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How do I format rewritable CD/DVD discs and erase the files saved on rewritable CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD RAM discs in Windows XP and Windows Vista?

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CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive/writer problem: How to format and erase rewritable CD/DVD discs in Windows XP and Windows Vista

CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, or DVD-RAM discs are rewritable, allowing the deletion of one or all of the files and folders on the disc.

The number of times that CD-RW and DVD-RW/DVD+RW discs can be rewritten depends upon the disc itself. The higher quality discs will have a longer life than lower quality discs. It also depends on the care that is taken with the disc. Some disc manufacturers state that their CD-RW discs can be rewritten up to 1,000 times.

It is estimated that a DVD-RW or DVD+RW discs can also be rewritten approximately 1,000 times and a DVD-RAM disc a huge 100,000 times.

How to format and erase files and folders on a CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM disc in Windows XP

Windows XP Home or Professional Editions cannot format CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW or DVD-RAM discs. Windows XP can burn data and music to a CD-R, DVD-R or DVD+R (record-once-only) disc without problems because those disks are pre-formatted.

Description of CD-R and CD-RW recording in Windows XP -

http://support.microsoft.com/...

Microsoft says in a round about way in the above article that you need third-party software to format a CD-RW disc, which also applies to the rewritable formats - DVD-RW and DVD-RW. It does not make that clear enough. Without formatting a CD-RW disc, you won't be able to write any data to it. Therefore, unless you have third-party software like Roxio, Nero or some other software for burning rewritable discs, you cannot use Windows XP to burn data to them at all. The following disc-writing software is free.

CDBurnerXP - "CDBurnerXP is a free application to burn CDs and DVDs, including Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs. It also includes the feature to burn and create ISOs, as well as a multilanguage interface. Everyone, even companies, can use it for free. It does not include adware or similar malicious components." - http://www.cdburnerxp.se/

You cannot erase selective (individual) files from a rewritable CD/DVD in Windows XP itself. The only way to do that is be to copy the files and/or folders back to the computer's hard disk drive, erase the files that you don't want, erase the contents of the disc and and re-burn.

There are packet writing programs that make rewritable discs appear to behave like large-capacity floppy disks, which allows you to "edit" and "delete" files from those discs. The files seem to have disappeared when the contents are viewed in Windows Explorer, but in fact the space is still being used by those files. To regain that space, you have to erase or reformat the disc.

However, note that Windows Vista allows you to erase all of the files on a rewritable disk - or just selected files. With CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, or DVD-RAM discs, if you use the Live File System file format, you can delete one or more files to make more room on the disc. (Read the following information on Vista.)

I have used a CD-RW disc as the example, but the following process applies to all of the types of rewritable discs - CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM.

To erase files from a CD rewritable (CD-RW) disc, place the disc in the optical CD/DVD drive and click Start => My Computer, right-click on the entry for the CD/DVD writer, and click Open. The folders and files on the disc will be displayed. In the CD Writing Tasks pane, click Erase this CD-RW. The Welcome to the CD Writing Wizard window is displayed. Click its Next button. The Erasing the CD window is displayed and the progress bar shows the progress of the deletions. A message is displayed in the Notification Area when the process is finished, after which you can reuse the CD-RW disc. Note that if the CD/DVD disc is not erasable (the disc is read-only CD/DVD ROM) this feature is not available.

How to format and erase files and folders on a CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+R and DVD-RAM disc in Windows Vista

Windows Vista allows you to erase all of the files on a rewritable disk - or just selected files. With CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, or DVD-RAM discs, if you use the Live File System file format, you can delete one or more files to make more room on the disc.

To erase all of the folders and files on a disc do the following in Windows Vista:

1. - Insert the CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, or DVD-RAM disc into your PC's CD/DVD writer.

2. - Click Start => Computer.

3. - Double-click the icon that represents the CD/DVD writer and click the Erase this disc that appears on the toolbar. The Erase Disc Wizard will guide you through the process.

Follow the following steps to delete some of the files on a disc.

1. - Insert the CD-RW or DVD-RW disc into your computer's CD or DVD burner.

2. - Click Start => Computer.

3. -Double-click the icon that represents the CD/DVD writer to display the contents of the disc.

4. - Select the files or folders that you want to delete. To select more than one file, hold down the Ctrl key, use your mouse to select the files that you want and press the Delete (Del) key.

If you are using Windows Vista to burn discs, read the following pages on formatting and burning a CD/DVD.

Format a CD or DVD [in Windows Vista] -

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/...

Burn a CD or DVD [in Windows Vista] -

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/...

Formatting and erasing Blu-ray rewritable BD-RE discs in Windows X/Vista

At the time of writing there was not much information on the web about formatting and erasing rewritable Blu-ray BD-RE discs in Windows XP/Vista. You can conduct a search for information yourself by entering a relevant search term such as format + erase + blu-ray + discs + vista as is in the Google search box at the top of this page (enable the Web Search option on the first search page).

Third-party software is available that can format and erase BD-RE discs in Windows XP and Vista. Here is a good example:

BurnAware.Professional.v2.2.0-Retail -

http://www.zimbio.com/Blu-ray+Disc/articles/1035/...

Computer diagnostics: How to solve or fix common desktop and laptop PC problems

Click a link below to visit the described category of computer problems and solutions addressed on this website:

1. - Recovering and repairing Windows XP when a computer crashes or fails to boot

2. - Recovering and repairing Windows Vista when a computer crashes or fails to boot

3. - Windows Vista problems: How to fix problems with Windows Vista

4. - Recover, restore and repair Windows 7 (Win7) when a computer crashes or fails to boot

5. - Windows 7 problems: How to diagnose and fix problems with Windows 7

6. - Windows XP: How to troubleshoot and fix shutdown, restart (reboot), and startup problems

7. - Typical DLL (Dynamic Link Library) device driver problems

8. - Software problems: How to fix problems with Windows, programs, and utilities

Also visit the Software pages on this site for more information on specific software-related information and problems.

9. - Motherboard and power supply problems: How to fix common problems with faulty motherboards (mainboards) and power supplies (PSUs)

10. - RAM memory problems: How to fix problems with the Random Access Memory

11. - Hard disk drive problems: How to fix computer hard disk drive (HDD) problems

12. - CD/DVD drive problems: How to fix problems with CD and DVD drives and discs

13. - Processor problems: How fix common processor (CPU) problems

14. - Video/graphics card problems: How fix common computer video and graphics problems

15. - USB and FireWire problems: - How to fix common USB and FireWire problems

16. - Network problems: How to fix common wired and wireless networking and internet problems

17. - Laptop/notebook problems: How to address or fix the most common laptop/notebook problems

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