What is the difference between CDR and CDRW?

There was a time when people would rely on CDR and CDRW items in order to save their files and documents. Most people would use them to store music but there are also some who used them in order to store images and even files. The main difference between the two is you can no longer place other documents once you have placed them on a CDR file.

You need to be sure about the items that you would put there because you cannot delete them or change them. For the CDRW, you can always make some changes because it is rewritable after all. Another difference between the two is the price. CDRW will be more expensive as compared to CDR.

CDR and CDRW can both be used to store information. Though they are used for the same purpose, there are many differences between them. One of the differences is in regards to how they can be reused. CDRW can be reused, while CDR does not have this ability. With the feature of reusability, information can be written on the disk and read. Then, when all the information is erased, new information can be written on it.

Another difference between them is that CDRW is not able to work with older CD-Roms. CDR has an advantage of being able to work with older CD-ROMS.

CDR and CDRW are both similar in that users can store information on them. However, there are some differences between the two compact discs. While it might seem hard to differentiate between the two, or to decide which of the compact disks is better, the best way to differentiate between the two is to check their reusability.

This feature makes CDRW a better choice. This means you can rewrite the disc even after the disc is full. However, before you can rewrite to a full CDRW disc, you will need to first erase the information on it to create enough space for the data you are about to store.

On the other hand, the CDR lacks this feature since it is not a rewritable compact disc. Once a CDR is full, you can erase the information on it to create enough space for other information. While some older drives like CD-ROMS are not always compatible with CDRW, they easily work with the CDR.

If we are not going to look at the fact that both CDR and CDRW are used by users to store information, the two come with so many differences. One of the major differences between the two is the reusability feature of CDRW. This means you can write to the disk and read from it, after which you can still decide to erase all the information stored on the disk so you can write new data on it.

This feature is absent in CDR as you can only a write to the disk till it becomes full and read from it, but you can't reuse it to write any new data again. The reason for this feature in CDRW is because of the nature of the metals used which allows it to rewrite, whereas CDR uses dye.

However, one of the downsides of CDRW is that it can't work properly with some older CD-ROMs, whereas CDR is compatible with older CD-ROMs.

The major advantage of the CDR over CDRW is the compatibility with older CD-ROMS. Due to the difference in the material with the CDRW, some of the older drives and players, such as disc men and stereos, may fail to identify or recognize and read the data which are stored in a CDRW. The most recent models can read both the CDR and the CDRW, but for those with older hardware, a CDR is the better option.

More so, the two mediums also vary in terms of cost. Just as expected, the CDR, which is actually a much more versatile disc, is priced higher than a CDRW disc. However, unless you are purchasing them in their hundreds or maybe thousands, the difference in price should actually not be a major concern. This is because both of them are rather cheap. CDRW is the best for transferring data, while CDR is good for backups.