Try it in other cd players such as your stereo. Also, car cd players as peerless suggested can be fussy, they may not recognise rw's & in my experience don't. And also, the brand of cd-r/rw can make a difference as can burn speeds. Some players don't like the super fast cd-r's or cheap brands. Try a cd-r & see how it goes. BTW cheap versus good quality cd-r's refers to if they play at all & also how long they last. Some cheap brands only last 12 months, after which they start to sound distorted. So if using cd-r's, get the good & reliable brands, don't go for cheapies, unless you only intend to listen to it for a year or so.