Called-for CDs and DVDs from the Desktop

Called-for a CD or DVD is great for bankroll stuff up, transferring stuff to another computer, mailing to somebody, or archiving older files to free up hard drive space. These days, you can buy blank CDs and DVDs very inexpensively in bulk via the Web or disbelieve store.

In ancient times—you lot know, like 2002—every PC came with a CD-ROM drive. Nowadays, new PCs come with either a philharmonic drive (a drive that can burn blank CDs and play DVDs) or a drive that burns both CDs and DVDs.

Earlier you dig in, however, here's a brief chalk talk about CD data formats.

A Tale of 2 Formats

Turns out Windows Vista can burn down blank CDs and DVDs using your choice of two formats.

  • ▸ Mastered. This is what virtually of the earth is used to. Information technology's what everybody burned before Windows Vista came along.

    You insert the blank disc and then elevate files and folders into its window. And then you burn all the files and folders at once.

    The Mastered format'due south virtue is compatibility. These discs play in just most any computer, including Macs and older PCs.

  • ▸ Alive File System. This newer, more modern format—Vista'southward new manufactory setting—is light-years more convenient. It lets you use a blank CD or DVD exactly as though it'south a floppy disk or USB flash bulldoze. You tin elevate files and folders onto it, motility icons effectually on information technology, rename them, and so on. There'south no momentous Moment of Burn down; files are copied to the CD in real time, whenever you put them there. Yous tin can leave a disc in your drive, dragging stuff onto it throughout the calendar week every bit it'due south convenient—without every having to click a Burn button.

    What'due south more, you can the eject the CD, store it or share information technology—and and so, later, put it back into your PC and fire more stuff onto it . That'south right—you can burn down a single CD as many times as y'all like. And we're talking regular, cheapie CD-R discs, not the CD-RW (rewritable) kind.

    The downside is that discs you burn this way generally work but in Windows XP and Windows Vista computers.

Burning, Step by Step

At present that, with luck, you understand the deviation between the two formats, yous're gear up to proceed.

  1. Insert a bare disc into your PC .

    The AutoPlay dialog box appears, request whether you intend for this CD or DVD to concur figurer files or music (Effigy iv-12, peak left). If you want to fire a music CD, skip ahead to Chapter 7. Otherwise, go on to step 2.

    Top: First, you're asked what you want to do with the blank. Click

    Figure 4-12. Top: Starting time, you're asked what yous want to do with the blank. Click "Burn files to disc." Top right: Proper noun your disc. If you want to alter the burn format, click "Show formatting options." Lower right: Your Big 2 options: the new, super-convenient Live File Organization format (UDF), and the older, highly compatible Mastered format (ISO). If you click Change Version (lower left), y'all can even specify a version of UDF.

  2. Click the "Burn files to disc" link .

    Windows asks you to proper noun the CD or DVD.

  3. Blazon a proper noun for the disc .

    But don't click Side by side however. This crucial moment is your only hazard to alter the disc's format.

    If y'all're OK with burning in the succulent, newfangled UDF format described above, never heed; skip to step iv.

    If y'all want this disc to be usable past a Macintosh, a CD or DVD thespian, or somebody using a version of Windows before Windows XP, though, take this moment to change the format. Figure iv-12 shows the full life cycle of a deejay you're burning.

    One time that's done, you lot tin can go on to step 4.

  4. Click Next .

    Your PC takes a moment—a long one—to format the blank disc.

    When information technology's finished, it opens a special disc-burning window, which will be the temporary waiting room for files that you desire to copy. (If you can't find the window, choose Start→Computer and double-click the name of your CD/DVD bulldoze.)

  5. Brainstorm putting files and folders into the disc's window .

    Yous tin employ whatsoever combination of these three methods:

    First, you can scurry about your hard drive, locating the files and folders you want on the CD. Elevate their icons into the open CD/DVD window, or onto the disc burner's icon in the Figurer window.

    Second, you can highlight the files and folders you want burned onto the CD. Cull Organize→Re-create. Click in the CD or DVD's window, and then choose Organize→Paste to copy the material there.

    Finally, you can explore your difficult drive. Whenever you find a file or binder you'd like backed up, right-click it. From the shortcut menu, choose Send To→DVD/CD-RW Drive (or whatever your burner'due south proper name is).

    To terminate the task, run across "The final steps," below, for the kind of disc you're burning.

    Tip

    The Details pane at the lesser of the window gives yous a running tally of the disk space you've filled up and so far. (It may say, for case, "223.ii MB of 702.8 used on disc.") At last, y'all take an effortless style to exploit the blank disc's capacity with precision.

The final steps: Mastered format

When you put files and folders into the disc's window, Windows actually copies them into a temporary, invisible holding-tank binder. In other words, you need plenty of disk space before you brainstorm burning a CD—at least double the size of the CD files themselves.

Tip

Think that a standard CD can agree only well-nigh 650 MB of files. To ensure that your files and folders volition fit, periodically highlight all the icons in the Computer→CD window (cull Organize→Select All). Then inspect the Details pane to ostend that the size is within the legal limit.

What you see in the disc's window, meanwhile, is nothing but shortcuts (denoted by the downward arrows on their icons). The footling downwardly arrows mean, "This icon hasn't been burned to the disc however. I'm just waiting my plough."

At final, when everything looks ready to go, click the "Burn down to disc" link in the task toolbar. Or right-click the burner's icon, or any blank spot in its window, and, from the shortcut carte, choose "Burn to disc."

The CD Writing Wizard appears, to guide you through the process of naming and burning the disc. The PC's laser proceeds to record the CD or DVD, which tin take some fourth dimension. Feel free to switch into some other programme and continue working.

When the called-for is over, the disc pops out, and you take a freshly minted CD or DVD, whose files and folders you can open on any PC or even Macintosh.

The final steps: Live File System format

If you've been dragging files and folders into the window of a Live File Organization-formatted disc, the truth is, y'all can stop hither. You tin can proceed that CD or DVD in your drive, or eject it and store information technology—whatsoever. Whenever you put it back into your PC, you can choice upwards right where you left off, calculation and erasing files equally though it'south a large flash drive.

To eject the disc, right-click your burner's icon; from the shortcut menu, choose Eject.

Final Notes

Here are a few final notes on burning CDs and DVDs at the desktop:

  • ▸ Not sure what kinds of disks your PC tin burn? Choose Start→Estimator. Report the name of the burner. There information technology is, plain every bit 24-hour interval: a list of the formats your car tin read and write (that is, burn). If you have a combo drive (tin can fire and play CDs, just can merely play DVDs), for example, yous'll see something similar: "DVD/CD-RW Drive." If your burner tin can both play and record both CDs and DVDs, it volition say "DVD-RW/CD-RW Drive."

  • ▸ To erase a —RW type disc (rewritable, like CD-RW or DVD-RW), open your Figurer window. Correct-click the burner's icon; from the shortcut menu, choose Format. Authenticate yourself (Section 6.3), if necessary, change the file-organization format if you like, and so plough on Quick Format. Finally, click Outset to erase the disc.

    Tip

    Of grade, you don't have to erase the disc completely. You can always select and delete individual icons from it using the Delete key.

  • ▸ If you practice a lot of disc burning, a total-fledged burning program like Nero adds myriad additional options. Only with a commercial CD-burning program can you lot burn MP3 music CDs, create mixed-fashion CDs (containing both music and files), create Video CDs (low-quality video discs that play on DVD players), and then on.

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