BURN  FILES  ONTO  A  DISC

These next two sections deal with Burning (Copying) Files onto a Disc (CD or DVD). In this section I will show you how to Burn (Copy) files onto a Disc (CD or DVD) using Windows Vista only. Therefore, I am assuming that you do not have any Disc Burning (CD or DVD Copying) software installed or you do but you do not know how to use it. In the next section I will show you how to Burn Files onto a Disc using some third-party disc burning software.

Using Windows Vista's built-in burning function only, begin by inserting a Blank Disc (Blank CD or Blank DVD) into your Disc Recorder Drive (i.e CD-RW Drive or DVD-RW Drive). Doing so should bring up the AutoPlay requester.


Fig 1.0  Click on the BURN FILES TO DISC (using Windows) option to continue

When the AutoPlay requester appears it will give you at least two options. BURN AN AUDIO CD (using Windows Media Player) and BURN FILES TO DISC (using Windows). In this example, because I am showng you how to burn (copy) Photograph files onto a disc, you need to click on the BURN FILES TO DISC option to continue. This will then bring up the Burn To Disc window.


Fig 1.1  Change the Disc Title if you want to

The Burn To Disc window (Fig 1.1 above) is collapsed by default. When collapsed it only shows the TITLE Edit Box, which allows you to give your blank disc a Title. The default title is the current date but here I have renamed it Europe 2007. This is to remind me when (2007) and where (Europe) the Photograph files were taken. If you click on the FORMATTING OPTIONS expand button (Fig 1.1 above) it will expand the Burn To Disc window to reveal Formatting (cd/dvd burning) options.


Fig 1.2  Click on the CHANGE VERSION text link to continue

The formatting options are optional and are explained here in case you want to use them at a later time. If you are not interested in them you can click on the NEXT button to continue (Jump to the paragraph above Fig 1.5 below).

The two radio button options that are revealed when you expand the Burn To Disc window allow you to choose a disc File System and File Format. Basically. The LIVE FILE SYSTEM file system allows you to burn a disc that will work with Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista only, and its file format allows you to burn files in Multiple Sessions (i.e burn 10 files now, another 4 files later today and then another 7 files tomorrow and so on). The MASTERED file system on the other hand allows you to create a disc that should be compatible with older Windows (i.e Windows 98SE), but its file format only allows you to finalize one lot of file burning (i.e burn 10 files now but none later on). Hence MASTER COPY (MASTERED or Finalized).

In this example I am using the LIVE FILE SYSTEM file system, but I want to change its UDF (Universal Disk Format) Version (file format). After clicking on the CHANGE VERSION button (Fig 1.2 above) I am presented with the Select A UDF Version window. It has a drop-down menu on it that when clicked on allows you to see what each UDF Version does/is.


Fig 1.3  Compatible with Windows XP and Windows Server 2003

Fig 1.4  Purely for Windows Vista

As you can see, the default UDF version is 2.01 - Compatible with Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 but perhaps not with Windows 98 for example. In this example I chose UDF version 2.50 - Windows Vista only. After selecting the UDF Version and clicking on the OK button the Select A UDF Vsersion window closes and you are returned to the Burn Files To Disc window.

After clicking on the NEXT button on the Burn Files To Disc window, regardless if you changed the disc format (as described above) or not, Windows Vista will begin to format your disc in the current UDF format (either the default 2.01 UDF format/version or the UDF format/version chosen by you). In this example it is formatting a Mini-CD with a capacity of 219MB, as opposed to a Standard CD with a capacity of 700MB.


Fig 1.5  The Disc is being Formatted (prepared/organised) using the current UDF format/version

Once the formatting has been done the Disc's folder (window) opens so that you can start copying files into it. You can either DRAG files into the folder (Fig 1.6 below) or PASTE files into the folder (Fig 1.7 below). Select, Copy, Cut and Paste (DRAG / MOVE techniques) are explained in the Select, Copy and Paste section.

Memory Refresh! Assuming the folder(s) and/or file(s) you want to copy onto the disc are all inside the main Documents folder for example. You would first select those folders and files, click on the EDIT menu of the main Documents folder (window) and then click on the COPY menu-item. This will make a COPY of your selected folders and files in the computer's memory. From there you would click on the EDIT menu of the Disc folder (window) and then click on the PASTE menu-item to paste the memory copy of your selected folders and files onto the Disc (Fig 1.7 below). Alternatively. You could just click on one folder or file at a time, keep the left mouse button clicked (held down) on that folder or file as you move (drag) the mouse pointer (folder or file) from the main Documents folder to the Disc folder (Fig 1.6 below).


Fig 1.6  Drag your folder(s) and/or file(s) into the Disc folder (window)



Fig 1.7  PASTE your copied folder(s) and/or file(s) into the Disc folder (window)

As you are dragging or pasting your folder(s) and/or file(s) into the Disc folder you might be informed by Windows Vista that you do not have enough space on the Disc to carry out that drag or paste operation. If this is the case simply click on the CANCEL button (Fig 1.8 below). If you do have enough space on the Disc your folder(s) and/or file(s) will be copied (burnt) onto the Disc (Fig 1.9). One thing to remember is that each burning session needs 20MB, so bare this in mind when selecting folders/files (i.e calculate the size of the folders/files overall plus 20MB).


Fig 1.8  Click on the CANCEL button when you do not have enough space on your Disc



Fig 1.9  Your folder(s) and/or file(s) are being copied

When you first insert a blank disc into the disc drive and begin to drag/paste (copy) folders/files onto it Windows Vista opens a Recording Session for that blank disc. As you copy folders/files onto the blank disc (drag/paste into its opened folder) Windows Vista burns (records) those folders/files onto the blank disc for you. Whilst the recording section is open, and whilst there is enough recording space on the blank disc, you can copy as many folders/files as you like. When you close a recording session, either by manually ejecting the disc or by using the disc drive's Options (right click) menu (menu-item EJECT or CLOSE SESSION), you can no longer record in that recording session.



Fig 1.10  Manually ejecting a disc causes its last recording session to close automatically



Fig 1.11  Right click on the disc drive and then select CLOSE SESSION (or EJECT) to close the recording session




Fig 1.12  The recording session is closing




Fig 1.13  The recording session has been closed

Closing a recording session does not mean that you cannot record on that disc again. You can. If you chose CLOSE SESSION and the disc is still in the disc drive, when you copy another folder/file onto the disc a new recording session will be opened. And if you EJECTed the disc, or ejected it after a CLOSE SESSION, simply re-insert it into the disc drive and copy another folder/file onto the disc to open a new recording session. When you have finished close the recording session with CLOSE SESSION, EJECT or manually eject the disc as described above. These re-recordings are known as Multi-Sessions (Multiple Recording Sessions).



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