A Computer Question: CD-R/RWs, DVDs, etc

[Greg Crawford]

I am wondering whether our computer gurus can tell me if there is currently a degree of chaos ruling in the field of CDs and DVDs. On my old computer with a CD-RW/R drive, I used Easy CD Creator 4. It was possible to either use the software to add files to the CD, (in which case it could be read by all CD ROM drives), or use the UDF packet writer to format the CD and use it like a floppy (but only those computers with UDF readers could read it).   I bought a new computer last year with a CD-R/RW & DVD reader. It came with Nero Express and InCD software. I also have Win XP Pro OS. Formatting the CD-RWs using InCD results in them becoming unusable. The only way to add or delete files is using the Nero Express application. I have started to suspect the software is a dog, but …   I am also having problems with a DVD player. It started to hang. While waiting to get it fixed, someone loaned me theirs with the warning that it too occasionally plays up. They were right!   AND a software company I know which recently released thousands of 3 CD copies of their updated software has had great trouble with unreadable CDs all around the world.   So I am trying to figure out if all these things are connected. Are CD/DVDs falling over because of too many “standards” or are these things just unconnected events?   Greg