Main Content:
How to Burn a CD
You are going to need a few things before you are going to be able to burn CDs.
First, you are going to need a blank CD-R or CD-RW disk.
These can be found at the bookstore, central store, or can be purchased at just about any retail store (i.e. Best Buy, Target, Radio Shack) with an average cost of less than 1 dollar per disk. Each disk holds about 650 MB of data. This is equal to about 450 floppy disks.
There are 2 common types of disks:
- CD-R - these are inexpensive, but can only be written to once.
- CD-RW - cost more, but can be written to and erased many times (some over 100 times).
Note: DVD-R\RWs are not the same and require a different drive to burn the disks.
Next, you are going to need access to a CD Writer drive (CD Burner).
CD burners are available at the DMC (first floor library main campus)
Finally, you are going to need access you your files
- Go to the DMC with your blank CD-R\RW disk.
- Log into the computer with your user ID (this will give you access to the network drives where your data is stored). You are only able to login from one place at a time so make sure you are not still logged in at your office.
- Once the computer has finished logging you in, place your blank disk into the CD drive.
- The CD-Creator software should start automatically. If it does not, you can click on the Easy CD Creator 5 Basic icon on your desktop.
You should see a "Select a Project" window come up. 
You can choose the project type depending on what kind of CD you want to create
- Music CD - will make a CD you can use to play music in any standard CD player .
- Data CD - allows you to burn any kind of file onto your CD to access it from any other computer's CD-rom drive just like other CDs you have used.
- Video or Photo CD - allows you to put movies onto CDs in a format that can be played on a DVD player
- Disc Copier - makes a complete 1 for 1 copy of the contents of a CD to your blank. (You are responsible to comply with all copyrights of the CD you are copying.)
The only option that is supported by Helpdesk is burning a data CD. The other options are available but are more difficult to use and may require training to use correctly (contact Scott Sahs for training on other types of CD burns if you have problems).
To make a Data CD click on the 'make a data CD' button
You will see 3 options come up from that selection; the only option you should choose is Data CD project.
Direct CD burns is a non-standard format that is not supported by all computers.
Data DVD is used for burning DVD-R/RW disks in DVR-r drives.
Next, the data CD Project window will come up:
The next thing you need to do is choose the source where you are going to get the files that you want to burn. When you select the locations you should see a list of files in the Source Files window.
Select the files that you want to burn to the CD by clicking and dragging the files to the Data CD Project part of the window or by clicking on the files or folder, then clicking on the Add button.
When you have selected all the files that you want to burn and are satisfied with the layout of the files on the disk hit the record button.
A record CD setup window will appear which asks you some questions about the disk you are about to burn.
The write speed is how fast the data is burned to the disk. You want this to be set as fast as the burner can write. If there is a problem the burner will automatically adjust the speed down as needed.
Make sure that the Buffer underrun prevention is checked as this will help prevent ruining CDs if the data does not come to the burner fast enough.
When you are ready, click on the Start Recording button and wait.
You will see a status window appear that will tell you the current status of the burn. When the burn is completed the disk will eject and the computer will tell you if the burn was completed successfully.
You can use a permanent felt tipped marker to write information on the label side of the disk (the side that is not shiny) Do not try to use any other type of writing utensil as it may damage the media and you may lose your data on the CD.
