Recordable CD

Normal CDs are great for prepackaged software, but if you want to use them as removable storage for your personal files, you will need a recordable CD. There are two types of recordable CDs: CD-recordable (CD-R) and CD-rewritable (CD-RW). Both of these types require you to have CD recording software in your computer.

CD-R contains an organic dye compound that allows the CD to be recorded. When the laser focuses on a spot on this compound, it heats it to a certain temperature and in a way burns the dye (hence the phrase, “burning a CD”). This causes it to darken. Whenever you want to retrieve the data, the laser reads these burns as bumps in the disk and translates those bumps into data.

The main issue with a CD-R is that you can only write data to it once. Once the dye has been burned in a spot, it cannot be changed back. This is where a CD-RW comes in to play. CD-RWs use a technology known as “phase change” to allow you to rewrite information on the disk. It uses a mixture of antimony, indium, silver, and tellurium that, once heated, crystallizes the disk and become very reflective. If heated at a higher setting, the compound becomes dull in appearance. The heat changes depending on what you want to do. On a CD-RW you can read, erase, and write on the disk.