Q: How do CD companys make it so that you are not able to erase CD-R CDs, but you can erase CD-RWs. What is the differernce? Do they put a code in the CD so that it won't let you do it or is it something else? Thanks!
A: It's not a code. It's the way they're made. There isn't a way to "hack" a CD so that it's re-writable. CD-R blanks have a completely different coating than CD-RWs. On a CD-R, bumps are burnt into the coating. That can be interpreted as a '0'. CD-RWs have a crystalline coating that changes its appearance when it is hit by the laser. The strength of the data (and also of the protection) is weaker on a CD-RW. This leads to the phenomenon when the copy on a CD-RW can be used, while the same copy on a CD-R does not work.