i understand that i screwed up. i should have read more about what would happen if i formatted. i appreciate everyones help in trying to resolve my issue. i had everything installed fine, i was just getting disk read error 1101 when i tried playing a back up disc. i will read through the guides and try my hand at it again. my only other question then would be about the type of discs i should use. i have memorex dvd+r and maxell dvd-r. would any of those be fine, or should i get a different kind? and what speed should i write at?