Tutor Tips from ... the Computer Tutor

16 May 2005

Burning Data CDs with Nero Burning ROM

One of the best ways to keep your data safe is with the use of a recordable compact disc, or CD-R. I prefer using CD-R (CD-Recordable) discs to using CD-RW (CD-Rewritable) discs, mainly for the ease with which any CD-ROM drive can read a CD-R. Standard CD drives will not read CD-RW discs.

Windows XP comes with built-in CD burning capabilities. Nevertheless, it is not as flexible to use as a commercial program. One of the better programs for burning CD’s is Nero Burning ROM. Even its name is catchy. If you have not tried Nero, you are missing an easy way to create compact discs. Nero comes bundled with most CD burners. If you do not have it, you can buy it at better computer stores or online at Nero. If you just want to experiment with it, you can download a trial version from Nero.

Nero can be run in standard mode or in express mode. The information and instructions below pertain to Nero running in standard mode. Whenever you are going to burn a CD, be sure to close all other programs. Do not use another program while you are burning a CD. If you choose to ignore this caveat, you can end up with skips and hiccups on the disc.

How to Copy a CD

  1. Launch Nero from the Start Menu - Go to Start, All Programs (Programs in Windows 98), Nero, and Nero Burning ROM) or from the icon on your Desktop.
  2. This will bring up the Nero main window with a “New Compilation” dialog box. If yours doesn’t, click on File and then on New.
  3. If you have a DVD-R/CD-RW drive and can burn either CD's or DVD's, you need to tell Nero that you wish to burn a CD and not a DVD. Above the list of icons on the left, choose CD.
  4. From the list choose “CD Copy.”
  5. Place the original CD (the one you wish to copy) in the CD-recorder drive. If Windows tries to do something with the disc or an installation program begins, cancel the operation.
  6. On the “Copy Options” tab, select the source and destination drive. Be sure the Source drive and the Destination drive are the CD-RW drive. [Note: even if you have two drives, pretend for the moment that you only have the one drive.]
  7. On the “Burn” tab, leave the default settings for Write Speed (Maximum) and Write Method (Disc-at-Once) Click the Copy button in the upper right-hand corner of the dialog box.
  8. Wait patiently for the disc to be copied to the hard drive (temporarily). In the lower-left corner of the copy screen is a box that says, “Verify written data.” It is a good idea to tick this box.
  9. When the original disc has been copied, Nero will open the drive door and wait patiently for you to insert a blank CD-R disc in the drive and close the door. Do NOT click anything on the screen (your only choice is cancel).
  10. Wait patiently for the blank disc to be written. When finished, Nero will inform you that the process is complete. Click OK.
  11. Click the Done button in the lower right-hand corner of the Nero Window.
  12. Nero will eject the newly created CD and patiently await your next task.

You have just created a copy of a CD. If you want to create a CD from scratch, filling it with documents, photos, spreadsheets, etc., read on, Macduff.

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This is a good time to talk about multisession discs. A session is a recorded segment that may contain one or more tracks of any type. The CD recorder does not have to write the entire session at once – you can write a single track, and come back later and write another – but the session must be “closed” before a standard audio CD or CD-ROM player will be able to use it. Additional sessions can be added until the disc is closed or there’s no space left.

This provides a simple and reliable way to write some data to a disc now and still be able to add more later. Most of the popular CD creation programs allow you to "link" one or more earlier sessions to the session currently being burned. This allows the files from the previous sessions to appear in the last session without taking up any additional space on the CD (except for the directory entry). You can also "remove" or "replace" files, by putting a newer version into the last session, and by not including a link to the older version. When you put an audio CD into a typical CD player, it only looks at the first session. For this reason, multisession writes do not work for audio CDs.

How to Create a New Data CD – No Multisession
 Please note that when a CD is burned without a multisession, the CD is write-protected and no further burning is possible.

  1. Launch Nero from the Start Menu - Go to Start, All Programs (Programs in Windows 98), Nero, and Nero Burning ROM) or from the icon on your Desktop.
  2. This will bring up the Nero main window with a “New Compilation” dialog box. If yours does not, click on File and then on New.
  3. If you have a DVD-R/CD-RW drive and can burn either CD's or DVD's, you need to tell Nero that you wish to burn a CD and not a DVD. Above the list of icons on the left, choose CD.
  4. From the list choose “CD-ROM (ISO).”
  5. On the Multisession tab choose “No Multisession” and then click the “New” button in the upper right-hand corner of the dialog box.
  6. A browser should appear with four columns. If you only have two columns, click on View and tick “File Browser.” The two left panels will be the compilation you are going to burn and the two right panels will be the file browser, similar to Windows Explorer.
  7. Compile the files for the CD using Drag-n-Drop editing by simply clicking on the required files in the File Browser and dragging them into the compilation window. Clicking the right mouse button opens a context menu where you can selectively add or omit certain file types. In addition, there are a number of commands that you will also find in Windows Explorer, such as Copy, Open, and Cut. When compiling with Drag-n-Drop the directory structure is moved across too, i.e., if you drag an entire folder into the compilation window the folder will be created on the CD you wish to burn. If you drag many individual files however this may affect the clarity of the CD’s contents. To avoid this you can create new folders within the compilation. To do this, select the Create Folder option from the Edit menu or click the right mouse button and choose the command from the context menu. A folder you have just created is assigned the name “New” by default and can be renamed immediately. You can create as many folders as you need and pull the existing files across using Drag-n-Drop. You can, of course, drag other files into the compilation window from the File Browser.
  8. Click on the Write CD button or select the Write CD command from the File menu to open the write dialog box. This option is only available when the compilation window is selected, as can be seen from the fact that the title bar is blue. If the File Browser is selected (and the title bar of the compilation window is therefore grayed), the option is not available and CD writing cannot be started. In this case, click anywhere in the compilation window. The “Write CD” dialog box now opens.
  9. Click the “Label” tab and select Automatic. Give the disc an appropriate name.
  10. Click the “Burn” tab. In addition to the “Write” check box, remember that when you create a CD with only one session you must activate the “Finalize CD” checkbox.
  11. Click the Burn button to start the burn process. Wait patiently for the disc to be written. In the lower-left corner of the copy screen is a box that says, “Verify written data.” It is a good idea to tick this box. When finished, Nero will inform you that the process is complete. Click OK.
  12. Click the Done button in the lower right-hand corner of the Nero Window.
  13. Nero will eject the newly-created CD and patiently await your next task. You can either exit or start a new project. In either case, Nero will ask if you want to “Save changes to ISO1?” Ignoring the technical whys and wherefores, click “No.” [Nero just wants to know if you want to save the compilation list.]

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How to Create a New Data CD – Multisession

  1. Launch Nero from the Start Menu - Go to Start, All Programs (Programs in Windows 98), Nero, and Nero Burning ROM) or from the icon on your Desktop.
  2. This will bring up the Nero main window with a “New Compilation” dialog box. If yours does not, click on File and then on New.
  3. If you have a DVD-R/CD-RW drive and can burn either CD's or DVD's, you need to tell Nero that you wish to burn a CD and not a DVD. Above the list of icons on the left, choose CD.
  4. From the list choose “CD-ROM (ISO).”
  5. On the Multisession tab choose “Start Multisession disc” and then click the “New” button in the upper right-hand corner of the dialog box.
  6. A browser should appear with four columns. If you only have two columns, click on View and tick “File Browser.” The two left panels will be the compilation you are going to burn and the two right panels will be the file browser, similar to Windows Explorer.
  7. Compile the files for the CD using Drag-n-Drop editing (see above)
  8. Click on the Write CD button or select the Write CD command from the File menu to open the write dialog box.
  9. Click the “Label” tab and select Automatic. Give the disc an appropriate name.
  10. Click the Burn button to start the burn process. Wait patiently for the disc to be written. In the lower-left corner of the copy screen is a box that says, “Verify written data.” It is a good idea to tick this box. When finished, Nero will inform you that the process is complete. Click OK.
  11. Click the Done button in the lower right-hand corner of the Nero Window.
  12. Nero will eject the newly-created CD and patiently await your next task. You can either exit or start a new project. In either case, Nero will ask if you want to “Save changes to ISO1?” Click “No.”

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How to Add Files to a Multisession Data CD

  1. Launch Nero from the Start Menu - Go to Start, All Programs (Programs in Windows 98), Nero, and Nero Burning ROM) or from the icon on your Desktop.
  2. This will bring up the Nero main window with a “New Compilation” dialog box. If yours does not, click on File and then on New.
  3. From the list of icons on the left, choose “CD-ROM (ISO).”
  4. On the Multisession tab choose “Continue Multisession disc” and then click the “New” button in the upper right-hand corner of the dialog box.
  5. A “Select Track” dialog box should appear. The most recent Session and Track should be highlighted. Since there is no reason to choose otherwise, click OK.
  6. A browser should appear with four columns. If you only have two columns, click on View and tick “File Browser.” The two left panels will be the compilation you are going to burn and the two right panels will be the file browser, similar to Windows Explorer. [Notice the file and folders listed on the left. They are grayed and indicate what is already on the disc.]
  7. Compile the files for the CD using Drag-n-Drop editing (see above)
  8. Click on the Write CD button or select the Write CD command from the File menu to open the write dialog box.
  9. Click the “Label” tab and select Automatic. Give the disc an appropriate name.
  10. Click the “Burn” tab and select “Finalize CD” only if you want to close the disc. Otherwise, leave it unticked so that additional sessions can be added later.
  11. Click the Burn button to start the burn process. Wait patiently for the disc to be written. In the lower-left corner of the copy screen is a box that says, “Verify written data.” It is a good idea to tick this box. When finished, Nero will inform you that the process is complete. Click OK.
  12. Click the Done button in the lower right-hand corner of the Nero Window.
  13. Nero will eject the newly-created CD and patiently await your next task. You can either exit or start a new project. In either case, Nero will ask if you want to “Save changes to ISO1?” Click “No.”

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