How to Make an Exact Replica of a CD Disc on a Flash Drive
A CD disc can hold different types of data on it, from music to video to computer files. Making an exact copy of a CD requires a computer copy program. The computer copy program creates a disk image of the CD which can then be transferred to a storage device, such as a flash drive. There are a number of such programs for Mac and PCs, many of which are free to use and all with intuitive interfaces that do not require any special expertise to use.
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Instructions
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Download a computer copy program to the desktop of the computer such as the free Burn program for Macs or the free ImgBurn program for PCs (see Resources). Double-click on the file once downloaded. Follow the commands to install the program onto the computer's hard drive. Restart your computer after the installation is done.
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Insert the CD that is to be copied into the side slot of the Mac or onto the ejected disc tray of a PC's DVD drive (closing the disc tray afterward). Wait for the icon of the CD to appear on the desktop of the computer.
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Launch the computer copy program by double-clicking its icon inside of the Applications folder if on a PC or by selecting it from the "Start," "All Applications" pop-up menu on a Mac.
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Select the CD from the list of choices presented in the "Devices" drop-down menu on the computer copy program's main screen. Select "ISO" from the list for choices presented in the "Format" drop-down menu on the computer copy program's main screen.
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Click on the browse button next to the "Destination" or "Output" tab on the computer copy program's main screen. Navigate to the desktop of the computer in the window that appears. Click the "OK" button to close the window.
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Click the "Start" or "Burn" button on the computer copy program's main screen. Wait as a progress bar at the bottom of the screen fills in from left to right. This can take anywhere from a few minutes up to a half hour depending upon the amount of data on the CD. Quit the computer copy program when the progress bar is completely filled in.
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Insert a USB flash drive in a USB port on the computer. Wait for the icon of the USB flash drive to appear on the desktop. Drag the disk image file that was made from the CD and saved to the desktop onto the USB flash drive's icon. Wait as a copy window appears, fills in from left to right or right to left and then disappears.
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Drag the icon of the USB flash drive to the Trash if on a Mac or right-click on it and select "Eject" from the pop-up menu if on a PC. Remove the USB flash drive from the USB port of the computer. Repeat this procedure to eject the CD from the computer. Remove the CD from the side slot of the Mac or from the ejected disc tray of the DVD drive (closing the disc tray afterward).
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Tips & Warnings
The capacity of the USB flash drive must be greater than that of the disk image or the copying process will fail.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit flash drive image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com
