I have been trying to use a CD burner for 3 to 4 years to make a CD.
I have never been able to figure it out. Hey, I'm old.......
I have an Iomega burner external USB. I got the software from Iomega
installed, but after that, I'm lost. Do I need to format them, so I
need to make ISO files, do I need to modify my OS? The list goes on.
Everytime I have asked for help on newsgroups, or read stuff on
websites I have only gotten more confused. Then I go to the store and
find that the blank CDs and DVDs come as CD+R and CD-R. (same for
DVDs) No one can tell me which one I need. It seems the more I try to
learn this, the more confused I get, and then I run across info
telling me that because I am running Windows98se I may, or may not
need to modify WIN.INI, and I only go deeper under water trying to
understand all of this. There seems to be so much conflicting
information that I dont know what to believe. Even the simple task of
labelling them seems conflicting. Some say never use any ink on a CD
or it will ruin them, yet other people say you can write all over them
as long as it's not on the data side.
I realize that burning CDs and DVDs is the most complicated thing a
person can do on a computer, but I also realize that asking for help
or reading websites, just gets me all sorts of technical babble that I
dont understand and only confuses me more.
I'm not stupid, but I am old, my eyes are not the best for reading
reams of useless ****, and I could give a rats *** about all the
technical crap. I just need a step by step SIMPLE explanation of what
to do to burn some data, or copy another CD, or make an audio CD from
MP3 files (which I know is even more complicated yet). I've given up
out of frustration several times over the years. This time I hope I
can actually make at least one useful CD.
I recentely bought a used DVD burner too, but I'll start with the CDs
for now. While I'm not a dummy, I know those books do make things
appear to be simple, compared to most other books and websites.
I should mention the (online only - website version) of the software
for the Iomega software (made for my Iomega burner), is very hard to
use because the websites keep referring to other pages and that sort
of thing.
Do these books exist?
Is there an online version?
By the way, dont bother telling me to upgrade to XP or Vista. I'm
perfectly happy with Win98 and dont need something else to learn to
use. I've used Win98 since 98 and I know how to use it well, except
for this **** cd\dvd burning.
>Do these books exist?
>Is there an online version?
I was about to recommend "CD and DVD Recording For Dummies", then I
noticed it was published in 2004. Try going to Amazon.com and
searching on "cd and dvd recording."
Then again, if you are using Win98, maybe a 2004 vintage is what you
need.
FWIW, I feel your pain. I'm more PC literate than most, but recording
CDs and DVDs has been a pain in the *** for me too. Why on earth
Microsoft isn't smart enough to simply treat them like any other
storage device allowing copy/move, drag and drop, etc. is beyond me.
Although Windows has native support for burning data CDs (and
DVDs?) one thing that makes my life simpler is having a third
party utility called "Nero" that does it with a few more options
and a bit more of a UI.
For video-type DVDs.... that's a whole other can of worms. I'm
just trying to get into it now and find it quite intimidating.
--
PeteCresswell
Re: Is there a DUMMIES BOOK for making CDs and DVDs?
On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:51:28 -0400, Richard Evans
<infodex@mindspring.com> wrote:
>letterman@invalid.com wrote:
>
>>Do these books exist?
>>Is there an online version?
>
>I was about to recommend "CD and DVD Recording For Dummies", then I
>noticed it was published in 2004. Try going to Amazon.com and
>searching on "cd and dvd recording."
>
>Then again, if you are using Win98, maybe a 2004 vintage is what you
>need.
>
>FWIW, I feel your pain. I'm more PC literate than most, but recording
>CDs and DVDs has been a pain in the *** for me too. Why on earth
>Microsoft isn't smart enough to simply treat them like any other
>storage device allowing copy/move, drag and drop, etc. is beyond me.
Because of the nature of the write medium and method. It is a worm, as
in a helical string that tracks around the disc just like an album
(except reversed).
Albums get stamped, and all the data gets made at one time. A
writeable optical disc, however, has to have a session performed on it
where the laser impinges on the plastic layer of the disc's structure,
and leaves behind a burn remnant in each location in wants a 1 to be
written. The gaps between are zeros, and the data stream is constructed
and can be read back out.
Now, the way it works is that the disc drive and software has to have
all the data that is going to be written to a disc all readied up so that
a single "authoring session" can be performed where the entire data
string has been compiled, and during the write session, the stream cannot
be broken such that the laser head buffer loses data. All buffering in
the system has to be such that that one element gets data the entire time
the write session is going. If there is any break at all, the disc is
trashed, because a file cannot have a break in its data, or the laser
head loses track, and there is not enough FEC to fix it... date gets
lost.
It has nothing to do with Windows or the computer. It is all about how
an optical disk has to be written to and read from. That is completely
different than the way a hard drive volume works, so drag and drop, and
plug and play write sessions are difficult to work with. We do have
multiple session capability now, but I prefer to have a disc full of data
ready before I burn, OR the data be so important that it warrants a disc
of its own, even if it is only 50MB of data. Even then, I do not use any
drag and drop applets.
Re: Is there a DUMMIES BOOK for making CDs and DVDs?
On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:56:14 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid>
wrote:
>Per letterman@invalid.com:
>>I'm not stupid, but I am old,
>
>I'm old.
>
>But I'm stupid too.
>
>Although Windows has native support for burning data CDs (and
>DVDs?) one thing that makes my life simpler is having a third
>party utility called "Nero" that does it with a few more options
>and a bit more of a UI.
>
>For video-type DVDs.... that's a whole other can of worms. I'm
>just trying to get into it now and find it quite intimidating.
Just making a file for the danged PSP is a pain in the ***, unless I go
drop a ****load of cash on software.
>I have an Iomega burner external USB. I got the software from Iomega
>installed, but after that, I'm lost. Do I need to format them, so I
>need to make ISO files, do I need to modify my OS? The list goes on.
>Everytime I have asked for help on newsgroups, or read stuff on
>websites I have only gotten more confused. Then I go to the store and
>find that the blank CDs and DVDs come as CD+R and CD-R. (same for
>DVDs) No one can tell me which one I need. It seems the more I try to
>learn this, the more confused I get, and then I run across info
>telling me that because I am running Windows98se I may, or may not
>need to modify WIN.INI, and I only go deeper under water trying to
>understand all of this. There seems to be so much conflicting
>information that I dont know what to believe. Even the simple task of
>labelling them seems conflicting. Some say never use any ink on a CD
>or it will ruin them, yet other people say you can write all over them
>as long as it's not on the data side.
And you've been getting more gobbledygook here.
I've been burning CDs on a Win98 machine for 10 years, so I can tell you
there's no need to modify your OS. You also don't need to format CDs
beforehand, and there is no such thing as CD+R. Put all that, and any thought
of Win.ini, out of your mind.
ISO files are only useful if you want to make multiple exact copies of the
same disk. If you're making audio CDs you surely don't need to bother with ISO
files.
What you do need to know is whether your burning software is compatible with
Win98. I don't know what you have with your drive, but if you bought it
recently, it may not be compatible. As long as you have compatible software,
just follow the instructions in the Help menu. Don't over think things.
Other matters: I doubt your machine will have the oomph to make DVDs, but
that's for the future, after you get CDs under your belt. As for labeling CDs,
I've always used a Sharpie without a problem, but I wonder if things might be
different with cheapie CD-Rs that just have a simple lacquer coating on the
label side. I always use CD-Rs that have a nice solid label side.
--
Intelligent Life Is All Around Us http://kimbathewhitelion.blogspot.com/
Re: Is there a DUMMIES BOOK for making CDs and DVDs?
On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:51:28 -0400, Richard Evans
<infodex@mindspring.com> wrote:
>letterman@invalid.com wrote:
>
>>Do these books exist?
>>Is there an online version?
>
>I was about to recommend "CD and DVD Recording For Dummies", then I
>noticed it was published in 2004. Try going to Amazon.com and
>searching on "CD and dvd recording."
>
>Then again, if you are using Win98, maybe a 2004 vintage is what you
>need.
>
>FWIW, I feel your pain. I'm more PC literate than most, but recording
>CDs and DVDs has been a pain in the *** for me too. Why on earth
>Microsoft isn't smart enough to simply treat them like any other
>storage device allowing copy/move, drag and drop, etc. is beyond me.
Sounds as if you need 3rd party pgms to do what you want.
There are some freeware and some shareware.
Do a search on each.
Look in a.b.multimedia.utilities and look around.
Regards
buddy b
Re: Is there a DUMMIES BOOK for making CDs and DVDs?
On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:51:28 -0400, Richard Evans
<infodex@mindspring.com> wrote:
>letterman@invalid.com wrote:
>
>>Do these books exist?
>>Is there an online version?
>
>I was about to recommend "CD and DVD Recording For Dummies", then I
>noticed it was published in 2004. Try going to Amazon.com and
>searching on "cd and dvd recording."
>
>Then again, if you are using Win98, maybe a 2004 vintage is what you
>need.
>
>FWIW, I feel your pain. I'm more PC literate than most, but recording
>CDs and DVDs has been a pain in the *** for me too. Why on earth
>Microsoft isn't smart enough to simply treat them like any other
>storage device allowing copy/move, drag and drop, etc. is beyond me.
Thanks for the feedback. I dont feel so bad now, knowing that this is
a pain in the *** for others too. I should note that this is one time
when MS is not really at fault. I've heard that burning CDs and DVDs
with Linux and Macintosh is just as much of a hassle. Now mayb MS
could come up with some software that automates it. From what I've
read on some website discussion groups, it appears that some software
does automate it, but there is still no guarantee the CDs will work.
I recall about 5 years ago I needed my Win98 CD to add some drivers to
Win98 and could not find the CD. I have a legal reg. key, so I just
asked a friend to make me a copy, which he did. Well, he had to do it
3 times before my CD player drive would read it. All three read fine
on his driv, but not mine. I even changed the drive at one point, but
that did not help. I finally gave him a spare harddrive and had him
copy the CD to that harddrive, which I later copied to my "using"
drive, and I now keep the whole 98install CD files right on the
computer. (eventually I found my original CD).
Actually, a 2004 book should work just fine for me. That should cover
Win98, Win2K, and likely XP. I dont think CD burning has changed.
It's still a clumbsy process compared to copying files to anything
else such as a harddrive, floppy, or USB stick.
I'll be looking for that book, in fact I just thought about looking at
the local library first.
Re: Is there a DUMMIES BOOK for making CDs and DVDs?
On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:13:04 -0700, Archimedes' Lever
<OneBigLever@InfiniteSeries.Org> wrote:
>On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:56:14 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)" <x@y.Invalid>
>wrote:
>
>>Per letterman@invalid.com:
>>>I'm not stupid, but I am old,
>>
>>I'm old.
>>
>>But I'm stupid too.
>>
>>Although Windows has native support for burning data CDs (and
>>DVDs?) one thing that makes my life simpler is having a third
>>party utility called "Nero" that does it with a few more options
>>and a bit more of a UI.
>>
>>For video-type DVDs.... that's a whole other can of worms. I'm
>>just trying to get into it now and find it quite intimidating.
>
>
> Just making a file for the danged PSP is a pain in the ***, unless I go
>drop a ****load of cash on software.
Re: Is there a DUMMIES BOOK for making CDs and DVDs?
On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:54:49 -0400, Kimba W Lion
<kimbawlion@norepliesbyemail.com> wrote:
>letterman@invalid.com wrote:
>
>>I have an Iomega burner external USB. I got the software from Iomega
>>installed, but after that, I'm lost. Do I need to format them, so I
>>need to make ISO files, do I need to modify my OS? The list goes on.
>>Everytime I have asked for help on newsgroups, or read stuff on
>>websites I have only gotten more confused. Then I go to the store and
>>find that the blank CDs and DVDs come as CD+R and CD-R. (same for
>>DVDs) No one can tell me which one I need. It seems the more I try to
>>learn this, the more confused I get, and then I run across info
>>telling me that because I am running Windows98se I may, or may not
>>need to modify WIN.INI, and I only go deeper under water trying to
>>understand all of this. There seems to be so much conflicting
>>information that I dont know what to believe. Even the simple task of
>>labelling them seems conflicting. Some say never use any ink on a CD
>>or it will ruin them, yet other people say you can write all over them
>>as long as it's not on the data side.
>
>And you've been getting more gobbledygook here.
>
>I've been burning CDs on a Win98 machine for 10 years, so I can tell you
>there's no need to modify your OS. You also don't need to format CDs
>beforehand, and there is no such thing as CD+R. Put all that, and any thought
>of Win.ini, out of your mind.
>
>ISO files are only useful if you want to make multiple exact copies of the
>same disk. If you're making audio CDs you surely don't need to bother with ISO
>files.
>
>What you do need to know is whether your burning software is compatible with
>Win98. I don't know what you have with your drive, but if you bought it
>recently, it may not be compatible. As long as you have compatible software,
>just follow the instructions in the Help menu. Don't over think things.
>
>Really, it shouldn't be any more complicated than the 4 steps here:
>http://www.worldstart.com/tips/file-...-burn-a-cd.htm
>Don't worry about anything after the Windows XP heading.
>
>Other matters: I doubt your machine will have the oomph to make DVDs, but
>that's for the future, after you get CDs under your belt. As for labeling CDs,
>I've always used a Sharpie without a problem, but I wonder if things might be
>different with cheapie CD-Rs that just have a simple lacquer coating on the
>label side. I always use CD-Rs that have a nice solid label side.
My CD burner is older. I bought it several years ago as a USED drive.
It was complete, except lacking the manual and software. It's an
Iomega Zip CD650 external USB drive. Iomega allowed me to download
the drivers and their burning software "Hotburn Pro", after I gave
them the model/serial numbers of the drive and registered it with
them. I have the software installed, it appears to work. I can play
CDs on the drive with no problem.
What I said about burning DVDs is that I just bought a bunch of used
computer stuff from a business that was selling all their older
computer hardware. It included an internal Phillips CD-DVD burner.
Of course no software or manual.....
This computer is a 1ghz Pentium3 with 512megs of Ram. Do I need more
power than that?
What also puzzles me, is this: Lets say I got this NERO that everyone
seems to think is the best. Do I use this program for BOTH CDs and
DVDs? Or do DVDs need some other software? As I said, I have never
burned any media, nor have I ever owned a DVD drive on a computer.
Is there a DUMMIES BOOK for making CDs and DVDs? 
Linear Mode
