Burning Audio and Data Discs

With CD and DVD burners becoming increasingly standard with new computer systems and increasingly affordable additions to older ones, burning audio and data CDs and DVDs is becoming more common as a means of backing up documents, pictures, and music. You don't need to buy a special program to burn your own discsall the necessary software is part of Windows Vista.

You can create CDs and DVDs in one of two formats:

Live File System. This new disc format is the Windows Vista default format for saving data to a disc. Files are copied, rather than burned, to the disc, without being "staged" in an area of your computer's memory first. You can copy additional files to the disc at a later time and erase files you no longer need from the disc. When you eject the disc from the drive, Windows Vista finalizes the session before opening the drive. Live File System discs are compatible only with Windows XP and later computers.
Mastered. This disc format was the standard when burning discs with Windows XP. A Mastered disc creates a closed session, meaning that no additional data can be added to the disc after you burn it. Files are first gathered into a Temporary Burn Folder and then burned to the disc in one session. After burning the files, the disc is closed and you cannot add or delete data. Mastered discs are compatible with earlier versions of Windows.

To burn a folder of picture files from Windows Explorer:

1.	In Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder containing the files you want to burn to CD or DVD. Select either the entire folder or individual files, and then on the toolbar, click Burn. Windows Vista copies the selected files to a Temporary Burn Folder, then opens your disc burner drive and prompts you to insert a writable disc. If you view the disc burner drive in Windows Explorer, you can see the files that will be burned to the disc.
2.	Insert a blank CD or DVD in the drive. After scanning the inserted disc, the Burn A Disc dialog box opens. Troubleshooting If the disc you insert is write-protected due to a previous mastered burn attempt, Windows Vista rejects the disc and asks you to insert another.
3.	In the Burn a Disc dialog box, enter a name in the Disc title box. This is the name that will appear next to the drive letter in Windows Explorer when the disc is in a drive.
4.	If you don't intend to burn more data to the disc or want to ensure that the disc is compatible with older operating systems and with CD or DVD players, click the Show formatting options button, and in the expanded Burn a Disc dialog box, select the Mastered option.
5.	Click Next. If you are creating a Live File System disc, Windows Vista formats the disc and copies the selected files to it, and then displays the files in Windows Explorer under the heading Files Currently On The Disc. You can leave the disc in the drive and continue to update its contents, or remove the disc from the drive. When you eject the disc from the drive, Windows Vista first prepares the disc by closing the session. To copy additional data to a Live File System format disc, insert the disc in the drive, and then either select the files you want to copy in Windows Explorer and click the Burn button, or display the disc contents in Windows Explorer and drag additional files to it. If you are creating a Mastered disc, Windows Explorer displays the drive, with the selected files listed under the heading Files Ready To Be Written To The Disc, and you then need to click Burn To Disc on the toolbar to initiate the burn. Tip You can delete files from the Files Ready To Be Written To The Disc list, and add others, before burning the disc.

To burn music tracks to disc from Windows Media Player:

1.	In full mode, click the Burn tab.
2.	Drag the album, play list, or tracks you want to burn into the Burn List area of the List pane. [View full size image]
3.	At the bottom of the List pane, click Start Burn.
4.	When prompted, insert a writeable CD or DVD into your computer's disc burner. Windows Media Player burns the music files to the disc, and after burning the last track, it finalizes (closes) the disc and then ejects it.