On Feb 26, 8:47 am, Mike Walsh wrote:
John McGaw wrote:

Joel wrote:
" wrote:

I recently installed a new cd/dvd burner. Everything seemed fine. I
didn't realize until I gave a CD to somebody else that it did not
finalize the CD.

When burning CDs, I have always used windows explorer to drag the
files onto the CD and then write CDs. It worked fine with the old
burner. Is there a setting I need to change?

I looked at the properties for the CD drive, and didn't say anything
about finalizing a CD.

Thank you very much.

Something just don't sound right to begin with, so unless you are talking
about Packet Writing or your windows explorer is more special than ours?
Because Windows Explorer isn't CDR program so no way you caburn CD using
Windows Explorer (or I am missing something?) unlesyou are talking about
Packet Writing.

XP has had rudimentary CD writing abilities from the beginning and it is
accessed through explorer: basically you drag files and folders to the
CD-R drive which creates a set of temporary files awaiting burning.
Later, you click on the drive icon and tell it to write which it does.
I've never used this ability and don't really know much more about it.
Windows help does mention adding files to a CD which would suggest that
it does not automatically finalize CDs which it writes but I can find no
mention of how (or if) one actually can finalize them.

If you want to finalize a CD you need proper CD writer software e.g. Nero.
On the other hand most PC hardware and software made in the last five years can read a CD that is not finalized. If you are making a music (CDA) CD you might have to finalize it to get it to play in a music CD player.

--

This may be the problem. I have been using windows explorer to do my
CDs on 2 desktops and a laptop, and I have never had a problem. When
teh lady told me she couldn't read the CD, I made a new one with the
laptop and well-used burner. She couldn't read it either. Perhaps the
software has never finalized them, and this is just the first case of
somebody not being able to read them.

I have been doing CDs with photos. I believe the new burner came with
a version of Nero, so I will check it out. I would prefer to stick
with Windows Explorer so that I have fewer programs running when I am
using the laptop at shows. But I do want my customers to be able to
use their CDs.