Before burning any CDs you may need to buy or download CD burner software. Windows comes with software that will burn audio CD's (Windows Media Player), but if you do not have the software you need for a specific project or purpose you can try searching on the internet for freeware cd burner programs.
There are several different types of CDs that you can burn on a computer. The most common are CD-R (recordable), mainly for audio CDs, and CD-RW (re-writable), mainly for programs and applications. Also know that buying CDs in bulk can be cheaper but may not have cases or sleeves to protect your music or storage.
When burning an audio CD, be sure that the media you want to burn is compatible with the hardware you want to play it on. Also be sure that you don't try to burn an audio CD with a CD-RW because CD players are not compatible with CD-RW storage.
CD-R (recordable) CDs cannot be over-written meaning if you burn music on them then you cannot delete tracks or songs after they are recorded. Usually CD-Rs can hold about 700mb, or 80 minutes.
CD quality can make a big difference in CD longevity and successful burning. Another factor in successful burning of your CDs can be your CD burner. Keep in mind that CD burner hardware can go bad after burning many CDs, requiring new hardware.
It is best to close all software before burning CDs. If your CDs are not burning properly, try lowering the burn rate (ex. 24x to 8x), and setting the verify data to on in your CD burner software.
