Intended For Windows XP only

Windows XP is the first version of Windows to include support for CD writers built-into the operating system. Creating data CDs is actually quite easy, but audio CDs are decidedly more akward. Neither feature offers the flexibility or reliability of third-party CD burning applications, though. But, since most CD burning applications don't yet work with Windows XP, this feature (if you can get it to work) might be your only choice. Here's how to use it:

Data CDs

1. Open Explorer, right-click on the drive icon for your CD recorder, and select Properties.
2. Choose the Recording tab, and make sure the Enable CD recording on this drive option is turned on. Set any other options here as desired, and click Ok.
3. Drag-drop files onto the drive as though it were just another hard disk. You can even create folders and rearrange files by dragging and dropping.
4. When you're done, right-click the drive icon (or the Files Ready to Be Written to the CD note above), and select Write these files to CD.
5. The CD Writing Wizard appears, which allows you to specify a label for the disk (a task that is unavailable elsewhere). Follow the instructions here to complete the process.

Audio CDs

1. Open Explorer, right-click on the drive icon for your CD recorder, and select Properties.
2. Choose the Recording tab, and make sure the Enable CD recording on this drive option is turned on. Set any other options here as desired, and click Ok.
3. Open the Windows Media Player (wmplayer.exe).
4. Select Taskbar from the View menu, and then select Media Library.
5. In the tree on the left, navigate to Media Library -> Audio -> All Audio (if you're not already there).
6. Drag-drop any MP3 or WAV files into this window in the desired order. (The Move Up and Move Down buttons at the top of the window are disabled here for some reason, but the songs can be rearranged after the next step.)
7. When you're done, click the Copy to CD or Device button on the left (or select Taskbar from the View menu, and then select Copy to CD or Device).
8. The songs to be written to the CD are shown on the left, and any songs already on the CD are shown on the right. The playlist can be reorganized by right-clicking and select Move Up or Move Down.
9. When you're ready, click the Copy Music button in the upper right. Any MP3 files will be temporarily converted to WAV format, and then all tracks will be written to the CD.

Notes:

• If the Recording tab doesn't appear for your CD recorder, you may have to obtain updated drivers from the drive manufacturer. Many CD recorders rely on current ASPI drivers; you can try downloading and installing Adaptec's ASPI drivers for Windows XP.
• To cancel the process and clear the queued files, right-click the drive icon and select Delete temporary files.
• The CD burning feature in Windows XP is based on code by Roxio (a subsidiary of Adaptec), and ironically may work when Roxio's Easy CD Creator doesn't.

   

• Common problems with the built-in CD burning include it not recognizing certain drives, complaining of CDs without enough space when a blank CD has been inserted, and conflicts with other CD recording software. As more solutions are found to get CD burning to work, either with XP's built-in support or using a third-party application, they will be available here at Annoyances.org.