What is the determining factor on whether a CD-ROM drive will read or even
recognize a CD/R or CD/RW?

Here's the reason for my question. I had made a number of CD/Rs and CD/RWs
on a WIN98 machine using a 16/10/40a PlexWriter. A new WIN98 machine with an
old "HEX-Speed" Creative Labs CD-ROM would not recognize the backed up file
data on
either media. As well, it would not recognize an MP-3 music CD/R made with
the same application (Easy CD Creator 5 Platinum). For the backed up file
data, the CD/Rs and CD/RWs were formatted first before the data was written
to it using Easy CD Creator. The data was written to it by Windows Explorer.
In the case of the MP3 music CD, it was made entirely within the CD Creator
MP3Music Project application. The new machine would not recognize the CDs at
all under Windows Explorer. In the case of the MP3 music CD, neither
autoplay or Music Match Jukebox would recognize it for play.

It would however recognize both file data and MP3 music -- if they were made
under the auspices of the "Make a Data CD project" option of Easy CD
Creator. In Roxio's terminology, ". . . a data CD is ideal (having the
highest compatibility) for sharing multimedia presentations, graphics, CAD
files, Internet downloads, Websites, and company documents with your
colleagues.".

So I guess my question really is, would a newer CD-ROM drive in the target
PC likely be able to recognize the differing media such as my file data
created on CD/Rs and CD/RWs as noted above, as well as MP3 music created
using the "Make a MP3Music project" option of Easy CD Creator? Is it that
later models of CD-ROMs have built in recognition for these formats or
better drivers or something?

Larry Stewart
Ottawa, Canada
e-mail: [log in to unmask]

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