I have run into a very strange phenomenon when erasing a MEPIS live distribution from a CD-RW (using Windows Explorer). The erasure seemed to work, and I then used the same CD-RW for something else (I was copying MIDI files--nothing to do with installing Linux.) When I finished what I was doing, I tried to erase the disc again. This time, the disc failed to erase for no apparent reason, and then the MEPIS files reappeared on it. I went through this again, and MEPIS still came back. Should I assume Windows caused it somehow?

"Update": Okay...this is only amusing because my PC is still running, for the moment. Since Windows could not erase MEPIS from my CD-RW, I downloaded a program called the Cheetah burner from download.com. (That, because I was planning to burn an ISO of the latest Knoppix after I got this disc erased.) Not only did this program also fail to erase the CD-RW, but the CD-RW apparently shattered, or exploded or something, while it was in the drive. While the Cheetah program was running, I heard a horrible CRACK! (I thought the cooling fan had burned out), and immediately shut down. Then, when I tried to run Cheetah again, it said there was no media in the drive. I opened it, and found bits of plastic strewn around the tray and spilling onto the floor. The bits only account for a chunk of the disc; evidently most of it is stuck inside. (I have been looking around the house for the digital camera so I can take a picture; I've never seen anything like this happen.) Kaboom.

It happens.. I haven't been bitten by this one yet, but you can never tell when it may happen.. if you see a crack in a disc you want to avoid inserting it into a high speed drive.. but this can happen even when there are no visual indications of defects on the media

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD_shattering

http://www.dvd-recordable.org/Articl...reshold0.phtml