CD & DVD Burning Software

The state of modern Compact Disc (CD) and Digital Versatile Disc burning software is VERY SAD. For such a simple task there is an array of clungy, bloated, and unstable commercial software products, most notably, Roxio and Nero. The technology itself, from the hardware layer to the software is non-progressive and unimpressive. It is interesting to note that Apple probably has an edge in this technology. CD and DVD authoring should be as simple as drop in the disc and click though a simple, uncluttered menu. Errors or unreadable disks should not freeze the operating system and cause the system to become unresponsive. The industry just isn't there yet, and the destination doesn't even appear to be within sight.

So here we are then, and we must make do with what's available. The following is a rundown of CD and DVD authoring software including both commercial and freeware.

keywords: CDROM CD-ROM CDR CDRW Burn ISO

2014 Update: For Microsoft Windows users, CDBurnerXP Pro is the CD/DVD burning software we recommend. Although the primary download installer has OpenCandy, the developer offers several alternative download options that are OpenCandy free, and free of any other adware/spyware/malware (as of this writing). See below with download link.

Avoid ImgBurn. All ImgBurn installers contain OpenCandy adware/spyware/malware for the recent releases. This is considered PUP grayware. Use at your own risk.

Microsoft Windows XP Built-In Burning Software

The integrated CD burning capabilities in Windows XP do not perform every task the third–party applications do, only the most commonly needed ones. There are still certain tasks such as full CD duplication for bootable CDs and creating CDs from images (such as an .ISO file) that will require a third–party tool.

Windows XP supports the creation of audio CDs through the Media Player. But you can initiate it from Windows XP folders too. If you have a folder open with media files such as .WMA, .MP3, or .WAV, select the files to record and then click Record to audio CD in the task bar. Windows Media Player opens with your selected files in the list of audio files to be recorded. You can continue to add files, either from Windows XP folders or through the Windows Media Player interface. When you're ready to record your audio CD, click the Copy Music button in Media Player. It converts the audio files to the required format for audio recording in a temporary location, and then begins the CD recording process.

Files to CD	Files to DVD	CD to ISO	DVD to ISO	ISO to CD	ISO to DVD
YES	YES	NO	NO	NO	NO
Bootable CD	Bootable DVD	Disk 2 Disk	Audio	VCD	Photo CD
NO	NO	NO	YES*	NO	NO

* audio with Windows Media Player

 

ISO Recorder

• Windows XP, Windows Vista
• Freeware
• No Spyware

ISO Recorder is a tool (power toy) for Windows XP, 2003 and now Windows Vista, that allows (depending on the Windows version) to burn CD and DVD images. Since the very beginning ISO Recorder has been a free tool (for personal use). It is recommended by MSDN download site. The installer is an msi file. It adds a burn option to the standard windows explorer shell menu. ISO Recorder can be used in combination with Microsoft Windows XP Built-In Burning Software to provide a more complete set of capabilities from directly from the Windows XP operating system without the need for 3rd party burning software.

ISO recorder is very stable. The program is small, efficient, and completely intuitive. Currently there is a Vista only version that will allow ISO to DVD. It could easily receive a 5 star rating if it had more capabilities. Since Vista has built in DRM, and is such a resource hog, it hardly warrants the upgrade. The developer of ISO Recorder should be encouraged to make the XP version write to DVD. It would also be nice if it had files to CD or DVD functionality.

Files to CD	Files to DVD	CD to ISO	DVD to ISO	ISO to CD	ISO to DVD
NO	NO	YES	YES	YES	NO
Bootable CD	Bootable DVD	Disk 2 Disk	Audio	VCD	Photo CD
N/A	N/A	YES	N/A	N/A	N/A

 

Nero 7 Premium

• Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista

The positive things about Nero is that there is no built in DRM and Nero allows you to create VCD's as well as traditional CD's and DVD's. However, this bloatware now includes over 18 applications bundled together. Nero tries to be all things to all people, with a bunch of unnecessary utilities that most people already use more advanced specialized applications for. If you just want to burn CD's and DVD's you will find Nero to be way too much. Rather than focusing on core feature refinement and improved stability, the developers have completely lost focus and are all over the place creating applications and utilities.

Nero does not explain that they DO NOT USE the Archive Bit for determining Differential or Incremental Backups, which means every backup job requires a new full backup. The software is not fully debugged, and each update to patch known bugs decreases overall performance. For the simple task of burning CD's and DVD's the application uses far too much memory and system resources.

Side Note: Nero image files are standard ISO files except for a 300k header at the start. A Nero image file can be converted to standard ISO with the dd command, like this: dd bs=1k if=image.nrg of=image.iso skip=300

Files to CD	Files to DVD	CD to ISO	DVD to ISO	ISO to CD	ISO to DVD
YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Bootable CD	Bootable DVD	Disk 2 Disk	Audio	VCD	Photo CD
YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES

 

Roxio Easy Media Creator 9

• Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
• Warning! DRM Enabled!
• Warning! Contains spyware!

This product is not recommended because it has built in DRM. The software has embedded code that will detect certain types of content you are trying to copy and block the copy. Boycott Roxio and avoid using it at all costs.

Files to CD	Files to DVD	CD to ISO	DVD to ISO	ISO to CD	ISO to DVD
YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Bootable CD	Bootable DVD	Disk 2 Disk	Audio	VCD	Photo CD
YES	YES	YES	YES	?	YES

 

Sonic MyDVD 4.5 / RecordNow DX

• Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
• Warning! DRM Enabled!
• Warning! Contains spyware!
• Roxio will NOT support this product

This is a Roxio made product. MyDVD includes all you need to put everything you want on DVD and VCD. You can easily move from capture to editing to burning in a snap. Photo slide shows with enhancements and audio. Dolby Digital(AC3) encoding for 50% more video per disc.

Support for Sonic MyDVD 4.5 with RecordNow DX is limited.

 

CDBurnerXP Pro

• Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/2003 Server
• Freeware

Update (2014):

• Newer versions have OpenCandy Spyware/Adware/Malware
• There is an OpenCandy free download option, see below...

The interface is reminiscent of Nero burning Rom. The interface is clean, and all of the basic features are present. The screen flickers when dragging windows within the application. CDBurnerXP currently does not support burning with the UDF filesystem, (update: You have to burn a Video-DVD using the UDF file format which is only supported by CDBurnerXP 4.0 and higher) which is needed for some DVD players to work. You can overburn with this software too, just add as much data to CD layout as possible and start burning (ignore warning messages if any).

CDBurnerXP software itself, after installation, does not contain adware nor spyware nor any other restrictions. The developers have decided to include OpenCandy Spyware/Adware/Malware in the installer. However they have been gracious enough to offer an alternative installer that DOES NOT contain OpenCandy. Credibility is lost due to OpenCandy, yet the product remains what is perhaps the best free DVD burning software right now for the Windows platform.

With older versions there were errors during the burn attempt. Testing the latest version, 4.5.2, with a standard Lite On DVD burner, there were no errors. All burns were successful and reliable.

DOWNLOAD WITHOUT OPENCANDY: Avoid the PUP! CDBurnerXP provides an installer without OpenCandy. Go to the download section and select "more download options" underneath where it says download latest version.

• Default installer (Without OpenCandy)
• Portable version

NEITHER OF THESE CONTAIN SPYWARE

Files to CD	Files to DVD	CD to ISO	DVD to ISO	ISO to CD	ISO to DVD
YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Bootable CD	Bootable DVD	Disk 2 Disk	Audio	VCD	Photo CD
YES	YES	?	YES	?	?

Dear Canneverbe Limited (Florian Schmitz): I feel for you needing some revenue to help pay for your project. But please consider dropping the OpenCandy. It is a sinister product that is "grayware" at best. Instead, have a Paypal link for direct donations. You have a 5 star product that is tarnished by the OpenCandy Spyware/Adware/Malware in the installer. On the plus side, we are grateful for your consideration in offering an alternative installer that does not have OpenCandy. Thank you.

 

DeepBurner Free

• Windows 95/98/2000/NT/ME/XP

This is a highly stable, lightweight, efficient little program for burning CD's and DVD's. All operations start with a wizard. This software will let you author Data/Audio/Video CDs, all types of DVDs, composing photo albums and even burning backups. There are two versions of DeepBurner - DeepBurner Free and DeepBurner Pro.

Files to CD	Files to DVD	CD to ISO	DVD to ISO	ISO to CD	ISO to DVD
YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Bootable CD	Bootable DVD	Disk 2 Disk	Audio	VCD	Photo CD
YES	YES	NO	YES	NO	NO

 

DeepBurner Pro

This is a highly stable, lightweight, efficient little program for burning CD's and DVD's. All operations start with a wizard. This software will let you author Data/Audio/Video CDs, all types of DVDs, composing photo albums and even burning backups. There are two versions of DeepBurner - DeepBurner Free and DeepBurner Pro.

Files to CD	Files to DVD	CD to ISO	DVD to ISO	ISO to CD	ISO to DVD
YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Bootable CD	Bootable DVD	Disk 2 Disk	Audio	VCD	Photo CD
YES	YES	YES	YES	NO	YES

 

InfraRecorder

The DVDs burned with this software contain errors. This software is free and open source. It would be ideal if it was able to make good DVDs.

Files to CD	Files to DVD	CD to ISO	DVD to ISO	ISO to CD	ISO to DVD
YES	YES	?	?	YES	YES
Bootable CD	Bootable DVD	Disk 2 Disk	Audio	VCD	Photo CD
YES	YES	?	YES	NO	?

 

ImgBurn

Warning! Adware Spyware! "OpenCandy" ImgBurn installer uses OpenCandy adware as a mandatory part of the ImgBurn setup routine. Read the debate about OpenCandy and Spyware in ImgBurn.

Imgburn is now rated as adware on videohelp.com (http://forum.videohelp.com/threads/356775-What-s-Happened-To-Imgburn?p=2252576&viewfull=1#post2252576).

NO FURTHER TESTING DONE: Installer contains notorious adware/spyware/malware.

 

 

CD/DVD Burn Troubleshooting

Problem: DVD write process fails when attempting to burn ISO image. Error "Could not perform start of Disc-at-once"

Solution: Upgrading your CD/DVD drive firmware often resolves this issue. The drive firmware has an internal database of different media types. Due to sloppy standards, especially in DVD writable media, that list requires updating from time to time. Download the latest firmware for your DVD burning drive from the manufacturer.

 

 

Notes on Windows Vista

Nero 7 Ultra hangs system on installation with Windows Vista. Roxio 8.0 installs and has limited functionality, update to 8.05 causes major problems. DVDShrink works on Windows Vista.

 

PUP (potentially unwanted program)

McAfee coined the term PUP to describe a program that may be unwanted, despite the possibility that users inadvertently consented to download it. PUP programs include spyware, adware, and related malware that are often downloaded in conjunction with a program that the user wants. OpenCandy is an example that installs PUP programs along with the program that a user intends to install. Individuals are advised to NEVER use any software that engages PUP installations. ImgBurn and Super are two examples of freeware that when installed, unloads PUP software onto a victims computer.