How to Rewrite to CD RW With Windows XP

A CD-RW, or rewritable CD, can be used almost as many times as you want. These discs are designed to be reusable---you can copy files to them again and again. Unlike flash drives, however, CD-RWs do not allow for the addition of a single file; rather, CD-RWs need to be re-burned entirely. As such, before new data can be copied to a CD-RW, all information on the disc must first be erased. This limitation is the main reason CD-RWs are not widely used today, but the process of erasing and writing isn't complicated.

Instructions

1. Insert the CD into your computer.

2. Open "My Computer," and right click the CD drive, then click "Open". This will bring up the Windows CD burning window.

3. Click "Erase this CD-RW" in the CD Writing Tasks pane. This will bring up a wizard; click "Next" to erase the drive.

4. Open the Windows CD burning window again as explained in step 2. Drag all the files you want to burn to disc to this window, which acts as a staging area for files to be burned to disc. Click "Burn Files to Disc" when you're ready.

References

• Microsoft.com: How to Erase Files From a CD-RW