How to Make CDs

It's always nice to have a CD full of your favorite tunes. You can also save data on a CD. It's not too hard to make a CD at home using your computer. As long as you have the right equipment, you can make your own CD.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Favorite songs
• CD burner
• CD burning software
• Writable CDs
• CD labels

Instructions

1. Know what you want on the CD. You can start by creating a list of the songs you want to hear, or a list of documents and other data to include.

2. You must transfer the music you like, to your computer in the proper format. If you have different songs on different CDs, just place the CD in the CD drive of your computer. For Windows operators, click on "My Computer." You should see an icon for the CD you just put on your computer. Right click and press "Open." You should see a list of audio tracks.

3. Right click on one of the songs you want on your CD. Press "Save" and make sure to save it someplace easy to find, such as your desktop. Repeat this process until you get all the songs you want saved on the hard drive of your computer. (If you want to create a data CD, you may want to find all the programs or documents on your computer and put them in one folder.)

4. Now, it's time to burn a CD. Open your CD burning software. Because each program is different, you may have to read the directions that come with that particular program. First, the program will ask you whether you want to burn a data or music CD. Chose the appropriate application. Usually, you can load the songs you just saved on your computer by clicking on "file," and "open."

5. Place a writable CD in the CD burner. Most burners want the CD face up (burnable side down). Once you have all the songs you want on your CD loaded into the computer program, you can burn the CD. If you have more data or songs than the CD has room for, the program will let you know. You may have to burn multiple CDs.

6. When you are done, you can place a CD label on top and label your CD with a soft magic marker. You could also create a label on your CD by purchasing a CD labeling program. Labels come with easy-to-follow instructions to make sure it goes on the CD without any bubbles or wrinkles.

7. When you are done, test your CD to make sure it burned correctly.

Tips & Warnings

• You can purchase writeable CDs that come in different colors to make them more personalized.

• Although it is simple to burn a CD, it can seem much harder. That is because many programs will include extra options for professionals.