CD-R/CD-RW Burning Guide

Free Monthly Newsletter...and much more!

5 Star Support - Free Computer Help and Technical Support

5 Star Support Home

Free Technical Support

Computer Help Forums

Computer Tutorials

Tips, Tricks & Tweaks

Troubleshooting FAQ

CD-R/CD-RW Burning Guide

CD-R = Compact Disk-Recordable
CD-RW = Compact Disk - Re-Writable Recording a CD is called "Burning". Data is actually burned into the CD with a laser. Recording using CD-R media is a one-time shot. Once the data is burned into it, it is there to stay. The same however is not the case for the CD-RW media. A CD-RW drive can write about 650 megabytes of data to CD-RW media an unlimited number of times. CD-RW disks are much more expensive than CD-R's so it would depend on your use to determine what would be best for you. For instance; CD-R is sometimes considered a better technology for archival purposes as the data cannot be accidentally modified or tampered with, and encourages better archival practices. A couple of years ago, burning a CD required considerable care and experience. Many disks ended up as coasters due to burn error. To burn one disk took approximately 40 minutes. How frustrated would you be to burn for 40 minutes only to find out your CD was fried during the session? This happened quite a bit. In the year 2000, generating a successful CD takes less than 10 minutes. A few brands offer even faster burn speeds. The cost of the burners and the disks have become so affordable that people can easily create their own music library's in the comfort of home. There are still some actions you must take in order to have a successful burn. Listed below, are some of the things to do before burning a CD.

Preparation

1. Make sure that you turn off all unnecessary applications IE: Screen saver, background, anti-virus software, ISP (Internet Service Provider)...etc. Keep in mind that any power producing program that activates itself during your burn can manifest that surge as skips or pops in your recording.

2. Select your media wisely. You should have speakers that are good enough to hear the quality of the music targeted for burning. If you hear pops and clicks in the music, you obviously do not want to record that.

3. You will need WinZip for decompressing files and NexEncode for converting MP3 files to .WAV All audio files must be in .WAV format before burning.

Time to Burn (Instructions for Adaptec EZ-CD Creator)

1. Go to start, programs, then Adaptec Easy CD Creator.
2. A menu/wizard should come up. Click the button that says to make an "Audio CD". Click next.
3. Open the file that has all of the songs you want on the CD. Select each file and click the "Add Now" button. After you have selected them all, click next.
4. Name the CD and click next.
5. Click the button that says; "to close the session". Click next.
6. Click the button that says; "to perform the test". Click next.
7. Click the button that says; "to create CD now". Click finish.
8. The computer should start recording.

These CD's can be played on any computer.

[Top]

Use the above information at your own risk. See "Terms of use"