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QUESTION: I am considering the purchase of a CD-RW drive but I need some clarification. I can't seem to get any straight answers regarding what is needed to record audio CDs that will play on any CD player. Also, what is meant by "overburn" and "burn proof" and what do all those multiple speed numbers on CD-RW drives mean? What other considerations are important?

ANSWER: When it comes to the recording of CDs, CD-RW is the latest technology and is for the most part, backwards compatible. A CD-RW drive can play audio CDs, read CD-ROMs, read and record to CD-R disks, as well as read, record and erase CD-RW disks. As with anything new, there are incompatibilities with the old, but most of these caveats should eventually resolve themselves over time.

CD-R disks can only be recorded to and not erased. If you record something in error, you are basically left with a coaster. However, CD-R disks are inexpensive so your investment risk is small. You are also assured that music recorded to a CD-R disk can be played on any audio CD player, and its data can be read on any CD-ROM drive.

CD-RW disks are a lot more expensive since they can be erased and reused. Their down side is that they can be played only on other CD-RW drives and on newer CD-ROM drives that are rated at a 32X or greater speed. So if your CD-ROM drive is older than three years, chances are it can't read a CD-RW disk. CD-RW disks also cannot be played in most audio CD players. But as I mentioned, time will eventually solve these incompatibilities as new computers with their faster CD-ROM drives continue to replace the older models. Plus some audio CD manufacturers are beginning to produce players that can handle the CD-RW formats that contain MP3 music files.

All audio CDs read sound from a disk at the same rate and thus established the read speed standard of 1x. A CD-ROM drive's speed rating is a multiple of that specification. For example, most modern CD-ROM drives read at speeds of at least 32x or higher. CD-RW drives come with 3 speed specifications such as 12x8x32x. The first speed refers to how fast it can record and the second speed is how fast it can rewrite. The third speed is the same as a CD-ROM drive. Currently, a 12x8x32x model is a pretty good drive as far as speeds are concerned.

Overburn refers to a recording process that adds additional capacity to a CD. Most CDs store around 650 megabytes. But there is some additional room towards the edged of a CD that can be used to hold around another 50 megabytes. Some CD-RW drives can write to this area but you should only use this extra capacity if you are sure that the overburned disk will be played back on a drive with the ability to read the overburn area. Since not too many do, most manufacturers discourage overburning.

BURN-Proof is a technology developed by SANYO and licensed to drive manufacturers, including Iomega. It refers to an ability that can currently be found on their internal 12x8x32x CD-RW drive. Normally while recording to a CD-RW disk, any interruption to the recording process produces errors that results in a bad recording. Any running application or utility can overtax your computer's CPU causing a recording interruption. That's why most CD-RW manufacturers strongly suggest that you make sure nothing else is running before you give the command to record to a CD-RW disk. However, the BURN-Proof technology literally turns off the CD-RW drive's recording laser if it detects an interruption, waits until control is returned and then switches the laser back on. This guarantees that only good data is recorded and you end up with a successfully produced CD-RW disk. For complete technical details, visit the official BURN-Proof website at www.burn-proof.com.

www.iomega.com (800) MY STUFF