Overview

This document covers the step-by-step process for using Mac OS X to create a CD or DVD archive of your digital files for later use on other computers.

Generally speaking, GroundWorks recommends storing your data on a flash drive or external hard drive rather than a disc. Both of these are available for purchase at the Computer Showcase.

Before you get started

Remember to bring your own blank discs, as we do not provide them here in GroundWorks. Within the building, you can purchase blank discs at the circulation desk on the second floor of the Duderstadt Center or at the bookstore in Pierpont Commons.

We recommend that you use CD-R and DVD-R. They are far preferable to CD+R/DVD+R or rewritable (RW) discs.

CDs typically hold up to 700MB of data. DVDs typically hold up to 4.7GB of data and Dual Layer DVDs (DVD-R DL) hold up to 8.5GB. The exact capacity for your disc is usually located on the disc’s case or the disc itself.

It’s best to copy all the files you’re archiving onto the hard drive of the computer you’re using to burn the disc. Otherwise there’s a slight chance that your disc will fail if you’re burning files located on a networked drive or external drive (such as a USB stick or SD card).

Setting up your disc

1. Eject the disc tray by holding down the “Eject” key on the top right of the keyboard.(Oddly, there is no eject button on the front of the computer tower or the disc drawer itself.)
2. Put your blank disc in the tray, making sure the recordable side of the disc is facing down.
3. Return the tray by holding down the “Eject” key. The computer will automatically detect whether you inserted a CD or DVD.
   A dialog box may pop up indicating that you inserted a blank disc. Click “OK.”
4. Your disc should appear as an icon on the desktop. Double-click the disc icon to open up a Burn Folder.
5. Locate and select all the files that you wish to burn to disc.
6. Drag your selected files into the Burn Folder while holding the down the “Option” (Alt) key (you should see a green plus symbol). If you do not hold down “Option” you will only be making aliases (shortcuts) of your files to the disc.
7. You can add more files or folders by dragging and dropping them while holding down the “Option” key into this Burn Folder. You can remove files or folders by right-clicking them and selecting “Move to trash.”

Writing to the disc

1. In the Burn Folder, click the “Burn” button towards the top right corner of the window.
2. A dialog box will pop up confirming that you want to burn a disc. Here you can change the name of your disc and adjust the burn speed. Go ahead and leave the burn speed on the default, which is probably 16x.
3. Click Burn to begin the burn process.
4. When your disc has finished burning, your disc will now appear on the desktop, and in the Finder under Devices in the sidebar containing your selected files and folders. You may now eject your disc by pressing the “Eject” key on the keyboard.

Summary and last steps

You now have a data disc which will be readable on both Mac and Windows computers! Be sure to write a label on the top of your disc with a soft-tip pen or permanent marker. It is recommended that you test your disc by opening it on another computer. If you copied files to the computer in order to burn them to the disc, move them to the Trash on the dock, right click the Trash icon, and select “Empty Trash.”

Need to make a quick copy of your disc? Check out How to Use the Disc Duplicators.

 

This tutorial was written by GroundWorks Consultants Stephen Ratkovich and Nora Stone