External cd/dvd drive

[iukikiana]

Hi guys! I dont know who else to ask and you guys have always helped me out before.

I have a few yrs old desktop pc and the cd drive wasn't working. I ordered a replacement and still not working. This pc is so slow anyway and dont really have much on it and will probably get rid of it soon.

I bought an external hard drive to transfer all the hundreds of photos on there so I could keep. I was thinking I could plug it in my other desktop pc and then put the photos on a blank cd.

Now this is weird. The other pc I use for all my burning and stuff works fine. And I thought, I mean I know it worked before....I was able to stick a blank cd in the drive and copy photos on it.

For some reason now, it looks like its copying but when I go to check and view the cd it keeps saying "insert disk". I am able to burn music on these cd blanks with no problem. I could just scream!

So if I go buy an external cd/dvd drive will this solve my problem? I been checking the web but the descriptions are all so different I dont know what to buy.

This is where I need your help. What do I buy?

I'm looking no more than $80. I want it to be external where I can plug in the usb. I want to be able to copy photos on a cd -r blank.

Can anyone please help or other suggestions.

[MilesAhead]

What burning program are you using? If the CD burner will burn audio CDs then before giving up on it I would try Imgburn. See the Imgburn guide for using Build Mode. Set the output to an image file to create an .iso file(if you have a lot of small files burning directly can bog down.. better to create an image file first.) Then just burn the CD using Imgburn to burn the .iso file. If you right click the .iso file in explorer you should get an option "burn using Imgburn" and select it.

edit: for more details look in the Imgburn section here for guides.

[iukikiana]

Hi MilesAhead,

I tried using Nero and then Google Picasso to burn the photos on the cd.
I'm sure though in the past I just dragged or copied on the cd. Been a long time I cant remember.

I do have Imgburn installed on my computer, so I will give that a try tomorrow morning.

Fingers crossed!

Thank you!
Judy

[iukikiana]

MilesAhead....

Just wanted to get back to you on my results.

I did the Imgburn (which I had, but never used before) and wanted to tell you THANKS!!!!! It worked!!!! It copied the photos on cd disk AND I was able to view it. THANK YOU so much for your help. You saved me from going and spending money on an external cd drive.

You're the best!!!!

Mahalo and Aloha,
Judy

[MilesAhead]

Glad it worked for you.

[iukikiana]

Yes, just went and bought me a new pair of shoes. Of course the shoes cost more than what the cd drive was, but what the heck.

[MilesAhead]

Yes, just went and bought me a new pair of shoes. Of course the shoes cost more than what the cd drive was, but what the heck.

Plus you may get a lot of strange stares if you walk through The Mall(tm) wearing 2 CD burners on your feet!! Better wear really thick socks too!!

[iukikiana]

Too funny! That's probably something I would do. If I could go to work all day and then find out I'm wearing two different shoes.........well, I can certainly wear cd burners on my feet.

[MilesAhead]

I can remember being late for work and finding out I had 2 different style socks on when I got there. I mean, the color was similar but the pattern was different. When coworkers commented ironically "I love your socks" I just replied "Glad you like them. I have another pair just like them at home." Ok, so that joke must be in a kid's joke book someplace, but the fact that it was old just pissed them off even more!! heh heh

[iukikiana]

That's a good one! I'll have to remember that one.