Saving to a CD

Most CD are write-once, read many times. There are some that can be erased and such, but you probably don't own any and you probably don't want to own any--the extra cost is rarely worth it when you can buy a pack of a hundred and throw them away.

CD have to be "finished" which is a just a way of putting enough info on them so that any computer can read them. Once they are finished, you can't put any more data on them--the finish info says what's on the CD, and if you put more, the info would be wrong, and you can't erase a normal CD. So normally you would put the data on the CD and finish it; if you do daily backups, you will run through a CD every day.

Therefore you have to start with a blank CD. Whether or not Word can see it depends on your computer and how it set your CD drive up. If you don't see it, the procedure would be: save the docs, copy them to the CD, finish the CD, the end. You cannot edit them from the finished CD but if your machine crashes, you can copy them from the CD onto the hard drive and edit there.

If Word doesn't see the CD, you can still sort of use it as a backup by copying files to the CD without finishing it, but it's kind of pointless because then only your CD drive will be able to read the unfinished CD (because only your CD drive knows what's on there before its finished) and if you computer crashes, you may have a problem reading the unfinished CD.

CDs are great for backups of many files. As a daily backup for small items, they suck. You can not "save" to a CD, or ecit anything that has been burned to one. Use them for archival backups, your whole My effing Documents every six months or whatever. They are cheap enough, if the backup is worth having. So are USB flash drives. But don't save to removable media. Save to your hard drive first, then copy to a backup location. Overwrite older files or use dated folders. Data can get screwed up, always give yourself a second chance.

I hope you (all) really mean CD-R's, and not CD's ... <cringing and ranting at the loss of vitally important terminology>

There's http://cdrfaq.org/ but it's got a lot of info, so start here:

http://cdrfaq.org/faq01.html#S1

Read through a bunch of that and THEN ask any more questions you might have.

First, your computer's CD/DVD drive needs to be able to burn CDs.
If you are the first owner of your machine, check the system configuration. Your writing software may give you the option to save to external media (CD/DVD, flash drive, etc) but if your drive doesn't support burning, then you cannot save to it.

Second, you need to have software in order to transfer files.
Nero is a common program. Most computers have software pre-loaded on their models with CD/DVD drives. ReadTheFrakkingManual for better directions. Your writing software alone is not capable of saving/burning a file to a CD/DVD.

Third, there are two types of CD/DVDs: R and RW.
R is read only. Once you burn to it, you cannot change the file(s) on it. For some brands, you can only burn once, period. Others will let you burn in separate sessions. Sometimes paying a few more cents per CD is worth the lack of hassle later on.
RW is read/write. Once you burn to it, you can go back and edit the file on the CD. Or you can burn to it multiple times, then erase.
For storage of changing files, RW is the better option. R is a more permanent backup.

This is not a silly question at all PW! It is impossible to stop learning when it comes to technology--including a few new cuss words! 8>D

So, how much lighter fluid do I need to burn a CD?

It all depends on the cd, Ben. Of course, it is better if you burn a whole STACK of the little flickers, so they burn quickly and thoroughly. They will often melt together, rendering all super secret stolen information completely unreadable. I also suggest adding the lighter fluid between the cd's. If you don't, you might only get maximum burnage on the top and sides, but should the CIA or NSA come along and find your media... they have the ability to read the parts left undamaged. Therefore, you want to make sure and create a real conflagration.

Now. Do not, do not, stand around monologuing while you are doing this. You never know if you've been followed and watched, and you don't want to give them a single clue as to what it is you are burning.


.... What? Why is everyone looking at me like that?

BenPanced said:

So, how much lighter fluid do I need to burn a CD?

Click to expand...

You don't use lighter fluid.

THE FIRST THING YOU DO IS TAKE THE MICROWAVE OVEN OUTSIDE. This is necessary because of the noxious fumes given off by a burning CD. I think those old AOL CD's with the screenprinted "New And Improved Version X.X!!!" on them are even worse.

So you're outside ... nah, why do I type when the research has been done and documented by others:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vym9PlKx8dY
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3587466534692702285

Dunno if a CD-R does the same as a CD, I've only used old commercially-mass-produced CD's (sorry, Roger Whittaker fans) that have that aluminized "silver" layer in them as opposed to the CD-R's with the laser-writable dye.

Wow, there is an active college paper whose staff still know what floppy disks are--and how to use them?!

Good luck with your submission PW!

Ah, but do they mean 3½" or 5¼" floppies? Big difference.

At least they aren't using cassette tapes... (a comment which will be lost to anyone under 20)

Tallus, I thought I was the only one who could remember 8 inch discks. I still have about a hundred 3.5 inch ones around here, Must throw them out one day.

Painted Wings said:

I’ve been trying to save word documents to a CD but so far it hasn’t worked. I’ve heard that I should just be able to select the CD option when I go to save the document. I’ve tried this and it always comes up with a message saying that I can’t save to the CD. I’ve also heard that documents can be burnt to a CD, but if I try this option would I still be able to go back and edit the document?

Sorry if this is a silly question. To me it seems like this should be a simple thing to know how to do.

Click to expand...

Get a USB pen drive. About a million times easier, and you can pick a small one for next to nothing.

USB flash drives, thumb drives, or whatever people call them, have a significantly higher failure rate over CD's. Especially as they get older and they've been used many times.
If you want to permanently store your documents, CD's are the best way to go at this time. That doesn't mean you shouldn't also store them off site and on other media too.

But make two CDs. I've had one or two CDs go bad.

To kep your CD fresh and juicy, keep it away from heat and sunlight.

Also, when burning a CD, don't bug your computer about anything else. Go wash dishes or something and leave it alone. srsly

'Nother tip: don't stick labels on CD's. Use a safe (non-abrasive, no evile solvents) marking pen. Labels can unbalance a spinning disk.

Don't leave a CD lying around naked.

RJK said:

USB flash drives, thumb drives, or whatever people call them, have a significantly higher failure rate over CD's. Especially as they get older and they've been used many times.
If you want to permanently store your documents, CD's are the best way to go at this time. That doesn't mean you shouldn't also store them off site and on other media too.

Click to expand...

E-mail.

Cds are just a rubbish idea for something that's changing as often as a writing project will.

RJK said:

USB flash drives, thumb drives, or whatever people call them, have a significantly higher failure rate over CD's. Especially as they get older and they've been used many times.

Click to expand...

I have used a half-dozen USB flash drives in the past few years, and NEVER had one fail. I have experienced CDs becoming unreadable. Flash drives are so cheap now you should get two or three and back up stuff multiple times on them.

caw