BackMyJunk -Backup using a CD-Rom or DVD

Introduction:

In the course of this exercise I will be focusing upon writing a CD. If you have a DVD instead, it will work the same way. While some are less intrepid than others, I can assure you the easiest way to learn is to go buy a 50-pak of CD blanks and just start burning. You will make mistakes (called "coasters"), but that is a natural part of this learning experience, but the more experience you develop, the more confidence you will obtain.

The burning software only copies things so don't worry that you are going to hurt the data on your box. Just keep whackin' at it till you get it right.

About CD media:

We might speak for a minute about CD media before we go too far. My preference is Sony 700mg CDR media, though there are others just as suitable- I would really suggest you buy a good name-brand, and avoid the sales tables. Cheap is not the way to go here, as such CDs tend to be of poor quality and you may find yourself with more coasters than data-CD's. One can normally get a decent deal on good media if one watches the sales, and all the more so if one buys at some minor bulk level (50 or 100 pack).

There is room for debate on whether to buy CDR or CDRW. CDR media is designed for a one-time write, where CDRW media can be erased and re-written. My own feeling on this is that the CDR's are so much cheaper that I rather prefer them. One might always recreate the original with additions, so I generally just pitch the old one and begin anew, without having the overhead in CDRW blanks sitting on the shelf.

I might also add that it is common to find a bad blank here and there- Maybe one or two in fifty. If you are getting more bad blanks than that, I would switch vendors... If it is still a problem, then there is something wrong with your recorder- It may need to be cleaned or replaced.

All media are capable of multiple sessions- the ability to add more to the CD until it is full- I would generally advise against this. It is more likely to corrupt a burn using multiple sessions, and one sometimes finds them to be less universal (some other CDplayers may not like your CD). It is best, at least for now, to assemble your complete CD and burn it. if you forget to add something in, just pitch the first CD and make a new one.

Remember: If you own a CD-writer, it is only capable of burning CDs... Not DVDs. If you own a DVD capable burner you can burn both CD and DVD.

About the Burning Software:

CD writing software is often very complicated, and is ominous for a new user. The problem is that they do so many different things! These overly-complicated programs are really not nessessary- I would hope to to start you out on something much simpler. My preferred and highly recommended favorite is showcased here.

CDBurnerXPPro is a superb replacement for almost any burning task, but it's greatest feature is simplicity. It is very well done, and is perfectly free to download and use. Please support this author.

You may download the installer from his site, or if you have a TFG's UserTools CD, it is available there as well. The install process is unremarkable and goes as one would expect.

While this article goes into the basics of running this software, it is no replacement for using the included help files and on-line resources. Please get to know any software product you rely on.

Burning a CD: For this exercise I will be burning a copy of my UserTools CD- Your files will be different, and in a different location. While different, it is quite easy to compare to my example.

Please put a blank CD in your recorder and start CDBurnerXP Pro.

Once it is running, you are greeted by this dialog:

Choose to create a new "Data-CD"... The other options are very fruitful too, but not important now.

The layout window opens in a sort of over-and-under Explorer view. The thing to keep in mind is that the upper view is the innards of your machine, and the lower view is the soon-to-be-written CD... So the object of the exercise is to find your stuff in the top part and get it into the bottom part.

Beginning in the upper left window, navigate to the location of the stuff you want to burn.

When you have reached the proper folder in the upper-left panel, your stuff will be seen in the upper-right panel. That is cool... right where you want to be...

Then just select the files you want to have on the CD...

...and drag them to the lower-right panel (or just use the "add" button).

It may take a while for the program to shovel a copy of your selection to the lower-right panel- That's ok... patience is a virtue. Once the files appear, look toward the bottom of the program. There is a handy little zippy-bar that tells you how full your CD is going to be... So long as that zippy-bar is green, your files are fitting fine. If it turns red somewhere along the way, then you have selected too much stuff to fit on the CD, and should probably consider rearranging your files into smaller groupings.

In the bottom-left panel, the very top thing says "New Composition". While not a necessary step, you may like to click on it once and give it a meaningful name. It will highlight in "rename mode" just like if renaming an item in Explorer. This title is limited to eleven characters, so one might need to be inventive, but it is usually enough room to get a title and date in there... This is the CD label which will be seen in "My Computer" when you put your CD into the tray.

Well, there you go. If you have a new blank CD in place, and provided that your zippy is green, you are ready to burn. Just push the "Burn" button in the lower-left panel.

Depending upon your settings, you may see the following dialog... For our purposes, it is necessary only to push "Write Disc".

There will be some hummin' and whirrin' and whatnot as the burner begins to do it's job, and one can track it's progress within the Progress dialog, along with a nifty blue zippy that will crawl across the bottom of the dialog.

One hopes to see no errors in the process- they will show up in the Progress window. If you get errors then you dare not trust the burn, and would be best to discard it and make another. Hopefully you will arrive at this dialog:

Finally, the summary information is displayed:

When the process is completed, you will be taken back to the layout window and the CD tray will open automatically. You may now close the program- It may ask you to save the current layout... you may if you like, but it generally "remembers the last thing done anyway... So chances are that your next burn will open to the same folder you used this time, ready for your direction.

Labeling and Storage:Take your newly minted CD out of the tray, and place it shiney-side down on a clean soft surface (think mousepad).

You need to label it in some way so you know what it is. Labeling can be another whole article with all kinds of fancy do-dads available, but let me introduce you to the premiere label making system preferred by IT Professionals the world over:

Please avoid using ballpoint pens, pencils, or anything of a hard/sharp nature as this can and will damage your data.

As is usually the case, one should endeavor to write in a legible fashion, and attempt to label the CD in a way which will cause it to be unique in your collection. Naming it "Backup" might cause issues down the road, but naming it "Backup_030707" (as in March 7th of 07) will cause it to be different from future backups.

One must then find suitable storage for your CD: Perhaps a multi-cd binder, perhaps a single CD case, or even just a CD disc envelope. These are all readily available for purchase at any decent office outlet store (Office Max, Staples, etc...)

If the cd is to be accessed often I would suggest a binder

If you choose to use individual cases or envelopes remember that it is difficult to pick a particular CD out of a stack- Envelopes and those sooper-thin cd-hard cases are poor in a stacked environment- The old fashioned CD case is much better as one can write on the spine of the case. Simply take the case apart (it just snaps together) and turn the factory label inside-out. You will easily see where to write to get your title onto the spine of the CD.

Please avoid long term storage in lighted areas- A closed cupboard or desk drawer is a great place to store CDs.

::TFG