Why not invest a little money in an external hard drive; they are quite inexpensive these days. Save yourself all the bother and expense of ruined disks (you don't say whether you used CDs or DVDs). Windows 7 has a nice backup feature, too. There are also several free programs for backing up to external hard drives if you prefer not to use the Windows 7 backup.

I hate to spend a lot more on tech stuff. I have almost a spare room full now.

Because the Windows 7 backup works OK some times, I would like to know why it rejects previous disks - but not always. I'm using a Marks-a-Lot pen to write on the disks - the info they ask for. Perhaps using stick-on labels might work better. The drive doesn't seem to be able to read the lettering on the CD's. I'm using CD-RW's Memorex.

(I miss my old Dell for working with disks).

Bejay

I used to back stuff up on disks, but it got too complicated, too confusing, and too time-consuming. You can get a large external drive for $60-$70 and many have the backup software already installed. You plug in the USB cable and it does the rest. I'm suggesting you reconsider whether it makes sense in terms of your time and money spent on disks to keep trying to do backup the way you are.

I hate to spend a lot more on tech stuff. I have almost a spare room full now.

Don't expect that to change any time soon, built in obsolescence has become the order of the day it seems. It started probably even before the old wind up phonograph.

I'm using CD-RW's Memorex.

Oof! Anything I value NEVER goes on Memorex. As matter of fact, I never purchase Memorex.
Experienced trouble with quality of Memorex back in the cassette days.

Remember that if you are using Windows Backup in Windows 7, you should not be using a backup medium smaller than 1GB. CDs are no longer appropriate; you should purchase blank DVDs and write on those. This has nothing to do with Gateway, it has to do with the increased size of a backup.

Memorex is also a media that will give you a great deal of 'coasters' (useless burned DVDs/CDs).

Honestly, you can buy a 160 MB external HD from TigerDirect.com for $34.99, and that's about what you would pay for a spindle of blank DVDs.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tiger Direct HD

Remember that if you are using Windows Backup in Windows 7, you should not be using a backup medium smaller than 1GB. CDs are no longer appropriate; you should purchase blank DVDs and write on those. This has nothing to do with Gateway, it has to do with the increased size of a backup.

Memorex is also a media that will give you a great deal of 'coasters' (useless burned DVDs/CDs).

Honestly, you can buy a 160 GB external HD from TigerDirect.com for $34.99, and that's about what you would pay for a spindle of blank DVDs.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tiger Direct HD

The Awesome Arab shows a very good deal. However you then need to spend $20 on a piece of wire to connect it to the computer.

Between these bits of wire and printer inks we get shafted good and proper at the checkout counter.

Also, back up important things twice!! I had a good external HD and it stopped working and I lost everything. I now backup two ways.