You've already been told that you have a stack of low grade media, and I don 't mean to pile on, but this statement makes me think you think you paid a low price for low quality media. You didn't. If you can get a refund from whoever peddled you this junk, do so.
You can get a 100 pack of Verbatims from Amazon for $37.51 delivered. I'm sure they can be got for less, that is just the first place I checked.
Don't try salvaging what you have. Write it off as tuition, and put them in the trash if you can't return them. If you try using them you will never know if your problem is your method or your media, and unless you are using good media you are not likely to get any truly good help or advice on this or any other forum.
For what its worth, I am a true cheapskate. I don't do a lot of burning, but when my pile of blanks gets down to 12 or so, I keep my eyes out for a good deal on a new supply. Good places to check: Amazon, buy.com, newegg.com. If you have stores near you, Microcenter or Inkstop. Inkstop had and may still have Verbatims for $10/50pack. Don't bother burning if you are unwilling to use and pay for quality media; there is too much that can go wrong and too much time invested.
