Following are instruction on how to back up files, like picture files, to a CD. Five steps in brief and then below a bit more description of each step.

  1. Insert a writeable CD into your CD burner
  2. Open a window to view the files you want to copy
  3. Open a window to view the destination to where the files will go, presumably your CD.
  4. Drag and drop the files from the first window to the second window.
  5. Finalize the CD by instructing the computer to “write the files”.

1. Insert a writeable CD into your CD burner.

    Press the little button usually located in the lower right hand corner of the drive, below the drive door, and the CD tray will come out. Put your CD in the tray and close the tray the same way, by using the button.

2. Open a window to view the files you want to copy

  • Right click the <start> button in the lower left hand corner of your screen.
  • Left click the word <explore> to get an “explore” window. This window has 2 panes. The left pane is a list of all the folders on your computer. One folder in the LEFT pane is highlighted and in the RIGHT pane is a list of the selected folder’s contents.
  • Navigate to the folder you want in the left pane and single click, select, it.
  • Select a view type that is appropriate for the files with which you are working
    • <view> is a menu. I like <list> for most files and <thumbnails> for pictures.

3. Open another window to view your CD, or the target to where you want to copy

  • Same as above, right click <start> and choose <explore>
  • Navigate to your CD, which is usually your “D: Drive”

3.5. Get the windows where you can see them both by right clicking the task bar and choosing “tile horizontally” or “tile vertically”. Now you can see both windows.

4. Drag and drop the files or folders from the source window right pane to the target window right pane.

  • Assuming you are coping from your hard drive, drive C: to your CD, drive D:, then drag and drop will automatically COPY the files.  (Notice when you drag the files or folders to the CD window a small plus sign on the mouse curser.)

5. When you have finished copying all the files, right click the CD Drive in the left pane of the destination window and choose <write the files>.