How to Burn a CD Using Windows 7
By Ken White
Since their introduction in the 1980s, CDs have become a regular part of the lives of most computer users. A blank CD can be used to archive more than 700MB of data, or to create an audio CD with up to 80 minutes of music. Windows 7 lets you burn data and audio CDs without the need for third-party software. Data CDs can be formatted to be compatible with Windows computers only or with most computers and electronic devices.
Burn a Live File System Data CD
Step 1
Insert a blank CD in your CD/DVD-ROM drive. Double-click "Computer" on your desktop or click "Start," then "Computer." Double-click the CD/DVD drive.
Step 2
Enter a name for the CD in the "Disc Title" text field. Click "Like a USB Flash Drive" to format the CD with the Windows Live File System. Click "Next."
Step 3
Open "Computer" when the disc is formatted. Double-click the CD/DVD drive. Drag and drop files to the CD. The files will be copied to the CD. Eject the disc when done. You can add additional files to the CD until it is full.
Burn a Mastered Audio or Data CD
Step 1
Insert a blank CD in the CD/DVD-ROM drive. Double-click "Computer" on your desktop or click "Start," then click "Computer." Double-click the CD/DVD drive.
Step 2
Enter a name in the "Disc Title" field. Click "With a CD/DVD Player" to burn a Mastered CD that is compatible with most computers and CD players. Click "Next."
Step 3
Drag and drop digital music or data files to the CD. Click "Burn To Disc." Choose a recording speed from the drop-down menu. Click "Next." If all of the files are digital music files, like MP3s or WMA files, you will be prompted to create an audio CD or a data CD.
Step 4
Click "Next." If you are burning a data disc, the files will be written to the CD and the disc will automatically eject from your CD/DVD drive when the burn is complete. If you are burning an audio CD, Windows Media Player will open with the files in the "Burn" list. Click "Start Burn." The disc will eject when the audio CD is burned.
References
Tips
- CDs formatted with Windows Live File System can only be read by computers with Windows XP or later versions of Windows. For maximum compatibility with any computer, burn your data CDs as Mastered CDs.
Warnings
- You can add and remove files from a Windows Live File System CD, but unlike with a CD-RW, which makes the space occupied by deleted files available, files "deleted" from a Live File System CD are still on the disc, though invisible to Windows.
Writer Bio
Ken White began his writing career in 1972 as a reporter for a local Florida newspaper. With a career in public safety as a police officer, firefighter and emergency manager, his fiction has also been published in magazines such as "Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine." White studied history and psychology at Mercer University.