Making Data CDs Using Easy CD Creator

Overview • Making a Data CD • Working with Files and Folders in the Data CD Project • Viewing the Status Bar • Viewing the CD Info Bar • Erasing a CD • Validating a CD Project • Advanced Data CD Topics

Overview

A data CD is a compact disc (CD) used for storing computer data. With Easy CD Creator, you can make your own data CD by recording any files and folders stored on your hard disk.

Here are just some of the things you should know about a data CD:

Unlike a music CD, a data CD is used for data storage only and cannot be played on your home or car stereo CD player.
A data CD can typically hold up to 650 MB of data if you have a blank 74-minute CD-R or CD-RW disc, and 700 MB of data if you have a blank 80-minute CD-R disc.
A data CD can be accessed on virtually any computer that has a CD-ROM or CD-Recorder drive.
A data CD is ideal for backing up and archiving your important files such as spreadsheets, tax records, and financial data.
A data CD is ideal for sharing multimedia presentations, graphics, CAD files, Internet downloads, Websites, and company documents with your colleagues.

Making a Data CD

To make a data CD:

Start a new data CD project. From the Easy CD Creator Project Selector window, click Make a Data CD, then click Data CD Project. An untitled data CD project appears.
Insert a blank CD into your CD-Recorder (the destination drive).
In the Select Source Files drop-down list box, select the folder where your files are located; a list of all files in the folder appears in the Source window.
Select the file (hold down the Ctrl or Shift key to select multiple files) in the Source window, and then click Add. The file is added to the data CD project.

NOTE: Up to 650 MB (74-minute CD) or 700 MB (80-minute CD) of files and folders can be added to a data CD project.
Click Record. The Record CD Setup dialog box appears.
Click Start Recording.

Working with Files and Folders in the Data CD Project

Once you have added one or more files to your data CD project, you have the following options:

Creating a New Folder
Removing Files and Folders
Renaming Files and Folders
Finding Files

Creating a New Folder

You can create a new folder in your data CD project and then add files and folders to that new folder.

To create a new folder:

From the Edit menu, select New Folder.

Removing Files and Folders

Removing a file or folder from the data CD project does not remove the original file or folder from your hard disk.

To remove a file or folder from the data CD project:

Select the file or folder in the data CD project.
Click Remove.
Click Yes.

Renaming Files and Folders

You can rename files and folders in the data CD project. Renaming a file or folder in the data CD project does not change the original name of the file or folder on your hard disk.

To rename a file or folder:

Right-click the file or folder you want to edit in the data CD project.
Select Rename.
Type a new name.

Finding Files

To find a file in your system:

In the Source window, click the Find Files button.
In the Named text box, type the name of the file you are looking for.
In the Look In drop-down list box, select the drive or folder where you want to search.
Click Find Now.

Viewing the Status Bar

The Status bar at the bottom of the data CD project displays messages about the function of the selected command or button.

The Status bar also displays the following information about the data CD project:

Number of files and folders in the data CD project
Type of CD (Double-click this field to display the CD Project Properties dialog box.)
File System Option--Joliet or ISO 9660 (Double-click this field to display the CD Project Properties dialog box.)
CD-Recorder (Double-click this field to display the CD Drive Properties dialog box.)
Write Method--Disc-at-Once or Track-at-Once (Double-click this field to change between DAO and TAO.)

To hide or show the Status bar:

From the View menu, select Status Bar.

Viewing the CD Info Bar

The CD Info bar at the bottom of the data CD project displays the amount of free space available (in MBs) on the CD.

To show or hide the CD Info bar:

From the View menu, select CD Info Bar.

Erasing a CD

To erase the contents of a CD-RW disc in your CD-ReWritable drive:

NOTE: You cannot erase the contents of a CD-R disc.

From the Source window, select the CD-ReWritable drive that contains the CD-RW disc you want to erase.
From the CD menu, select Erase Disc.

Validating a CD Project

Validating a CD project allows you to verify that the source contents have not been moved, deleted, renamed, or modified since you added them to the CD project. If an item cannot be found, you are prompted to delete the item from the CD project before recording the CD project.

To validate a CD project:

From the File menu, select Validate Project.

Advanced Data CD Topics

Making a Multisession CD

A session is a recorded area on a CD containing one or more music or data tracks. A CD can have either a single session (as is the case with most music CDs) or multiple sessions, which are called multisession CDs.

NOTE: A multisession music CD is not recommended. Only the tracks recorded in the first session are playable on most home or car stereo CD players.

To make a multisession CD:

To record the first session, follow the instructions in Making a Data CD. Before you start recording, do the following:
- In the CD Project Properties dialog box (from the File menu, select CD Project Properties), select Mode 2: CD-ROM XA.
- In the Record CD Setup dialog box (displayed when you click Record) under Options, select Track-at-Once and Finalize Session. Don't Finalize CD as the record method.
When you are ready to add another session to the CD, make sure the CD is inserted in the default CD-Recorder. Before you add data to the CD project, do the following:
- In the CD Project Properties dialog box, select Automatically Import Previous Session. This links the new session to the last session recorded to the CD.
Follow the instructions again in Making a Data CD. When you add data to the CD project, the data from the previous session is automatically imported into your CD project.
Continue with the instructions in Making a Data CD.

Manually Importing a Session

To import a specific session on a multisession CD into your data CD project, follow these steps:

Insert the multisession CD into the default CD-Recorder.
From the CD menu, select Import Session.
Select the session you want to import from the list and click Import.

NOTE: Importing a session other than the last session recorded to the CD may cause you to lose access to the sessions not imported.

Making a Bootable CD

With Easy CD Creator, you can make a bootable CD that can be used to start your computer. A bootable CD contains a bootable image, a file that is an exact representation of a bootable floppy disk or hard disk. To make a bootable CD, you will need a bootable floppy disk or hard disk image.

NOTE: Making a bootable CD is intended for the advanced user. It requires an understanding of how to create bootable floppy and hard disks, and how to create and edit DOS config.sys and autoexec.bat files.

To make a bootable CD, follow the instructions in each of the following sections.

Verify That Your System Supports Bootable CD

To start your system from a bootable CD, the system itself must support the bootable CD feature. Here is what you need to verify:

Check your system BIOS settings and look for the Bootable CD-ROM support option. If it is available, enable the option. Most Pentium-class systems (or higher) support this feature.
If your CD-ROM drive is connected to a SCSI host adapter, and if the SCSI host adapter has a BIOS onboard, check your host adapter's documentation to verify that the adapter supports bootable CD. If bootable CD support is available, make sure it is enabled for the adapter.

Make a Bootable CD with Easy CD Creator

To make a Bootable CD:

Insert a blank CD into your CD-Recorder (the destination drive).
Start a new bootable CD project. From the File menu, point to New CD Project then select Bootable CD. The Choose Type of Bootable CD dialog box appears.
Select the Bootable CD Type:
- Floppy Disk Emulation (1.44 MB): Select this option if you want a bootable CD that allows you to boot your system under a specific operating system, and then load a device driver that understands the true format of the CD, usually ISO 9660. (Requires a bootable floppy disk. See Create a Bootable Floppy Disk.)
- Floppy Disk Emulation (2.88 MB): Select this option if you want a bootable CD that allows you to boot your system under a specific operating system, and then load a device driver that understands the true format of the CD, usually ISO 9660. (Requires a bootable floppy disk. See Create a Bootable Floppy Disk.)
- Hard Disk Emulation: Select this option if you want to provide a large MS-DOS compatible CD-ROM storage space on which programs may reside and access data.
- No Emulation: Select this option if you do not want the CD to emulate a floppy or hard disk.
Select the emulation appropriate for the Bootable CD Type selected above.
Click OK. Follow any on-screen instructions that may appear.

When the bootable CD project appears, use Easy CD Creator as you normally would for making a data CD.

NOTE: When the CD has been made, take it to the system you want to boot from. Make sure it has bootable CD-ROM support enabled, insert the bootable CD in your CD-ROM drive, and reboot the system. If you are able to start your system from the bootable CD, you have successfully made a bootable CD.

Create a Bootable Floppy Disk

The floppy disk you need to create is dependent on the system you are planning to boot from. The floppy disk needs to be formatted with the DOS Format command (FORMAT A: /S) and also contain a config.sys and autoexec.bat file.

The config.sys file typically contains the instructions to load your DOS CD-ROM driver while the autoexec.bat file contains the instructions to load Microsoft's DOS CD-ROM Extensions (i.e. mscdex.exe).

Please consult your system's documentation for the proper way to load your DOS CD-ROM driver and mscdex.exe. You should test this configuration with your bootable floppy disk before you make a bootable CD. If your target system boots properly with the floppy disk, and assigns a drive letter for the CD-ROM drive on that system, you are ready to make a bootable CD.

NOTE: When you add the command lines to the config.sys and autoexec.bat, do not use fixed paths. For example:

Recommended Entry: device=aspicd.sys /d:aspicd0
Not Recommended: device=a:\aspicd.sys /d:aspicd0

Back to Contents Page