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Windows XP: Copy files to a CD

Floppy discs have been replaced by CD's because they are less expensive to make and they hold 500 times more data than a floppy disc.

There are two types of CD's that are typically used for recording, CD-R and CD-RW. A CD-R (CD-Recordable) is less expensive than a CD-RW (CD-ReWriteable). CD-R's are Write-Once media, which means you can write to them one time. It is possible to write to the CD-R in multiple sessions, but the CD-R will not be readable until you close or finalize that session. CD-RW's will let you write to them, erase them and reuse them, up to 1000 times. Note that the CD-RW will not be readable in most standard drives, like CD players, however, you can read them in CD-RW drives that are found on computers.

In Windows XP, if you attempt to copy and paste a file to a CD that you have displayed in My Computer, you will get an error. The reason why is that you have to "burn" or write that file to the CD. Here are the steps to burn the file to a CD:

Put a CD-R or CD-RW disc in the CD drive. A windows will open that asks you what you want to do. Choose Open writeable CD folder using Windows Explorer.

The next window that opens will be the CD. Keep this window open:

Go to My Documents by either clicking the icon on your desktop, or by clicking the Start button, then My Documents:

Select the files, files or folders that you wish to copy. You can select multiple files by holding the CTRL key and clicking. When you are finished selecting them, either click Edit then Copy, or right click the blue highlighted files and select Copy:

Open the CD drive window that you left open earlier. Select Edit then Paste. You will see the files now on the CD:

Select File then Write these files to CD:

Enter a name that is meaningful for the CD label, and click Next:

You will see a progress window and the files will be written to the CD. Depending on how many files and the speed of your drive and computer, this could take up to 30 minutes:

When it is finished writing, you will see the following window. If you wish to write the same files to another CD, check the box Yes, write these files to another CD. The wizard will step you through putting another CD in the drive and writing the same files to it. If you are finished, click the Finish button:

Your CD will eject and you are done!