How to copy your files to a CD

Copying files to a CD can be accomplished in a few steps using the CD burning software included with Windows. Before starting, make sure the file(s) or folder(s) you want to copy will fit onto the space available on a CD. To do this, right-click on the file(s) or folder(s) and select Properties. The size will be shown in Megabytes (MB). The amount CD’s can hold is up to 650 MB. If you use Windows Vista you can burn to a single-layer DVD as well, which holds up to 4500 MB.

1. Select the file(s) or folder(s) you want to copy, right-click on one of them and select Send To > (your CD/DVD writable drive).

2. A balloon will pop-up in the system tray.

3. Click the balloon, and you will see a window displaying files ready to be written to the CD. Click on the link “Write these files to CD” under CD Writing Tasks to launch the CD Writing Wizard.

4. Follow the simple steps shown by the CD Writing Wizard, including naming your CD and inserting a blank CD-R disk if you haven’t already done so.

Finally, put your CD in a safe place. To backup all of your data with greater ease and safekeeping, read our automatic backup tips.