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| CD and DVD burners can be put to many different uses and it is difficult to recommend a single product that will excel in every single area. That said we have come up with three excellent choices that will suit the general needs of most users plus we have some suggestions for more specialized burning applications. It should be noted that CD/DVD burning software has a well deserved reputation for not working with particular CD/DVD drives. This means that a program that works well on one of your PCs may not work at all on another. This situation has improved in recent years but it is still the case that the best burner for you may well be the one that works with your particular hardware. |
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It passed most of the tests we were able to throw at it: it added to a multi-session disc created on another drive with another burning application, and created a functional slip-streamed Windows XP installation CD! In addition to the core features, CDBurnerXP also has several additional features: customizable boot disc options (lacking in DeepBurner), integrated cover printing utility, integrated audio player and audio, the ability to rip audio CDs to various formats (including MP3 with CDDB lookup). Those of you who are familiar with Nero will feel right at home, because the interface is very similar. All up, CDBurnerXP is a top choice for average users who want a capable, easy-to-use burner provided they don't want to burn double layer disks and a lot of video CDs.
However its extra capabilities come at the cost of extra complexity which is not helped by the somewhat confusing user interface that reflects the product's origins as an image burning program. It's also confusing that some of the funcionality is accessible only from the right click context menu. Personally I love ImgBurn but I do accept that not everyone is prepared to put in the time to learn to use its many features. Such users will be better off with CDBurnerXP.
On the plus side, it is a much smaller download package and has a smaller installation footprint. It also offers a portable version that can be executed as a stand-alone application from a USB drive. In addition to these products, there are several free burners that specialize in just one or two features. For example, Burrrn is for authoring audio CDs, CreateCD and CommandBurner offer command line burning capabilities, DVDShrink is designed for creating DVD backups, and ISO Recorder can burn images to disc with a couple clicks of the mouse. Editor's note: many thanks to regular contributor Craig Vollmar who originally prepared these reviews. |
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4.2.3 
Unrestricted Freeware 
Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista
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Please rate this article
I renounce at demo version of Nero and others trial programs who make me to format hard drive for CD Burner Xp and i'm very happy Because :is free(don't must to format hard drive),is in my languages(very important for mind relaxation),i can burn everything i want,It's fast(more that Nero),it is more simple,i can to make multisesion and no problem with space for dotnet(it is necesary for Paint Net also).I don't have problems.Give me a real motivation to don't use it.Or give me a motivation to use another software.
I have just tried Ashampoo Burning Studio to burn a CD. It took nearly 40 minutes to burn a CD. Far too slow.
Hi
My guess is there are other factors in play here. If you wish, please post this again here in the forum with some more details about your PC and what you were doing and one of us will attempt assistance.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/freeware-forum/general-computer-support/
then update your pc rookie!! ashampoo is ok app. those who claims otherwise are some kind of nero freaks most of them any way i burn dvd with ashampoo 4.3 GB of data betwen 8-10 min
its your lousy pc then not ashampoo to burn music CD 40 min.
get life!
Please remember that there are huge differences between the ability levels of people posting here and in the forum. Insulting them or their equipment contributes nothing to their problem or the wider ranging subject here. Ashampoo does not profess to be a top end burning suite but it's simplicity does make it a valid choice for many users.
Ashampoo Burning Studio is a lousy performer!!!
This software Sucks!!!
100% Agree!
Ashampoo Burning Studio is a shampoo...
That's most certainly a problem at your end, not the software, I never had any problems with it.
My system is 100% spotless!
I NEVER had any problems with
other CD / DVD Burning Software!
A-shampoo is just for Washing...
The best one for me is infrarecorder. I'm surprised it's not listed here.
so is this cd burning website free
CDBurnerXP requires .NET to install.
That is a total deal killer for anyone looking for a small footprint program.
I'm getting fed-up with people complaining about .NET framework!
ANY application will require SOMETHING, whether it's .NET, JRE, GTK+ or something else, you can't expect all programmers to use the same tools/languages.
And most importantly if you don't like the .NET framework then you're you shouldn't be using Windows OS at the first place!
Wrong! Most applications won't require anything. Besides that, there are light runtimes like GTK+ which i don't really care about (it's very small), and heavy & bloated runtimes, that i will NEVER install, like JRE or .Net!
Win XP users of old PCs want a light setup and stay away from
.NET Framework related software!
ImgBurn does what I need.
You've got the right point. .NET Framework (Version 3.0) has already been pre-installed by default in Vista, and the same (Version 3.5) will also be pre-installed in Windows 7. From here I see this will be the trend. See also .NET Framework.
What about the Win XP users who have NOT pre-installed
.NET Framework (v2.0, v3.0, and v3.5)?
They will need to add (185MB + 170MB +28MB)= 383MB in their system.
Especially old/weak PCs cannot stand it.
Not .NET Framework Applications,
like ImgBurn, InfraRecorder, StarBurn etc.
will do the job Without the Burden of .NET Framework!
We've people still using 95, Win 2000, Me etc. We try to help all users. However, I agree that if you have the space & use MS products, why not?
In free CD/DVD Burning solutions, you have to find softwares who will continues multisessions discs burned in bestselling Nero, to copy disc, to support all formats of disc and blu ray, to burn Image files, erase rw discs...
There just two all in one burning solutions with that feauters:
CDBurnerXP
Ashampoo Burning Studio 6 Free (looks like Nero, better than CDBurnerXP, but i using disc burner as alternative because is older version):
http://download.cnet.com/3001-2646_4-10776287.html?spi=27246485766ba8e8d...
Second solution is InfraRecorder, has similar interface to Nero and all feuters:
http://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?groupname=infrarecorder&f...
For Image files, Img Burn is best solution, but in Ashampoo, InfraRec and CDBurnXP you have support for burning Images, this is alernative...
Slobodan Rašić,
Zaječar, Serbia
Here is a simple little app called JetBee Free 4.0.5
ISO is NOT a type of compression, its an image file, which is to say that it is a carbon copy of the original disk
you can extract an ISO with winrar so that you can edit whatever is inside it
Right, it's a type of "archive". So most compression/archiving software will let you extract from ISO, but will not re-archive back into an ISO.
Hi all. Can someone tell me: In CDBurnerXP when creating an audio CD is it possible to name the tracks (artist, orchestra etc) and give the CD a Title which Windows Media Player etc can read and display? I can't find out how to do that and I guess it can't - unless someone here can tell me how?! Thanks.
The CDBurnerXP website says:
"burn any Data on CD-R/CD-RW/DVD+R/DVD-R/DVD+RW/DVD-RW/DVD-RAM/BD/HD-DVD, including double layer mediums"
When you say in the article it "create DVDs (single layer only)" and an
anonymous contributer adds "CDBurner XP v4.2.4.1351 does support dual-layer
and blu-ray/HD DVD discs" are you both meaning it will only burn to one of
the two layers?
Otherwise I cannot see why the state on the website it does support it?
Is there any Free CD / DVD Burning program that Edits Image files (.iso)?
Can anyone recommend me such an application?
I know some shareware progs let you do that, like PowerISO and MagicISO, but I don't know about the freeware ones. ISO is just another type of compression, like zip, so compression software (like 7-Zip) would allow you to extract files from the ISO and make whatever changes you want, like adding or deleting files. Then ISO making software (like ImgBurn) would let you compress it back into ISO format.
and another thing eroc, you dont compress files into an iso, you convert them into an iso so you can then burn that image file to disk
there is nothing compressed about an iso
if for example, you have 6x 700mb movie files, which in total is 4.2gb, and you wanted to turn it into an iso, it would STILL be 4.2gb
because iso is not a compression type
You're right, I meant "archive". Replace the word "compress" with "archive" and everything else is still true.
I see...
O.K.
Thank you!
I recently came across a very simple CD/DVD burner called Totally Free Burner. Used it to burn an audio CD and an ISO image without difficulty. Not very fancy or feature-laden, but simple and effective.
Since I started using it, it has been written up by the folks over at Downloadsquad.com, and I think their review is probably better than anything I could write, so I'm quoting it below.
PLEASE NOTE: There are two links embedded in this review that did not copy properly, so I'm putting them here:
Link 1 [to publisher's site]: http://www.sabsoft.com/TotallyFreeBurner.htm
Link 2 [to other Download Squad article mentioned at the end]: http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/04/28/5-great-free-cd-and-dvd-burning-...
================================
Totally Free Burner offers uncomplicated CD and DVD burning
by Lee Mathews May 26th 2009
I'm always on the lookout for good, free applications I can pass along to the customers I support. Over the years I've learned that - in general - the simplest solution is usually the best. For CD and DVD burning software, it doesn't get much more straightforward than Totally Free Burner. [See Link 1 above]
As you'd expect from a minimalistic app like this, it's also tiny (under 2Mb download). Unlike Nero's popular-but-cluttered SmartStart, TFB presents only four options: audio CD, video CD, data, and image/video DVD.The interface is kept simple throughout.
Make your file/folder selections, click burn, and press start when the burning status box appears. Advanced settings are available, but they're hidden by default. One feature I particular like is that if you accidentally close a data project window, TFB remembers its contents as long as you don't close the project selector. Re-click data DVD/CD and your selections will instantly reappear.
If you're looking for other options, here are five more free apps you can download. [See Link 2 above]
-Which of the
'Free CD / DVD Burning Software'
can Also
EDIT
Image files (.iso)?
-Is there such a program?
ISO can be "uncompressed" and read from winrar. However, mostly we can not change that (winrar 3.5). A more standard way to create iso is from CD/DVD emulator -- like Alcohol 52%. And run the content from it. The ISO image can be burned into CD by burning softwares.
Ashampoo Burning Studio Free is the best, ever. Everything that I need is there.
Nothing is perfect!And definitely neither Ashampoo or Starburn are an exception.Both are missing some very important(for me at least)options:
1)Ashampoo does not give you the choise to give a name to your movie disc(the
name that appears on the drive icon when you insert your disc in the dvd
drive), when you're trying to 'burn a video dvd from a prepared folder'.
Nonetheless Ashampoo is a very robust and easy to use choise with excellent
burning results.
2)Starburn lack's the option to remove the 2 sec gap between your songs when
you're preparing to write an audio cd.
(By the way I think EAC is the best for burning audio cds)
Taz (Greece)
I don't like programs that do many things BUT
do these things in an inefficient way.
They are the 'Jack of all trades, Master of none'...
Ashampoo free version,CD Burner XP and Infrarecorder(multisesion,dual layer,cd-dvd,my language) this are the best.
-Why use Ashampoo Free when StarBurn Free is better?
-Why use InfraRecorder when ImgBurn is better?
-CDBurnerXP is Great BUT it requires .NET Framework.
Many Windows XP users do NOT want to overload their PC(s)
with .NET Framework.
I'm an WinXP Pro user.
Until now, StarBurn Free and ImgBurn have been working fine!
CDBurner XP v4.2.4.1351 does support dual-layer and blu-ray/HD DVD discs.
Well I was very happy with InfraRecorder until recently it as started to build images of the stuff I want to burn and then just spits the disc out without burning anything. It seems to work well when burning DVD Videos but always has problems with any other disc type.
Based on a few of the reccomendations here, I am looking at BurnAware Free at the moment.
Yours,
Beev
Did you try
-StarBurn Free
and
-ImgBurn ?
Ive been using ImgBurn for a while, but have found it lacks the ability to create audio CD's from mp3 and a few other functions, but as far as burning images and data Discs it does a good job. I didnt try Starburn, but im curently thinking that BurnAware free is a good program. It lacks the straight disc to disc copy in the free version, but I can use ImgBurn for that function, so I am not lost. I also use AnytoISO for when I have a problem with a disc image format not recognised by ImgBurn, Im able to either mount it with MagicISO or convert with AnytoISO, these are not burners granted, but useful additions to programs like ImgBurn.
I might check out Starburn free if I start getting problems with BurnAware free, but for now that is working well for me.
Yours,
Beev
Be aware that CDBurnerXP requires Newframework 2.0 or higher. Nice interface.
No one on here has mentioned AVS4U video converter. It is so easy to use and can convert just about anything. You can download it for free but until you purchase, it will leave a watermark down the centre of your video, but I would recommend buying it, I have tried most converters but this is the best one I have personally used.
No, we're NOT really discussing sharewares here.
Oh, and in case you didn't notice we're also NOT discussing video converters here either!
We're really not keen on seeing recommendations for commercial sware, especially when there are good freeware alternatives.
Infra Recorder
StarBurn Free and ImgBurn are better.
yeah this is the best
CDBurnerXP
All the way!!!
My prefered cd/dvd burner software and a good alternative to Nero is Ashampoo Burning studio. When I try to post link the site tell me the content is spam, so try to google for this:
Ashampoo Burning studio free
or
Ashampoo Burning studio 2009
Enjoy
Best wishes from a happy user of this site.
Jonas