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.
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.
| Files to CD | Files to DVD | CD to ISO | DVD to ISO | ISO to CD |
| YES | YES | YES | YES | |
| ISO to DVD | Bootable CD | Bootable DVD | Audio | VCD |
| YES | YES | YES | YES |
Nero 7 Ultra Edition
| Files to CD | Files to DVD | CD to ISO | DVD to ISO |
| YES | YES | YES | YES |
| ISO to CD | ISO to DVD | Audio | VCD |
| YES | YES | YES | YES |