CD Burning

My first journey into CD-R/W burning found me purchasing an HP 7100i Sure Writer Plus. I bought this second hand and got a good deal on it. I knew virtually nothing about CD-R writers prior to the purchase. I assumed that CD Burners were a lot like floppy drives only with a great deal more storage. Wrong! Anyway I've learned a bit and have found some useful links to sites with great info. Since the original purchase I've upgraded to an Acer 8432A and then to an LG 8120B. If you are new to burning I hope you find something here. And if you are contemplating purchasing a burner this may be a place where you can pick up the info needed to make an informed decision.

Andy McFadden's CD-Recordable FAQ CD-Recordable FAQ this is the definitive CD-R/W resource. Everyone who is using a burner or is thinking about burning disks needs to bookmark this one!!

Hoss's CD-R & CD-R/W FAQs and Tutorials this info was put together by Hoss who is one of the moderators for the CD-R & CD-R/W Forum. It is put together with the new CD-R/W owner in mind and contains faqs, tips and links to other sites. Great basic info!!

Mike Richter's Primer on CD-R - Mike R's gives a comprehensive treatment to a range of CD-R and CD-R/W FAQs. This is good solid information and worthwhile bookmarking.

The Roxio Glossary - Roxio has put together a great glossary of common terms used in CD-Recording. If you don't know your DAT from your ASPI then take a run this this resource.

CD-RW Central - a great new site with a host of info on every aspect of CD burning. Bookmark it now!

Cascade2000.net - check this site for news, reviews, and information on CD-R/W. An excellent resource site that has joined forces with CD-RW Central.

CDRInfo.COM - Another great new site dedicated to keeping us informed about the finer art of burning.

Just CDR - news, forums, links to software sites and CD-R tools as well as a paper on how to overclock your burner (if it is supported).

CD Recordable from Octave - another very useful site filled with FAQs , handbooks, guides and articles about all aspects of CD Burning. Also find Software links and links to other useful sites.

Werner's CD-Burning Guide - If you are in great need of coffee coasters don't bother checking this link out. However if you want to make the most out of your CD burning sessions take this link to Werner's page which offers solid tips for avoiding those dreaded "buffer underruns."

Cyrus-Troy's - Burning Solutions - Do you need help with your burner? Are you using Nero, CDWin, CloneCD or BlindRead/Write? Do you want skins for CloneCD? Check out this site. There is also an excellent read under the Home button. Click on Essays and find tips on installing a burner, understanding ASPI Layers and solutions to buffer underruns.

Clean Your CD-R/W - If you find that you are starting to make more coasters than before, or when you run the simulation test it completes perfectly but the burns fail you may have a dirty lens. Dust is getting sucked into the drive all the time and it doesn't take much to affect your laser lens. I've cleaned my old HP 7100i several times using the directions at this site. If the warranty is gone, what have you got to lose?

CD Media World - information and resource page on a wide variety of CD-R/W issues ranging from hardware reviews to types of CD-R and CD-R/W media to links to software sites and forums. This is a superior resource site!

Radified Guide to Ripping CD Audio & MP3 Encoding - This guide presents what many consider to be the *best* way to rip CD audio & encode MP3s. The word 'best' used here refers to audio quality, not CD ripping or MP3 encoding speed

Transferring LPs to CDR - if you want to save the vinyl and transfer all your old favourite 45's and LPs to disk take this link. You may also wish to check out Total Recorder (below in the Software section) which will give you more control over doing the transfer.

How To Transfer Vinyl To CD - Another great link to getting those old LPs stored on CDs. Simple and direct instructions.

Color Books of CDs - Ever wonder the where, what, and why of all those color books for compact disks. This site has simple and easy to understand overviews for each of the books.

CD-R Disk Survey - the author of this page has put together a list of media which seem to work well and that which has been problematic for some folks. I've found that there are a number of variables that affect successful burning to disks. One of them is poor quality media. In my experience "Power Calibration Errors" often point to a bad disk as being the culprit.

Adaptec -Troubleshooting Tips - This page is an exact copy of a posting by Deirdre Straughan - Adaptec. Are you having trouble with CD recording? Here are some basic and easy troubleshooting steps which may help in a broad range of cases.

Making a Bootable CDR - So you want to make a bootable CD. Check out this site for info on how to do this.

How To Make A PC Bootable CD-R - Detailed information if you are lookingt for IOPATCH referred to at this site use the link below.

IOPAT This program will patch IO.SYS on either a Windows 95 OSR2 or a Windows 98 (i.e. MS-DOS 7.1 FAT32) bootable floppy for use as a boot image on bootable CD-ROMs. When booting from a CD-ROM, your boot image must load a CD-ROM driver in order to be able to read any files on the portion of the CD beyond the boot image. This is normally done by loading a DOS CD-ROM driver in your boot image's CONFIG.SYS file. The problem is that loading the CD-ROM driver resets the drive, and some CD-ROM drives take several seconds to reset, during which time your booting CD is unreadable. Therefore, when CONFIG.SYS tries to load any additional device drivers and your command-line interpreter shell, such as COMMAND.COM, it can't find them and you get an error message like, "The following file is missing or corrupted: ..." Needless to say, your CD doesn't completely boot. IOPATCH modifies your MS-DOS 7.1 bootable floppy's IO.SYS so that the boot process will wait until the disk is readable before loading each device driver and before loading the command-line interpreter shell. It also modifies the text displayed when the disk boots to remind you that you are using a customized version of IO.SYS.

Removing Read-Only File Attribute (I have used this many times on my own system but you do so at your own risk)

Unless you use packet formatting you will discover that if you burn files to CD-R/W the file attributes (under Properties) are changed to Read-only. This is because CD-R media is Read only media. When you restore the files to your Hard Drive the attributes will remain as Read-only and can be a problem if these files need to be written to. To remove the Read-only attribute use the DOS Command ATTRIB -R *.* /S. This can be done for all files in a directory (including subsequent directories) at once by doing the following:
1) Go to Start->Programs->MS-DOS Prompt
2) Navigate to the directory you wish to have the file attributes changed in (for example C:\Windows and all)
3) Type ATTRIB<space>-R<space>*.*<space>/S and hit Enter (<space> means enter a space here)
4) All files in that directory will have the Read-only attribute removed.
If you had burned your entire C:\ partition to disk and restored it you would simply go to C:> and enter #3

Automate a Ghost Backup to span disk size (I have used this many times on my own system but you do so at your own risk)

If you use Ghost Personal Edition or Ghost Standard Edition to backup your system you will note that the file it creates is often too large to fit on a CD-R or CD-R/W. The following batch file was sent to me by Mark Lloyd and I modified it a bit.

1) On the partition where your will save the image file(s) create a folder and name it BKUP (or whatever you like but keep it short).

2) Next create a folder in C:\ directory and call it GHOST (or whatever you like, but keep the folder to a name shorter than 8 characters). Into that folder copy these two files from your Norton Ghost Personal Edition folder "GHOSTPE.EXE" and "GHOST.ENV"

3)Launch Notepad and copy the contents between the lines below into it: (Only the lines without REM in front run. REM lines are simply for your information)
-------------------------
REM change to directory you are using for image files
REM and makes sure you have the right directory
REM I use "D:\BKUP"
D:
CD ..
CD ..
CD BKUP
REM delete the old image files if you wish
REM make sure you don't have any files that
REM you need to keep in here
Dir /W
DEL *.*
REM press "Y" to delete the contents or
REM "N" to go directly to Ghost
REM these lines run "Ghost" and
REM create 640 MB files for CDs
REM the next line directs DOS to run GHOSTPE and
REM to span the image into 640 MB files and
REM to autoname the files and
REM to set the compression to high compression
C:\GHOST\GHOSTPE.exe -split=640 -autoname -z9
REM when "Ghost" is finished, just press 'reset'
REM to return to Windows
------------------------

4) When ready, to create your image file, boot with a Windows Startup Disk and at the A:> type C:\GHOST.BAT

5) The screen will switch to show you the contents of the folder you created for the images files and if it contains files you have the option to delete them all (Y/N)

6) Next Ghost will launch and you can select the partition to dump then you will automatically be directed to save in the D:/BKUP folder

7) File spanning and compression are already preset so after confirming everything is set to dump what and where you wish you can let Ghost do it's thing.

If you wish to have larger image files just change the span size "-split=" to another size (I have mine set to 640MB which leaves a bit of space for the TOC after burning). Also you can change the compression ratio "-z" to any number between 0 and 9. The maximum compression ratio is 9 and takes the greatest amount of time to complete. Once completed you can look in the D:\BKUP folder and you will see your file(s). The first file will have the Ghost icon but the other files in the set will have generic icons. They will be autonamed with the name of the image followed by it's number in the span series as an extension.

***NOTE*** You can substitute a different drive letter than D and a different folder name than BKUP. If you wish to save to packet formatted CDs you first need to change the word "-split" to "-span" and then modify the span size to around 550. Next enter the drive letter for your CD-R/W and run GHOST.BAT from Windows. If you place GHOSTPE.EXE is in a different directory than C:\GHOST you will need to change the location.

If you are using Ghost Standard then the name of the application is simply GHOST.EXE. rather than GHOSTPE.EXE . This batch file works with Ghost under Windows 95/98 and Windows Me.

The latest version of Windows 95 (known as the OSR2 release or Windows 4.00 build 1111) and Windows 98 normally can't read digital audio through MSCDEX calls. (However, there is no issue with the ASPI calls.) The problem has been located to the scsi1hlp.vxd file. Even though the name suggests that the file should only be used for SCSI devices, it actually handles IDE CD-ROMs as well. Either way, in most cases it helps if the Scsi1hlp.vxd file is replaced with the old version.

It doesn't matter which Windows version you are running as long as the right scsi1hlp.vxd file is used. If the CD vendor has provided its own drivers for the CD, it may work with the wrong scsi1hlp.vxd version. If you are using a version other than 4.00.950 and it is not working, replace it with the 4.00.950 version. The file is located in the C:\windows\system\iosubsys directory. Here is a link to a site that contains the file and instructions on how to use it scsi1hlp.exe

***** Make a backup copy of your scsi1hlp.vxd before you replace it. Beware of renaming it to scsi1hlp.vxd1111 or something like that. When Windows uses this file, it seems to search for a file that loosely matches scsi1hlp.vxd. Rename it to osr2vxd.bak or something similar.

You have to restart Windows after you have replaced the file! Downgrading to the SCSIHLP.VXD has no adverse effects on your system.

CDBurnerXP - Pro is a freeware CD-Writer program. The interface is very similar to Nero. It has been tested to work on Windows Me/2000/XP but should work on Windows 98. The program can write CD-R and CD-RW discs. It can also write discs directly from an ISO image file, and save image as an ISO image file (*.iso). CDBurnerXP can also erase CD-RW discs. It can create audio CDs but only supports .WAV audio.

Sony CD Extreme - A full featured free mastering program that is similar to Click N burn. This is an 8MB download complete with update patch and manual. It works with most IDE burners and is compatible with Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP. Or if you wish to download direct from Sony download and install in the following order.
1. Download CD Extreme from Sony
2. Update it here and finally
3. Update the Burning Engine for more Burner Support from here
4. The manual is here in PDF format. You need Adobe Reader to view this file

Easy CD Pro - For reasons known only to themselves, Adaptec stopped distributing their freeware program Easy CD Pro, and instead has started selling a new piece of software called Easy CD Creator. The problem is that the new software is expensive, hard to use, bulky, and can't do some of the things good old Easy CD Pro could do.

Adaptec's UDF Reader enables some MultiRead CD-ROM drives to read UDF formatted CD-RW discs (such as those written with DirectCD or InstantWriter) under Windows 95, 98 and 98 SE, Windows NT 4.0 SP3 or higher. Before downloading the Windows UDF Reader, ensure that it supports your drive by checking our list of CD-ROM Drives Tested with the UDF Reader for Windows.

Need to update your ASPI Layer? ASPI stands for Advanced SCSI Programming Interface. It's an interface to access directly to the CD hardware, with a set of commands the device can handle. Even though the word SCSI appears it's compatible and used with IDE ATAPI drives. Almost all the CD drives in the market belong to one of these category, so can be accessed through ASPI. Windows 2000/XP delivers its own version of ASPI, but it can be to be unstable and unreliable. Adaptec, who owns the copyright, has a good, reliable distribution with all its SCSI cards and CD software. Symbios has its distribution, as well as some CD burning or extracting software.

Adaptec's ASPI 4.60 download the latest ASPI Layer directly from Adaptec. You can also install the latest Adaptec ASPI drivers *without* the requisite Adaptec hardware or software in your system, by 'virtually' installing an Adaptec 2940 SCSI adapter (even if you don't actually have one). You do this by going into your Install New Hardware wizard: Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Hardware. This will trick your system [and the ASPI32.exe installer program] into thinking you have an Adaptec SCSI card installed in your system. After you have 'virtually' installed the phantom Adaptec SCSI adapter, you will be able to install the Adaptec ASPI layer.

CD-R Diagnostic - practically all of the software that I list on my site is under $30 US or freeware. This piece of software hit the top of that range. However it is invaluable if you burn disks. It will enable you to recover data from damaged disks. So if you make a few "coaster" (and we all do) or you can't get you drive to read a UDF disk, this program will help with the recovery.

IsoBuster - a freeware recovery program that is similar to CD-R Diagnostics in what it attempts to do. I have recovered data with it from a CD-R that reported "no data". Give it a try!

CD Check - It is especially useful for testing old CDs or just burned CDs to see if they are OK. If some files are corrupted that means it would be wise to move your data to some other media or copy it on another CD. (freeware)

CDR Identifier - This little tool lets you read the ATIP (Absolute Time In Pre-Groove) of CDR (CD-Recordable) media with most of the current CDR recorders. This information tells the real manufacturer and type of dye used for this media.This little tool lets you read the ATIP (Absolute Time In Pre-Groove) of CDR (CD-Recordable) media with most of the current CDR recorders. This information tells the real manufacturer and type of dye used for this media.

SuperBlank v 2.0 - If you have trouble erasing CD-R/W disks with your softwares erase feature try this freeware program. It was designed to erase multiple CD's (up to seven at a time) but works very well in my home system.

Duplicator v 2.3b - Freeware disk duplicator.

WinMX - Napster is all but dead. WinMX is a nice alternative and gives you an easy to use interface, great download speed, and you can download more than just .mp3 with it.

Napigator v 1.14 - Napster is being forced to shut down it's servers. This program works along side Napster and enables you to select another server to connect to. And yes it is free! Simply connect to a non Napster server and you can use the Napster application interface to download mp3s as you have become accustomed to.

CDex - CDex is a freeware application, which is able to extract audio tracks from a CD-ROM digitally, and save those files to disk as either regular WAV file or MP3 files

CDFS.VXD Replacement This freeware version of CDFS.vxd is a drop-in replacement of the standard Win9x CD driver, allowing for tracks on audio CDs to be viewed and opened as WAV files. You can easily copy the wav to your hard drive in either mono or stereo format in several different bit rates.

MP3 CD Maker - MP3 CD Maker is a very cool tool that can help you to make normal audio CDs from MP3 files. It is shareware and costs $30 US to register.

dBpowerAMP Music Converter (dMC), is one of those must have utilities, indispensable for converting audio files from one format to another. Part of dMCs formidable arsenal, is its ability to rip music straight from Audio CDs!, or LPs. This is Freeware folks, it is tiny and very easy to use.

Audio CD MP3 Studio - AudioCD MP3 Studio will also enable you to record MP3 files directly to audio CD and will also convert .CDA to MP3 format to store on your computer. Shareware at $20 US.

Audio Catalyst - This all-in-one product creates MP3s from your audio CDs in a single step. AudioCatalyst gets the job done in less than real time so you can enjoy your music faster. With Xing's revolutionary Variable Bit Rate (VBR) encoding you can pack the highest quality sound into the smallest possible files. This is retail and cost $30US.

Total Recorder - This little app will capture any audio coming into your computer and lets you save it as a .wav file and it only costs $12 US. This is a must have piece of software IMO as you can easily capture music off the internet or from a device connected to your computer. If you can hear it, you can save it.

cdrLabel - cdrLabel is a shareware tool for creating labels for your CD-Recordable and CD-ROM disks. It stands out with it's ability to produce nicely formatted catalogs on these labels. cdrLabel allows you to easily find what files a CD-ROM contains without ever opening the case! This is shareware and the author asks $15US

Manuals and Tutorials
Compiled by Hoss at the CD-R & CD-R/W Forum this page contains links to manuals and tutorials for many of the best known burning software like Nero, Easy CD Creator, WinOnCD, CDRWin, Direct CD and much, much more. You Should definitely bookmark this link.