As the use of cloud storage services have become popular and increased in recent years, in combination with other storage options such as USB memory sticks (pen drives) or portable hard drives, other traditional options have decreased considerably.
A good example is found in CDs , tremendously popular and used just a few years ago, but which today tend to use fewer users. As we explained to you on a previous occasion, it is still perfectly possible to continue enjoying the quality of our audio CDs , especially if we have a micro system at home.
As with DVDs, in the case of CDs (Compact Disc) there are different formats. And one of the most common is known as CD-RW (Compact Disc Re-Writable), which consists of a blank CD that can be written on a CD recorder, but unlike a CD-R, it can be recorded several times, as its content cannot be changed, but can be erased.
Whether you have Windows or Mac, even though it is obviously not possible to erase a read-only CD (CD-R), we can easily do it with a CD-RW. We explain how.
How to erase a CD-RW in Windows
We start by inserting the CD that we are going to record on our computer . To do this, we have to place the disc on the computer tray, always with the label facing up.
Then we must click on the Windows icon, which we will find located in the lower left corner of the screen, and open Windows Explorer . We must click on My Computer , and select the CD drive.
Now we must click on the Manage tab, which is located in the upper left part of the window. Click on Delete this disk , within the “Media” section, and then a new window will appear.
Once we click on “Next”, the system will begin to erase the CD automatically, immediately. We just have to wait until the CD finishes erasing, and click Finish when the system prompts.
How to erase a CD-RW on Mac
If we use a Mac with a disk drive, or a Macbook or Mac Mini without this drive but we have an external CD drive, we must insert the CD in the right place. Remember that you can only use the internal disk drive if you have a Mac prior to 2012.
Once this is done we must click on Go , and then on Utilities . In this new window we must click on Disk Utility , and then select the name of the CD unit. Now we have to click on the Erase tab, which will open the disk properties window.
We must click Completely , since it is the basic option to completely erase the CD. Click on Delete and immediately the system will begin to erase the CD-RW.
When the process is complete, the system will indicate that we have inserted a blank CD.
