CDs & DVDs: Easily Share Documents and Photos C 204 / 1 Copy Files to CDs & DVDs to Share with Friends and Family Let s say you ve been researching your family history, and over the months you ve collected folders full of documents, photos and notes. You want to share all this information with a relative, but there s far too much to bundle it all up and send it by email. The solution is to send all these files on a CD or a DVD. In this article, I ll explain the differences between the various types of disc, help you decide which is the best choice in different situations, and show you how to copy files to one of these discs. By Rob Young The Different Types of Disc Explained... Which Type of Disc Should I Use?... Copy Files to a CD/DVD in Windows 7/Vista... Copy Files to a CD in Windows XP... Save Money! Erase Rewritable Discs to Use Again... This article shows you: Windows All C 204 / 2 C 204 / 3 C 204 / 5 C 204 / 8 C 204 / 10... The different types of CD and DVD, and which to use in various circumstances... How to copy files to a CD or a DVD... How to erase rewritable discs to use them again 13
C 204 / 2 CDs & DVDs: Easily Share Documents and Photos Computer files, music and films A CD stores up to 700 MB of data DVDs hold 4.7 GB (or more) A recordable (write-once) CD A rewritable CD The Different Types of Disc Explained It s well known that CDs and DVDs can be used to store music, software, computer files, and even full-length feature films. But what are the differences between a CD, a DVD and a Blu-ray disc? And what do terms like CD-RW and DVD+R stand for? Here s a quick explanation of the different types of disc: CD The abbreviation CD stands for Compact Disc, and it s the general term for the original type of round, silvery disc. The data on a standard CD can t be changed it can be read, but nothing new can be written (or burned ) on to the disc so these are referred to as read-only discs, or CD-ROMs (the ROM part short for Read Only Memory). A CD can typically store up to 700 MB of data or 80 minutes of audio. DVD The DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) is the successor to the CD. Although it looks identical, a DVD has a much higher capacity, storing up to 4.7 GB of data (almost seven times as much as a CD). Doublesided, dual-layer DVDs can store a massive 17 GB, if you have a drive that supports them. CD-R A CD-R is a blank CD on to which data can be written (or burned ), but just once.the R stands for Recordable, meaning that the data on the disc can t be deleted. CD-RW A CD-RW is similar to a CD-R, but the disc can be erased and reused, or additional files can be 14
CDs & DVDs: Easily Share Documents and Photos C 204 / 3 burned to it later. The RW stands for Rewritable. Rewritable discs can t be erased and rewritten over and over again forever. They re generally rated to allow up to 1,000 uses, but a few hundred is more often the limit. Being so cheap, of course, it s no problem to throw one away and use a new one, but don t be surprised if a CD-RW one day refuses to be erased or burned. DVD-R and DVD+R These are two slightly-different types of recordable (write-once) DVD. Many DVD drives support one type and not the other, so it s important to check which type your drive supports before buying blank DVDs.This will probably be indicated by a sticker on your PC or logos embossed on the front of the drive. Recordable (writeonce) DVDs DVD-RW and DVD+RW Much like CD-RW discs, these are the rewritable types of DVD. Again, many DVD drives only support one type or the other, not both. Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray disc is the successor to DVD and typically stores 25 GB of data (although more expensive Blu-ray drives can store data in layers on the disc, increasing their capacity to as much as 128 GB). Like CDs and DVDs, Blu-ray discs come in three types: read-only (usually containing feature films), recordable (write-once), and rewritable. Which Type of Disc Should I Use? When choosing which type of disc to use for a particular task, there are various things to take into account. The first is your version of Windows: if you re using XP, you can only burn data to CDs (unless you re willing to ignore the steps given later Rewritable DVDs Blu-ray discs hold 25 GB or more Windows XP can only burn CDs, not DVDs 15
C 204 / 4 CDs & DVDs: Easily Share Documents and Photos in this article and use different software for the job). The next consideration is which types of disc your drive supports: if it doesn t support Blu-ray discs, you ll have to rule those out. Similarly, if it can t burn data to DVDs, you ll be choosing between a CD-R and a CD-RW. For temporary use, rewritable discs are best Use a recordable disc for permanent storage Erase and reuse a rewritable disc for keeping backups Let s assume you have the full range of options available. Which disc is best in different situations? Copying files: if you want to use a disc to copy files between two computers, a rewritable disc is the best choice CD-RW, DVD-RW or rewritable Blu-ray (BD-RE), according to how much data there is to copy. You can then erase and reuse the disc rather than having to throw it away. Storing files: if you want to keep copies of files on a disc permanently, a recordable disc (CD-R or DVD-R) is the best choice, because you only need to write to it once, and there ll be no possibility of accidentally erasing it. For safety, however, copy the files to more than one disc. Keeping backups: if you want to make regular backups of your files to one of these discs, replacing them every so often with the latest versions of the files, a rewritable disc is best (a DVD-RW/DVD+RW or rewritable Blu-ray disc, since a CD-RW s capacity probably won t be sufficient). You can then erase the disc next time your files need to be backed up and copy them to the same disc again. An important point to note about rewritable discs is that, although you can copy more files to them later, and continue doing so until they re full, files are never replaced. If you copy a file to a rewritable disc, and the disc already contains a file with that name, the original file is hidden so that you only 16
CDs & DVDs: Easily Share Documents and Photos C 204 / 5 see the new version. However, that old file is still there and still occupying (indeed, wasting) space on the disc. Sending files to someone else: it s best to use a recordable (CD-R or DVD-R/DVD+R) disc to send files to someone. This is partly so that you don t waste a more-expensive rewritable disc in a situation where the disc probably wouldn t (or shouldn t) be erased, and partly because recordable discs are compatible with a far wider range of computers and drives than are rewritable discs. Avoid using Blu-ray discs unless you re sure the person to whom you re sending the disc has a Blu-ray drive. Use cheaper recordable discs to send files Copy Files to a CD/DVD in Windows 7 / Vista When you want to copy files to one of these discs using Windows 7 or Windows Vista, follow the steps below. (If you re using a rewritable disc and want to erase it first, you ll find the steps to do so on page 11.) 1. Insert the disc into your computer s CD/DVD drive. 2. After a few seconds you ll see an AutoPlay dialog asking what you want to do with the disc. Click on Burn files to disc using Windows Explorer (in Windows 7) or Burn files to disc using Windows (in Windows Vista). 17
C 204 / 6 CDs & DVDs: Easily Share Documents and Photos You can type any short name for the disc Type any name for the disc 3. Now you ll see a dialog titled Burn a Disc. In the box labelled Disc title, type a short name for your disc. (The choice of name doesn t matter; it only appears in a few places in Windows when you insert the disc in future.) 4. If you re using Windows Vista, click the words Show formatting options at the bottom of the dialog. 5. Now you ll be looking at a dialog like the one pictured in the following screenshot. The screenshot shows Windows 7 s version of the dialog, and its wording is different in Windows Vista, but it presents the same choice of options in both versions. In Windows 7, click on With a CD/DVD player; in Windows Vista, click on Mastered. Then click the Next button. Click With a CD/DVD player (Windows 7) or Mastered (Windows Vista) Click Next A window shows the disc s contents 18 Find the files you want to copy 6. Now you ll see a Windows Explorer window showing the contents of your CD or DVD. If there are no files on the disc, the window will be empty; if it s a rewritable disc that does already contain files, you ll see those listed in a section headed Files Currently on the Disc. 7. Keep this window open, but move it to one side of your screen. 8. Now open the folder containing the files you
CDs & DVDs: Easily Share Documents and Photos C 204 / 7 want to copy to the disc, for example, by opening the Start menu and clicking Documents or Pictures. Arrange this window so that you can see the two open windows side by side. 9. Drag files and/or folders from the second window and drop them into the window of your CD or DVD. When you do this, they ll be added to a section headed Files Ready to Be Written to the Disc. The files and folders you drop into this window are copied there, but they haven t yet been burned to the disc. If you drop the wrong item into this folder by mistake, just select it and press the Delete key on your keyboard to remove it from the list of files ready to be written to the disc. 10. When you ve dragged-and-dropped all the required files and folders into the disc s window, click the Burn to Disc button on the toolbar. Click Burn to disc 11. Now you ll see the dialog pictured in the next screenshot. Here you have another chance to choose a title for the disc, if you regret the choice you made in step 3. Tick the box beside Close the wizard after the files have been burned and then click Next. Tell Windows to close the dialog 19
C 204 / 8 CDs & DVDs: Easily Share Documents and Photos Done! A window shows the CD s contents 12. Now Windows will burn the files you chose to the disc, and this dialog will keep you posted on the progress. When the job is finished, this dialog will close and the disc will be ejected. Copy Files to a CD in Windows XP As mentioned previously, Windows XP can copy files to CDs only, not DVDs or Blu-ray discs. When you want to copy files to a CD using Windows XP, follow the steps below. (If you re using a rewritable CD and want to erase it first, you ll find the steps to do so on page 12.) 1. Insert the disc into your computer s CD drive. 2. After a few seconds you ll see an AutoPlay dialog asking what you want to do with the disc. Click on Open writable CD folder using Windows Explorer. 3. Now you ll see a Windows Explorer window showing the contents of your CD. If there are no files on the disc, the window will be empty; if it s a rewritable disc that does already contain files, you ll see those listed in a section headed Files Currently on the CD. 4. Keep this window open, but move it to one side of your screen. 20
CDs & DVDs: Easily Share Documents and Photos C 204 / 9 5. Now open the folder containing the files you want to copy to the disc, for example, by opening the Start menu and clicking My Documents or My Pictures. Arrange this window so that you can see the two open windows side by side. 6. Drag files and/or folders from the second window and drop them into the window of your CD.When you do this, they ll be added to a section headed Files Ready to Be Written to the CD. Find the files you want to copy Drop files into the CD s window The files and folders you drop into this window are copied there, but they haven t yet been burned to the disc. If you drop the wrong item into this folder by mistake, just select it and press the Delete key on your keyboard to remove it from the list of files ready to be written to the disc. 7. When you ve dragged-and-dropped all the required files and folders into the disc s window, open the File menu and choose Write these files to CD. Tell Windows to copy the files to the CD 8. Now you ll see the dialog pictured in the next screenshot. In the box labelled CD name, you can type a short name for your CD. (The choice Type any short name for your CD 21
C 204 / 10 CDs & DVDs: Easily Share Documents and Photos of name doesn t matter; it only appears in a few places in Windows when you insert the disc in future.) Tick the box beside Close the wizard after the files have been written, and then click Next. Done! Sometimes a recordable disc is the sensible choice Reusing rewritable discs saves you money 9. Now Windows will burn the files you chose to the disc, and this dialog will keep you posted on the progress. When the job is finished, this dialog will close and the disc will be ejected. Save Money! Erase Rewritable Discs to Use Again Recordable discs (CD-R, DVD-R and DVD+R) are cheaper than their rewritable counterparts, so it makes sense to use them when you want to send files to someone else. The CD/DVD players in your home and car will often accept only recordable discs, so again you ll have no choice about which to use. For your own use, however, unless you intend to copy one collection of files to a disc and keep that disc forever, it makes sense to use rewritable (CD- RW, DVD-RW or DVD+RW) discs instead. They cost 22
CDs & DVDs: Easily Share Documents and Photos C 204 / 11 a little more, but the ability to erase them when you ve finished with the files you copied to them, and then use them again in future hundreds of times makes them the far more economical choice. When you want to erase a rewritable disc, giving yourself another blank disc to use in future, follow the appropriate steps below for your version of Windows. How to erase an RW disc Windows 7 and Windows Vista: 1. Insert the rewritable disc into your computer s CD/DVD drive. 2. If an AutoPlay dialog (or some other window) appears, just click the x button in its top-right corner to close it. 3. Open the Start menu and click Computer. 4. In the Computer window, click the icon of your CD/DVD drive once to select it. Click your CD/DVD drive s icon once 5. On the toolbar near the top of the window, click on Erase this disc. 6. In the dialog that opens, tick the box beside Close this wizard after the disc is erased and then click the Next button. 7. This dialog will keep you posted on the progress of erasing your CD or DVD. When the job is finished, the dialog will close. If you want to copy files to this now-blank disc, double-click the icon of your CD/DVD drive in the Computer window, and then go back to step 7 on page 6 of this article. Done! 23
C 204 / 12 CDs & DVDs: Easily Share Documents and Photos Windows XP: 1. Insert the rewritable disc into your computer s CD drive. 2. If an AutoPlay dialog (or some other window) appears, just click the x button in its top-right corner to close it. 3. Open the Start menu and click My Computer. Right-click your CD drive s icon 4. In the My Computer window, right-click the icon of your CD drive and choose Open. 5. Now you ll be looking at the current contents of the CD. Open the File menu and choose Erase this CD-RW. 6. In the dialog that opens, tick the box beside Close the wizard when erase completes and then click the Next button. Done! 7. This dialog will keep you posted on the progress of erasing your CD.When the job is finished, the dialog will close. If you want to copy files to this now-blank disc, double-click the icon of your CD drive in the Computer window, and then go back to step 4 on page 8 of this article. 24