Creating System Recovery Media - Help Please (Dell Inspiron N5110)

Hi - The dell software seems a bit screwy. Busy with efforts to create system recovery media and when inserted rewritable DVD got message that rewritable not accepted. Have since aquired writable DVD's and now system appears to reject them too as it keeps asking me to insert DVD but then gets locked in a cycle where each one I insert into the drive is rejected and I'm asked once again to insert a DVD.

Is this an error with the Basic programme or an attemot by Dell to force me to upgrade to their Premium package?

Any tips / ideas please as I'd like to create a set of recoverable discs for my laptop.

Ta...