Best Free CD/DVD Burning/Reformatting Software?

Lady_K

What is the best free user friendly cd.dvd burning software to use?

I was going to download cdburnerxp but as I was installing it it said I would need net framework 2 and I didnt really want to get that unless really necessary

Using win xp pro

RichPyke

What is the purpose?

For files I just use windows built in cd burning features.
Music, windows media centre works well.

No additional downloads/installs, all free...

Lady_K

Its just for burning data and music, pictures and things but I did want to reformat some discs that are full but I can't delete the data on them it says I can go over them when I try to delete but I want to wipe them first.

Where will I find the built in windows burner, I've never used it before?

I also want to reformat some floppies

RichPyke

As soon as you put in a blank cd it pops up asking what you want to do. Choose "Open writable CD folder using windows explorer". For music choose the one which mentions media player.

I'm not sure about erasing them, I've never used RW discs (waste of money when CD-Rs are only pence each) but I assume you can simply go to My Computer, right click on the drive with the disc in (D:?) and choose format?

As for floppies... put it in, go to My Computer, right click on the A: drive and select format.

Lady_K

Thanx I just tried it with a blank cd and that did come up so thats useful to know I have got discs with mixed up data on them does it really matter if you mix music pictures and documents? If I wanted to do that now I'd have to choose the open writable cd folder wouldn't I?

I did think about that format thing from the drive in my computer but was a bit scared to use it. Plus isnt format different to reformat? I don't really understand it myself I just want to properly clean the cds.

RichPyke

When you say music, do you mean so you can put it in the CD player and it'll play or to just store the MP3s?

Personally, I don't advise on mixing data and audio... not when you can get 100CDrs for about £10-15 now.

Open writable folder will put the music files on as data, not audio... i.e. it wont play in your CD player (unless it's capable of playing MP3 CDs). I would put data on one disc, music on another. Using media player to do the music, it'll play in any CD player.

Lady_K

I might not have noticed the cd audio thing then because I mostly play music on the computer anyway on winamp so perhaps they wouldnt play on an ordinary cd player then, I've never tried them. They were mixed up data because I had to get a lot of stuff onto discs fast when I had a computer problem in case I lost it all. I'll remember the audio thing in future then

RichPyke

If you use winamp to listen to music then stick with data and store the MP3s. It'll save a lot of space (and I mean a lot! 5Mb per song = 140 per disc, usually you get 10 to 15 as audio)