Using ver. 1.0.2 under Slackw.12.
First, tried to erase new CD (couldn't find the format button) but K3B just kept wanting me (root) to put a CD in player (it had my boot CD there) which is a slave on channel 1. CDRW is master on channel 2 by itself.
Decided to try to write files w/out erasing (Where is the format setup? Maybe disk is preformatted?). Went along apparently(?) trying to write to player because when I withdrew CD I got a message that there was a partial file on the disk but I had NO lamp (its good) activity on the writer. Checked the devices and it knows there is a TDK writer and a old 50x player.
1) Does erasing format the CD now?
2) If not where is the format button?
3) What do I need to do to get it to recognize the writer? (without the) player? to copy files from a directory so I can transfer them?
4) Why did the K3b group screw up the super simple and direct system that came out under Slack 10.2? (Please no response on 4!)

There's no format option because you can't 'format' a CD or DVD. You can only erase the contents of one, or for a blank one you can just write to it. The filesystem used is decided at the time you write the CD.
Are you trying to copy a CD here?

Thanks, rjwilmsi, I have been thinking about differences between Hi/Lo speed CDs and was thinking of formats when I posted
the query. No formats indeed!
Needing to copy various files/directories to the CD as a backup.
Do you know why I am apparently trying to write to the player? OR why it is asking for a CD when It is trying to write to
one. Seems like it is trying to do a CD to CD copy. The entire sequence does not seem correct for the entries I made.

Perhaps you are looking for CD-RW packetwriting (where you incrementally write files to a UDF filesystem)?

There are multiple places to get help:
http://packet-cd.sourceforge.net
http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Packet_Writing_on_CD-RW
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...d.php?t=538283

Nope. Solution is elementary (sorry love that Sherlock phrase). As usual its the idiot behind the keyboard.
I take things quite literally. When I saw "Empty ... " in the destination box of the writing sequence I
took it to mean it was unable to find a media in the drive. Plus some other factors.
When I "backed away" so to speak and don't take things so literally and ran a simulation it all worked out.
Walla! Was able to copy my files to the project and finally wrote them to the CDRW. Bad habit of mine
being roboticly literal but it has saved many client projects. Thanks to all. Hope 1.1 is more like
the old release.