I am new at this so am trying to catch up.

Hello. Hi all,dcrosby1: listen to the voices of experience and only buy Top Quality media, at least until you have everything working just fine, then you can start experimenting with the cheap no-name stuff.As for burning speed, here is a rule of thumb:burn at HALF the SLOWEST RATED. e.g.4 x drive and 4 x media == 2 x burn:4 x drive and 2 x media == 1 x burn.If possible avoid buying 1x rated media (unless they are from a very highly rated manufacturer) as they could be re-marked "B" grade or lower (didn't meet quality standards) OR they could be previous generation dye.Have heard some good things AND some bad things about Ritek media (some overprints etc), but have only heard good things about BIG names like Verbatim, Maxell etc..Another thing: LABELS are a NO-NO, unless you get everything exactly right, a complicated subject....Motomatt: good advice, nice...Have Fun...Life is just more of the same: