You can use Windows Media Player to copy music, pictures, and videos on your computer to a blank CD or DVD. This process is called burning.
Burning a CD in Windows Media PlayerThere are many reasons why you might want to use the Player to burn media files to a disc. For example, if you're planning a long road trip, you might want to select a mix of songs from the Player Library and burn them to audio CDs you can play in your car. The songs you choose might be favorites that you ripped from your CD collection or songs you purchased from an online store.
For more information about the Player Library, see Getting started with Windows Media Player.
The following sections describe the types of discs you can create in the Player, the equipment and materials you'll need, and step-by-step instructions for burning different kinds of discs.
Hide allWindows Media Player gives you the option of burning three kinds of discs: audio CDs, data CDs, and data DVDs. The type of disc you can use depends on what you want to copy (for example, whether it's only music or a combination of music, videos, and pictures), how much material you want to copy (for example, a single album or dozens of albums), and what type of device you want to use to play the disc (for example, a computer or a car CD player).
| Disc type | Description |
|---|
Audio CD | This is ideal for making custom music CDs that you can play using any car or home stereo. Content: Music only Capacity: Up to 80 minutes Playback devices: Almost any CD player, including those found in home stereos, car stereos, and computers.
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Data CD | This is a great option if you have lots of music and a car CD player that can play Windows Media Audio (WMA) files (the type of music file that most people have in their Player Library). It's also handy for backing up your media files. Content: Music, pictures, and videos Capacity: About 700 megabytes (MB), or roughly 8 hours of music Playback devices: Computers and some CD and DVD players. The device must support the file types that you add to the disc, such as WMA, MP3, JPEG, or Windows Media Video (WMV).
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Data DVD | Because of its larger capacity, this type of disc is used for all the same reasons you would use a data CD, but especially if you have a larger volume of files that won't fit on a single data CD. Content: Music, pictures, and videos Capacity: About 4.7 gigabytes (GB), or roughly 54 hours of music Playback devices: Computers and some DVD players. The device must support the file types that you add to the disc, such as WMA, MP3, JPEG, or WMV.
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To get started, you'll need the following:
A CD or DVD recorder drive (also known as a CD or DVD burner).
Almost all recent computers include a CD burner that lets you burn audio and data CDs. Some computers include a combination CD/DVD burner that lets you burn audio CDs, data CDs, and data DVDs.
If you don't know what kind of burner you have, check the documentation that came with your computer.
A blank CD or DVD.
The type of blank disc you need depends on what kind of burner you have and what kind of disc you're trying to make.
For audio CDs, your best bet is the CD-R format because it's relatively inexpensive and it's compatible with the widest range of playback devices.
For data CDs, CD-R is sufficient for most people's needs. However, if you want the ability to erase the disc later and add new files to it, choose CD-RW. Just keep in mind that blank CD-RW discs are typically more expensive than blank CD-R discs, and not all CD players can play CD-RW discs.
For data DVDs, choose DVD-R or DVD+R if you only need to add files to the disc once. Choose DVD-RW or DVD+RW if you want the ability to erase the disc later and add new files to it. Note that some DVD burners support all of these blank disc types and some only support certain ones. For more information, see the documentation that came with your computer.
Watch this video to learn how to burn a CD or DVD (2:07)
