Disc Burning Quick Assist

What do you need help with?

• Tell me how to burn files to a CD or DVD using the Finder
• Tell me how to burn an audio CD using iTunes
• I'm having trouble burning a disc

Burning CDs and DVDs Using the Finder

1) Insert a Blank Disc
Insert a blank CD or DVD into your computer's disc drive. If you see a dialog, you can choose an action from the pop-up menu and select “Make this action the default” if you want the same action to occur every time you insert a blank disc. Then click OK.

2) Add and Arrange Your Content
Type a name for your disc under the disc icon on your desktop and then drag whatever files and folders you want to burn to the disc icon. Make sure that you've got everything laid out the way you want; double-click the CD icon and feel free to move stuff around, rename files, and add or delete content from the window.

3) Burn Your Disc
When you're satisfied with the content, layout, and file names, choose Burn Disc from the File menu in the Finder. In the resulting dialog, select the burn speed and click Burn.

Additional Disc Burning How-To Help
You can also burn discs from iDVD, iTunes (see below), iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand. To get specifics about creating and burning discs in any of these applications, open the application, choose application_name Help from the Help menu, and type burn disc in the Search field.

Burning an Audio CD Using iTunes

1) Tell iTunes That You Want an Audio CD
Open iTunes and from the iTunes menu, choose Preferences. Click Advanced in the resulting dialog and then click the Burning tab. Next to Disc Format, select Audio CD and then click OK.

2) Create a New Playlist of Songs
From the File menu, choose New Playlist. Type a name for your playlist in the Source list (this will become your CD's name), and then drag songs from your library to your new playlist. To change the song order, select your playlist and just drag and drop songs in the order you want.

3) Burn Your Disc
With your playlist selected, click the Burn Disc icon in the upper-right corner of the window. Then simply insert a blank, recordable CD into your disc drive to start burning it.

Top 10 Troubleshooting Tips

1) Try Another Disc
All discs are not created equally. Small flaws or surface inconsistencies can cause an unsuccessful burn. Try burning your content to another disc or try a different brand of disc (if possible) before trying these other tips.

2) Make Sure That Your Disc Drive Can Record Discs
If your drive is built into your Mac, make sure that you have at least a Combo Drive if you want to burn a CD or a SuperDrive if you're trying to burn a DVD (or CD). Consult your Apple computer manual or your third-party manufacturer's disc drive manual for more information.

3) Check Your Disc's Surface
Eject the disc from the drive and inspect it to see if the surface is dirty or scratched, or if it already has data written on it. If it's dirty, wipe it clean with a soft, damp cloth and try burning again. If the disc is scratched or is a CD-R or DVD-R disc that already contains data, use another disc. If you're using a rewritable disc that already contains data, be sure to erase it before burning data on it again.

4) Check the Disc Type
Make sure that your disc drive is capable of writing to your media at hand. For example, you won't be able to burn a DVD+RW disc with an older Apple SuperDrive. Consult your Apple or third-party product manual for your drive's supported media specifications. You should also use discs that are rated for the burn speed of your drive.

5) Slow Things Down
In the Burn dialog, specify a burn speed that is slower than the maximum speed rating for your disc drive (if you can) and try burning another disc.

6) Free Up Some Memory
If you've got other applications open, quit the ones that you're not using (or better yet, quit them all except for the one from which you're burning your disc) to give the application that's doing the burning some extra power. Allow the disc to burn before doing other things on your computer.

7) Check Your Hard Drive's Available Space
When you burn a disc, your Mac temporarily sets aside an amount of hard disk space equal to the amount of data being burned to the disc. If you're burning a large amount of data, you may run out of room on your hard disk if it's almost full, which may prevent a disc from burning. Throw out unwanted files or back up files to an external drive (such as your iPod) or server to free up space.

8) Restart Your Computer
Sometimes a simple restart can clear up unknown issues. Once you've restarted your computer, try burning another disc again.

9) Update Your Software
Use Software Update (from the Apple menu, choose Software Update) to check for, download, and install the latest versions of your Apple software. If you're using a third-party burner, visit the manufacturer's website for the latest software updates for your model.

10) Check Your Connections
If you're using an external disc writer, make sure that all of your cable connections are secure and that the disc drive is powered on.