Making Your Own Compact Disks

One of the newest fads in computer equipment revolves around CDs. Chances are that the computer you are using right now has a standard CD-ROM drive. The ROM part of the name reminds you that this drive is for reading Read Only Memory, CDs that are made in a factory. It isn’t able to create (record) or change (rewrite) the contents of a CD.

CD drives that allow you to record and rewrite CDs are now becoming standard equipment on new computers. Along with the obvious appeal to the teenage set who like to compile collections of their favourite music, cheap drives and blank CDs are making this media a popular choice for backing up software and data.

These new drives go by many names: CD burner, CD writer, CD-RW, and CD-R. Making The only distinction that is important is between a CD-R drive and a CD-RW drive. CD-R stands for Compact Disk Recordable. A CD-R drive allows you to record a CD once. This drive doesn’t allow you to change the contents of a CD. CD-RW (Compact Disk ReWritable) drives allow you to record CDs but they also allow you to rewrite or change the contents of the CD. As you can guess, CD-RW drives are the most popular because of their flexibility. When people refer to CD burners or CD writers they are normally referring to this type of drive.

The concept behind a CDRW drive is not a difficult one. Instead of creating CDs from a mold and a press like they do in a factory, they use lasers to alter the material on the surface of the CD. If you turn over a CD that has been “burned” the area that has been recorded on will have a slightly different reflective quality. CD-RW drives use a process that is reversible. CD-R drives use a similar process that is not reversible.

When you’re buying a CD burner there are a couple things you’ll want to consider. If you’re going to be using it to backup valuable data on your computer, it is best to stick with a well-known brand such as Hewlett-Packard, Sony, Creative, Yamaha or Plextor. You should expect to pay an average of approximately $350.00. The next thing to consider is the interface or the way you’re going to connect the drive to your computer. Three options are available: IDE, SCSI or USB. SCSI is the fastest option but this type of connection is only standard on Macintosh computers. If you have a Windows computer you would probably need to purchase a SCSI card. Every Windows computer is capable of having four IDE devices connected to it. This is the way your hard drive is connected to your computer. If you purchased an internal CD burner it is likely to use this type of connection. If you purchase an external CD burner it is likely to use a USB connection. This option is the slowest but it is easy to install and portable, allowing you to use it with more than one computer. Once you’ve decided on a type of CD burner, then you can compare speeds. Most CD burners come with three numbers describing the record (write), rewrite and read speeds respectively (e.g. 10X/4X/32X). Finally, CD burners will come with software that helps you operate the drive. Some software comes with added features such as tools to help you create CD labels. Adaptec’s Easy CD Creator and Ahead Software GMBH Nero Burning ROM are two programs that come recommended.

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