ImgBurn is a popular free application for write data to CD/DVDs and creating ISO image files. Concerning the ISO specifically, yes it can make bootable discs. This is very useful for creating emergency recovery discs. In the video below, the place mentioned where to get boot diskette images is AllBootDisks. Compared to other web sites that offer the same...

There are times when one is so desperate to get the data off a CD or DVD that you’re willing to try anything no matter how stupid it may be. This is exactly what happened to me last Sunday night. For years I’ve heard that toothpaste will make a scratched optical disc readable again. I never believed it. I’ve had in my possession a CD I burned...

Optical media for computers is a form of technology that everybody uses at the present time, be it for storing data, playing games and so on. Data on optical media can be a pain to work with at times, especially if the disc starts to wear down with age, or gets accidentally pitted or scratched. That being said, here are 5 utilities you should have. 1....

I’ve been in the self-publishing game for a few years now and can honestly say it’s come a long way, with the biggest advantage being that you can now get your book(s) on Amazon without the need for an ISBN. The two major players for those who want to self-publish are Lulu and CreateSpace. Both of them are fairly straightforward in the way they...

For those that have been reading my articles for some time (this is Rich, by the way, better known as "Not Dave"), I can’t stand optical discs. They’re slow to write, scratch easily, have inferior life span compared to USB sticks and the list goes on. However the one thing I absolutely can’t argue with is that it currently is the...

As you have probably read many times on this site optical media (i.e. CD and DVDs), while reliable and cheap, doesn’t last forever. Because of this, it is a good idea to create copies of your optical media, particularly install CDs to your hard drive. The best choice for archiving these is to use ISO files. In addition to having a backup you can burn to CD...

USB sticks are hitting rock bottom prices these days. A 16GB stick is now under $30. And 8GB sizes are easily available for under $15. However this is nowhere near as cost effective as burning DVDs. In fact it’s not even close. The 16GB stick is $30. Put into cost per gigabyte, each gig costs $1.88. A 100-pack spindle of Maxell (a mid-grade brand) 16x...

Situation: You’ve decided that you’re going to build a new computer. You put your part list together (case, mainboard, RAM, hard drive, processor, etc.) and then come to the point where you have to purchase an optical drive. Seems like a waste of money, doesn’t it? On the Linux side of things, it has been proven that you can install a full...

You may have a disc, be it music or data, that is scratched and will not read in your optical disc drive no matter what you do to it. Can it be saved? Possibly. There are a few things you can try to save that disc. Hardware method: It could be just the drive you’re using If the disc won’t read in your optical drive, try another one that’s...

Situation: You’ve carefully backed up some sensitive data to CD or DVD. Afterwards you took the extra step of placing the disc in a standard jewel case instead of a fold-out case. You even took the extra precaution of putting the disc in that case in a room where the ambient temperature is never too cold or too hot. Less than one year later you open that...