Things You'll Need:
- Computer
- Windows Media Player
- CD-R or CD-RW discs
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Step 1
Get a blank CD. CD-R or CD-RW will be acceptable, depending on your needs. If you only plan to write to the CD one time, a CD-R is all you need. If you want to be able to remove files from the disc or update files, you need to use CD-RW discs. CD-RW discs are only marginally more expensive than CD-R.
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Step 2
Select your burning software. Windows Media Player is simple and comes with your PC. There are other options, such as one of the Nero audio products like "Back It Up and Burn." Mac users can use the Mac operating system to burn or purchase the burning software "Toast" to accomplish the same task. Apple's iTunes is an online service that includes burning software and allows you to download and burn music and movies.
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Step 3
Insert a blank disc into your computer's disc drive and open Windows Media Player. Go to the "Burn" option on the toolbar and choose either "Audio CD" or "Data CD." The audio option will write your disc in standard CD music format, which will allow you to play the disc in any standard CD player. This will allow you about 70 minutes worth of music, or around 17 files, to be written to the disc. Choose the data option to burn MP3 or other file types onto the disc. You can fit around 100 MP3 files to a disc.
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Step 4
Open the folder that contains the files you want to write to the CD. Select the files you want to write to the CD and drag them from your folder to the burn list located along the right side of your Windows Media Player interface. This is the playlist you will be burning to the disc.
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Step 5
Arrange the songs in the order you want them. You can right click with your mouse and select "Remove from List" if you decide you don't want to burn a song to disc. When you have the songs arranged in the order you want them, click the "Start Burn" button at the bottom of the list. Wait for the disc to burn. It will eject when the process has been completed.
