CD-RW Problems

Q: On two occasions, I was using a CD-RW disk as the working drive, and I found files missing. I ran Scandisk, and was told that the paths to certain files or folders had been corrupted and could no longer be accessed, and allowed me to delete the paths. However, this did not bring the files back. Fortunately in many cases I had backups. This seems to be a poor reliability rate for these discs. I am wonderingwhat exactly these failures mean, and what kind of performance should beexpected out of CD-RWs, and whether a CD-RW that has failed this way canbe restored to serviceable condition by erasing it, and then reformattingit. Do these disks spontaneously "forget" simply in storage, or only iffrequently accessed? If either be the case, can this problem beprevented by periodically recopying everything onto it from a backup?Should the CD-RW be erased and reformatted first? Should CD-RWseventually be tossed and replaced with new ones? S. Allen
A: Your problem can be frustrating, but I am pleased to hear that you have a system backup policy in place. Problems with CD’s fall into two categories, whether it is a CD-R or CD-RW. The first category is known as physical disk problems. As its’ name alludes, it encompasses damage to the body that forms the media. An example of this would be a cracked or scratched disk. The second category is known as logical disk problems. This category is the one that I believe applies to your situation. It entails a problem with the data on the disk. This is what corrupt files are known as.
There are several origins for missing files. Sometimes it is simply a matter of space. When you record a file to a CD from your computer, the file to be recorded goes to a temporary holding location until it is recorded. If you do not have sufficient space, then only what fits in the available space may be copied to the CD. You can fix this by increasing your RAM, virtual memory, or by moving the location of the temporary files. The first two options are the easiest, and the second option is the cheapest. Another cause of missing files is a fluctuation in power while the files are being copied. Two words. Surge protector.
There is always the possibility that the problem is from the hardware side. It could range from a dusty CD writer to a damaged CD-RW. Either way, a good cleaning of the drive and a new disk can resolve those problems. As far as reformatting a suspect disk, I’ll give you an analogy. When an athlete has a major injury like an ACL tear, they never play the same after the injury is repaired. This is because they fear that it will fail them when they least expect it. CD-RW’s are cheap enough nowadays to avoid using a disking knowing that it could flake out on at any moment.