Buzz
This article provides a guide on formatting (reformatting) a CD-RW or DVD-RW that encounters issues during playback or data transfer. Note that you cannot format a CD-R or DVD-R that has already been burned or written with data. Formatting a CD will erase all files stored on it.
Steps
On Windows
Insert the CD-RW or DVD-RW into your computer. The CD should be placed in the computer's disc tray with the label side facing up.
- If your computer does not have a CD drive, you will need to purchase an external drive.
Click on This PC. This is the tab with a computer icon displayed on the left side of the File Explorer window.
Click on the drive icon. You will see a gray drive icon under the "Devices and drives" heading in the middle of the page.
Click on Manage. This is the tab located at the top-left corner of the File Explorer window. A toolbar will appear below the Manage tab.
Click on Format. This option is located on the left side of the toolbar. It is a gray drive icon with a red circular arrow on top. The Format window will appear.
Select the file system. Click on the "File system" dropdown menu, then choose one of the following file systems. UDF stands for "Universal Disk Format," which means the following file systems can be used for audiovisual purposes (such as music or movies) or for files:
- UDF 1.50 - For XP and older operating systems.
- UDF 2.00 - For XP and older operating systems.
- UDF 2.01 (default) - Compatible with most modern operating systems.
- UDF 2.50 - Compatible with most modern operating systems. Supports Blu-ray.
- UDF 2.60 (Recommended) - Compatible with most modern operating systems. Supports Blu-ray.
Click on Start, then click OK. This will format the CD for the selected file system.
Click OK when prompted. This completes the formatting process.
On Mac
Insert the CD-RW or DVD-RW into your computer. The CD should be placed in the computer's disc tray with the label side facing up.
- Most modern Macs do not have a CD drive, meaning you will need to purchase an external CD drive for Mac.
- You cannot format a disc on a Mac in the same way as on Windows, but you can erase and reformat the disc to fix errors.
Click on Go. This option is located on the left side of the menu bar at the top of the Mac screen. A dropdown list will appear.
- If you don't see this menu, click on the desktop or open Finder.
Click on Utilities. This option is located at the bottom of the Go dropdown list.
Double-click on Disk Utility. You can find this application with a disk icon featuring a stethoscope in the Utilities folder.
Select the disk. Click on the name of the disk under the "External" section displayed on the left side of the Disk Utility window.
Click on the Erase tab. This option is located at the top of the Disk Utility window. A properties window for the disk will appear.
Click on Completely. This option allows you to erase all data and reformat the disk.
- You can also click Quickly here to erase the disk faster than the Completely option, but any errors you encountered may not be resolved.
Click on Erase. This will start the process of erasing and reformatting the disk. Once the process is complete, you can copy music or videos onto the disk.
Tips
- Using third-party programs like Roxio CD Creator or Nero can simplify the process of formatting a CD.
- You can reformat a CD-RW multiple times as needed, as RW stands for re-writable.
Warnings
- CD-R discs can only be formatted once. You cannot erase files stored on a CD or DVD.
