What's the Difference Between CD+,CD-, and CD+/-?

Last week we looked at the difference between CDRs and CDRWs. If you're standing in an electronic store, eyes wide at the vast choices of discs, you're not alone! Today we're looking at what all those +'s and -'s are about on the discs, and how to pick the right one.

Back when making CDs at home was new and computers only started to come with CD drives that could also write, there were two different types. + and -. The exact differences are not of great importance anymore as they both make a disc that can be read in 99% of CD readers (be it your car, computer or other device). It was very important to make sure that you got a disc your computer could write on, otherwise it wouldn't work.

Nowadays most CD drives in computers are +/-, which means it can write in either format. This is very handy because it means when you go to a store to buy CDs you can get any of the three aforementioned types. What should you do if you find yourself needing to buy discs for a computer for which don't know the type of drive though? In that case, the best thing to do is buy a CD +/- because they can work in any kind of drive.

Now that you know the difference between CDRs, CDRWs, and +,-,+/- you're ready to tackle the CD section of the store! But... should you use a CD or a DVD? Most people think DVDs are just for videos, but they can be used for storage too! Next time we'll be looking at which type of disc to by for your unique needs.

Practical Tip of the Day:
Once you've burned a disc, I highly recommend you use a permanent marker to write a short description or title on the non-shiny side of the disc. If you leave your disc unlabeled, you may later think it's an unused disc and try to write over it, or you'll have forgotten what was on it in the first place. Never use a pen or pencil to write on your disc since it may scratch it, and don't write on the shiny side since that's where your data is held.