My Dell computer, now 7 years old, operates under Windows XP, SP3 Home Edition 2002; Pentium(R) 4 CPU, 3 GHz, 2.99 Ghz, 512 Ram and its computer drive is described as ?TEAC DVD+RW DV-W58E?, (however, the D drive?s Properties states: These setting determine how the Windows CD recording software writes files to this CD-R drive. As you will rightly conclude, I am a novice to computer hardware/software mechanics. I have tried reading thru the Newbie posts, and searching but to no avail.
I haven?t tried to record any type of file to a DVD until a few days ago. I placed a new, empty Memorex 4x, 4.7 GB DVD+RW disc into the D drive and went through the process of identifying a Word document on the C drive (it is not a ?read-only? document) that I wanted on the DVD disc. The Windows ?Wizard? process tells me an error has occurred trying to ?copy the CD? ? (What CD?, I?m trying to copy a DVD). Anyway, so, I closed the ?Wizard? and then call up the DVD?s properties information which now for some reason indicates all of the disc space has been used. This has occurred on twice on two new DVD disk. The first time I tried getting the document was by right clicking on the file to be copied, then clicking the ?send to? D drive; the second time I opened Windows Explorer, and tried dragging the document to the D drive.
1. What must I do to get a ?Word? file to a DVD+RW disk?
2. Is there something I?m supposed to change and apply in the disk Properties tabs?
3. Am I supposed to have some type of ?burning? software (e.g., Nero?)?
Ok, I guess I'll try that tomorrow when I'm fresh. But are you able to explain in simple terms why Windows cannot handle what I would consider an extremely simple, and much desired action: copy a Word document over to a DVD+RW disk? It would help educate me a little more - I think.
cyprusrom, when you mentioned Windows, I decided to go over and search around a the official Microsoft Office site; what I found was the following admonition from a Windows 7 instruction page: duh
"Do not try to copy more files to the CD than it will hold. Check the CD packaging to see the capacity of each CD. For files that are too large to fit on a CD, you can copy files to a recordable DVD (DVD-R or DVD+R) or rewritable DVD (DVD-RW or DVD+RW). However, Windows XP does not support copying to a DVD, so you must use DVD authoring software."
So whether Windows is stupid or not I'll pass; but I guess this is the problem with older software. The particular page included instructions to upgrade to Windows 7. Hmmm... do I go with Windows 7 or ImgBurn? Care to offer a your choice?
cyprusrom, a quick follow-up: there's no need for you to reply to my question about Win7 vs ImgBurn; I'll just try the latter. Thanks for you help, obviously Win XP just wasn't going to do it --- just like you said, no further explanation necessary.
Yes, Windows is stupid when it comes to burning DVDs, even if they might've implemented that in Windows 7. If you want to burn DVDs(data, Video, whatever...), then just forget Windows. Get a real burning software, like ImgBurn.It is free, it is EXCELLENT.
Changing from Windows XP to Win 7 just because of burning one DVD is like buying a brand new car because your headlight burnt out.
Trying to burn a DVD with Windows, is like eating soup with a fork.
