How to Make a Backup Copy of a CD
A CD, like any optical disc, can be broken or scratched. You can make a copy of your legally owned CD to protect the original from harm by using a disc cloning program. There are a number of disc cloning programs that are available for both PC and Mac computers, most of which are free of charge and work in a similar fashion. Making a backup copy of a CD will require a CD or DVD drive that can burn data onto a blank recordable CD purchased at a computer or electronics store. Neither the computer nor the CD or DVD drive will be damaged in any way by using the disc cloning program.
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Instructions
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Download a disc cloning program to the desktop of the computer--for example, the free Burn program for the Mac or the ImgBurn free program for the PC (see the link in Resources). Double-click on the file after it has downloaded. Follow the command prompts to install the program onto the computer's hard drive. Restart the PC after the installation finishes.
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Eject the disc tray of the CD or DVD drive. Put the CD onto the disc tray. Close the disc tray.
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Double-click on the icon of the cloning program to launch it. Select the CD or DVD drive from the "Devices" drop-down menu on the disc cloning program's main screen.
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Select "Full disc" from the "Mode" drop-down menu on the disc cloning program's main screen
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Click on the "Options" button at the top of the cloning program's main screen. Click the "Audio" tab at the top of the window that appears.
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Select "10X" from the "Speed" drop-down menu beneath the "Audio" tab. Click the "Apply" button at the left side of the window. Click the "OK" button at the right side of the window.
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Select "Data" from the "Format" drop-down menu on the cloning program's main screen.
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Click the "Start" or "Clone" or "Copy" button on the cloning program's main screen. Wait as a progress bar on the disc cloning program's main screen displays the progress of the copying of the CD.
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Eject the disc tray when the "Eject disk" confirmation window pop-up on the screen. Remove the CD. Put the blank recordable CD onto the tray. Close the disc tray. Click the "OK" or "Continue" button on the pop-up confirmation window to make it disappear.
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Wait as the disc cloning program burns a copy of the CD onto the black recordable CD. Click on the "OK" or "Finish" button on the confirmation window that pops up on the screen to make it disappear.
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Quit the cloning program. Eject the tray. Remove the backup copy of the CD from the tray. Close the disc tray.
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Tips & Warnings
Always blow the side opposite the label on the blank recordable with compressed air before putting it on the disc tray of the CD or DVD drive.
Do not use the cheapest blank recordable CD you can buy--the inferior materials of an inexpensive blank recordable CD can fail to work after a few months have passed.
