This is driving me CRAZY and the intertubes can't seem to provide a definitive answer. I need to buy a stack of DVD-R's. My DAW's burner says DVD+RW on the front and my laptop seems to claim it's a DVD-RW. I just need to know whether I can buy a stack of DVD-RW and be certain I can burn data on them on either machine.
 
The only definitive info states that using the wrong kind just may not play back movies on DVD players but I don't care about that. I'll be using them for storage of data, creating boot discs and crap like that.
 
So does it matter or should I buy two stacks of each?
 
kthx

And yes... I should know this by now but honestly I always avoided DVD's for data because of exactly this and preferring flash mem or good old HDDs. Some things sadly require a disc though.

I bet this topic ends up being a zombie thread in a few years after it fades away only to be found in a search by some spammer and resurrected with some bizarre one-line reply about burning software. 
 
As for a real answer, I'd first try what the burner says it can handle.  Buy a small pack or have a friend give you one to try, then burn something and see if you can access everything ok.  Once you've had a successful test (of either type), then buy yourself a bulk stack of that. 

Hi, Craig. Well like I said I have both (seemingly) so if worse comes to worse I can use a flash drive (I intend to purchase a bunch at the same time I buy the DVD's) to transfer the data to the appropriate system.
 
The hilarious part (or the "just my BEEPING luck part) is I went to the Plextor site to see if the + burner is actually one that can handle - burning as well. In the google search there was indication they had a PDF manual for my burner. AWESOME! Well well I clicked through to their site to get at it I was met with a picture of Skeletor and a bunch of other stupidness as well as some insane ramblings. Apparently the Plextor site had JUST been hacked by some dumbarses as confirmed by some other searches of the tech news sites.
 
Dumbasses.
 
Oh and I learned today that the Plextor site gets hacked rather frequently. I guess their burners have infuriated the lulz community.
 
lulz

Wow, too bad.  Personally, I've always liked Plextors.  Maybe their quality has gone down?
 
 

Mine seems to work fine for what little I use it for (getting audio files into the system, installing/running games and programs, etc) and it got great reviews so IDK. Maybe they just suck at building and securing websites.

Is that a drunken Jedi on the far right giggling as he leaves the scene of the crime?
 
i bet he used teh triForce...

Got the same program on both machines? Something like Nero version 10 or so. It should be a standard for both machines to burn a DVD-R (more reiiable but only once) or DVD-RW (burn more than once, but in the end does not last as long) and should be standard readable type DVD or CD. It is a standard. The only thing you have to watch is that in the program you select that it can be read on all computers not just the computer you are burning it on. That is an option in the program. I burned CDs that still work as CD-Rs, and actually gave up on CD-RW because just don't need them and can be read on any computer I have since they were done on old computers I do not use anymore. The price of a stack of say like Sonys DVD don't cost that much or FUJI or whatever, and I never use them all in a stack of ten. Of course I am not burning daily or anything just burning the OS and some other things and the rest is stored on the harddrive if needed. Like anything after a few years, it is either not going to be used anymore, or is not needed anymore.
 

The whole thing is that a CD-RW at the time, just does not imprint as good as a CD-R which is only done once. You can not record again on a CD-R.
 
They were only suppose to last say around 5 years or so. I still have some that are older and not a problem at all. Anyway that is what I had read at one time.
 
If you do not mind trashing anything later, then DVD-R would be the better disc to use. But that will be that no matter what you use.
 
I just burn at a slow speed, because it can go bad or not as good at faster speeds. I always burn at the slowest speed to make sure it is accurate (but it takes longer).