To erase files from a CD-RW, you will need both the rewritable disc itself and an optical drive capable of reading and writing to CD-RWs. This capability will be listed on the front panel of your optical drive.
 Regardless of what operating system you're running, you need to begin by putting the disc into your disc drive. If your computer has multiple optical drives, make sure to put the CD into the one marked with "CD-RW."

, Do this by either double-clicking on the desktop icon or navigating to the option through the Start menu.
 In the context menu that appears, click "Open."

, In the panel marked "CD Writing Tasks," click on the option marked "Erase this CD-RW." This will open a wizard that will guide you through the process of erasing the disc's contents. Follow the directions in the wizard to erase the CD-RW.
 Once the disc has been successfully erased, you can re-record it with new data. This process can be repeated as necessary.
 Once Finder is open, click on the "Applications" folder to display the applications installed on your computer.;
, Scroll through the list of applications in the Finder window until you see the Disk Utility icon. Open the program by double-clicking on the icon.
 In the left panel of the Disk Utility window, you will see a list of all the drives on your computer. Select your optical drive from this menu; it will have a small picture of a CD. Make sure to highlight the device icon, not the volume icon (the device icon will be aligned to the left of the window, while the volume icon will be indented to the right underneath it).
 To erase the disc, click the "Erase" button in the lower right corner of the window. When the disc has been erased, you may rewrite it as desired.
Ensure that your setup is capable of working with rewritable CDs.
Insert the disc into your computer's optical drive.
Open the My Computer window.
Right-click the icon for the CD recording drive.
Run the CD writing wizard.
Rewrite your CD-RW as desired.
Open the Finder program by clicking on its icon in the dock.
Open the Disk Utility application.
Select the disc that you want to erase.
Erase the CD.
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