recordable which means that you record the data permanently onto the CD and therefore it cannot be erased or overwritten.
CD-RW
This “RW” stands for re-writable which means the CD can be reused time and time again. The data is overwritten saving you time, as you do not have to erase it first.
Speeds
The number on the CDs and the CD drives relate to the capabilities and limitations of your burner. On the CD drive the first number is always the record speed and the last number represents how fast the drive is able to read and pre-record optical media. On CD-Rewriters the middle number is the speed at which you can re-write data. For example a CD recorder listed as 48x40 has a CD-R recoding speed of 48x and reads recorded media at 40x. Therefore the drive will work best with CD-R media rated at 48x.
A CD Re-Writer listed as 48x12x40 has a CD-R recoding speed of 48x, a CD-RW write and a rewrite speed of 12x and recorded media speed of 40x. Therefore the drive will work best with CD-R media rated at 48x and CD-RW media rated at 12x or less. The bigger the number, the bigger the speed.
