I have a new PC with a P4 3.0 GHz CPU and a DVD-CDRW. I plan to burn CD's using CDR-W and use them in my home PC that was bought in 1996. It's a P2 233 MHz CPU.

I heard that files/data/photos burned to CDR-W might not be read in some other CD ROM drives. Is this true? Or is there anything I need to take note of when I format the CDRW or copying file to CDRW?

Thanks.

Paul Chiu, West Pennant Hills, NSW

CD-RW's have lower reflectivity ratio than their CD-R counterparts, so they are less reliable when used in audio CD players or older CD-ROM drives.

CD-RW disks let you write and rewrite data to the disk. Generally you can rewrite up to about 1000 times. Often it depends on the quality of the disk.

Newer CD-ROM drives can read CD-RW disks, but not all CD drives can read these. If you need to trade information, you're better off creating a CD-R and closing the disk.

Some reports suggest that a DVD-ROM drive can read a CD-RW better than a standard CD-ROM drive.

And McFadden's CD-Recordable FAQ is a good source on these issues.

John Hilvert