Despite it’s name, CDBurnerXP supports Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

Download and Install

Start by downloading CDBurnerXP from the software’s website.  You will also need to have at least Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 installed for CDBurnerXP.  .NET Framework 2.0 can be downloaded from Microsoft.

Using CDBurnerXP

When you first start the program, you are presented with the menu shown below.  Here you can chose the type of disc you are going to create.

Data Disc

Selecting ‘Data Disc’ from the menu will bring you to the data disc compilation view.  The upper part of the window shows the files and folders of your system.  Drag and drop the files to the lower part of the window to add them to the disc.

Once you have added the files you wish to burn, click the Burn button or select Disc > Burn… from the menu at the top of the window.  When the disc burn has started, its progress will be shown in the window below.

Audio Disc

Selecting ‘Audio Disc’ from the menu will allow you to add audio media files to a disc to create a standard audio disc.  The layout is similar to creating a data disc in the previous section.  The audio disc compilation view has some extra features for dealing with audio discs allowing you to move the tracks into a specific order.

The audio disc compilation view also features an Audio Player that allows you to preview an audio file  before adding it to the disc.

Once you have selected you audio files and added them to the compilation, click the Burn button or select Disc > Burn… from the menu.  Before the burning process can start, the audio files have to be processed.

Select burning options as needed and click Burn disc to start the burning process.

Burning Image Files

Image files are an easy way to distribute all of the data contained on a disc in a single file.  To burn an image file with CDBurnerXP, select ‘Burn ISO Image’ from the menu.  Select the ISO image file to burn and click Burn Disc to begin the process.

Disc Copy

CDBurnerXP also allows copying a disc to either another disc or an ISO image file.  Insert the disc to be copied into the appropriate drive, select the format and click Copy disc to begin.

Erasing Discs

Selecting ‘Erase Disc’ from the menu will allow you to erase a re-writable disc in the drive.  Choose the appropriate erasing method and click Erase to begin.

Other Features

CDBurnerXP is also capable of showing you some other information regarding your discs and disc drives.  Selecting Recorder > Device Information from the menu will show you what features are available and what disc are supported on your disc drive.

CDBurnerXP can also show you information regarding the disc currently in the drive by selecting Disc > Disc Information from the menu.

I have briefly covered the main features of the software, and if you’re looking for free and power disc burning software I suggest you give CDBurnerXP a try.

The post CDBurnerXP: Free, Powerful & Easy-To-Use Disc Burning Software first appeared on Techerator.

If you want to install Windows instead, check out our previous guide: How to Install Windows from a USB Flash Drive.

UNetbootin, which stands for Universal Netbook Installer, is a program for Windows and Linux that can create a bootable USB drive for many Linux distributions.  UNetbootin can not only use an existing disc image (.iso) to create a bootable USB drive, it can also download dozens of Linux distributions through a handy dropdown menu.

Step One – Installation

Download and install UNetbootin.  When you open the program, you will presented with the following window:

Step Two – Select a Linux Distribution

UNetbootin can automatically download dozens of Linux distributions.  With the Distribution button selected, use the dropdown menus to choose your favorite distribution and version of Linux.  Be sure to read the installation notes if they are available.

If you already have a Linux disc image (.iso) downloaded, click the Diskimage button and select the image file.

Step Three – Formatting the USB Drive

At the bottom of the main screen, verify that USB Drive is selected and then select the drive you would like to use (Note: All data will be lost on the selected drive).  When you are ready to create the bootable USB drive, click the OK button.  If you chose to download a Linux distribution in Step Two, the duration will vary based upon your internet connection speed.

Once the process has finished, you can now use your USB flash drive to install Linux.

Using the USB Boot Drive

Most modern computers support using USB drives as a boot device, but if yours does not you can check your manufacturer’s support site to see if a BIOS update is available.  To set your USB drive as a boot device, you can typically press the ESC key just as your computer turns on and select the drive from a list.

If pressing the ESC key doesn’t work, you may have to enter your computer’s BIOS to manually set the drive as a boot device. You can typically access your computer’s BIOS by pressing DEL, F2, F10, or F12 at system startup, but refer to your manufacturer’s support information for more details.

Installing an operating system from a USB flash drive is much faster than using an optical disc.  In our tests, we were able to install Ubuntu in less than six minutes which is much faster than performing an installation with a LiveCD.

Have a better method of installing Linux on your computer?  Let us know by commenting below.

The post How to Install Linux from a USB Flash Drive first appeared on Techerator.

Luckily, Windows 7, XP, Vista, Server 2003 and Server 2008 can be installed from a USB flash drive with a few simple steps.  In this guide, I’ll be using a program called WinToFlash to create a bootable USB drive for Windows 7.

Prerequisites

• A Windows installation disc or disc image (.iso)
  • If you have downloaded a Windows installation disc (such as the Windows 7 Beta or RC), you should already have the .iso file.
  • If you have a physical installation disc, skip to Step 2.
• A USB flash drive – minimum 3 GB.

Step 1:  Extract the Windows .iso

If you have an installation disc image (.iso), that file contains all of the files from the Windows installation disc.  To extract these files, download and install 7-Zip (free) and browse to the location of your Windows .iso in the file browser.  Click ‘Extract’ and wait while the files are expanded.

Step 2:  Processing Installation Files with WinToFlash

Download the latest version WinToFlash and extract the files.  Open WinToFlash.exe and click the ‘Windows setup transfer wizard’ button to get started.

After clicking Next, you need to select the path to your Windows installation files and your USB drive.  If you have a Windows installation disc, select your optical drive.  If you had an .iso image, choose the location where you extracted the files from Step 1.

WinToFlash will configure your USB drive and transfer all installation files.  This will take approximately 5-10 minutes.

Once the process has finished, you will receive an “All done” message.  Click Exit to close the application, and your USB drive will now contain a bootable version of your Windows installation files.

Step 3:  Install Windows

Now that you have your USB drive prepped and ready to go, you need to set your netbook to use your USB drive as the primary boot device.  This can be done by accessing your computer’s BIOS by tapping the key your manufacturer specifies (typically Delete or a function key like F2) just as your computer starts.

In my instance, I had to go to the Boot tab and select ‘Hard Disk Drives’ first to set my USB drive (listed as USB:SanDisk Cruzer) in the 1st Drive field.  I then had to go back to the Boot Settings menu and open ‘Boot Device Priority’ to set the USB:SanDisk Cruzer drive in the 1st Boot Device field.

Note: While most newer computers support USB drives as a boot device, some older models may not.  Refer to your manufacturer’s support information or check if an update to your BIOS is available.

After setting the USB drive as your primary boot device, save your changes (typically with F10) and restart your computer.  While booting up you may see a message to “Press any key to continue…”.  You can now proceed through the Windows installation like usual, and once the installation is finished be sure to go back into your BIOS and change your settings back to the way they were originally.

Have another method to install Windows on a netbook?  Share it with us in the comments!

The post How to Install Windows from a USB Flash Drive first appeared on Techerator.

To verify your Windows 7 ISO, download the Windows 7 ISO Verifier (no installation required).  You can then drag and drop your ISO onto the executable or double click it and browse to the ISO’s location.  After a few minutes, you will be notified if your version is legitimate.

The application works by generating a hash from your ISO and comparing it to a list of known good hashes (which are stored online so you won’t have to redownload the application when the list updates).

The Windows 7 ISO Verifier was created by Long Zhen and Sven Groot and is a free download for Windows.  [Download]

The post How To: Verify Your Windows 7 ISO is Legitimate first appeared on Techerator.

Virtual CD Control Panel is a free (albeit unsupported) program from Microsoft that lets you quickly mount images in Windows XP.  Although the program doesn’t list support for DVD images, I mounted the Windows 7 installation DVD without any problems.

Getting Started

1. Download Windows XP Virtual CD Control Panel and extract the files.
2. Copy VCdRom.sys (included in the zip file) to C:/WINDOWS/system32/drivers(or see detailed instructions below).
   1. Click Start –> Run.
      
   2. Type %SystemRoot%/system32/drivers and press enter.
      
   3. Copy VCdRom.sys into this folder.
3. Run the program by opening VCdControlTool.exe
4. Click Driver Control, then click Install Driver.
   
5. Navigate to the folder where you copied VCdRom.sys (C:/WINDOWS/system32/drivers), select it, and click Open.
6. Click Start, then OK.
   

Mounting an Image File

1. In the Virtual CD Control Panel application, click Add Drive which will create the virtual drive.
   
2. Click ‘Mount’ and select the ISO file you would like to use.  Click OK in Special Mount Options.
   
3. Your disc will now be fully accessible in My Computer, just the same as if you had the disc in your optical drive.
   

Unmounting an Image File

1. In Virtual CD Control Panel, select your virtual drive and click Eject.
2. Click Remove Drive.

Virtual CD Control Panel is a free application for Windows XP.  [Download]

The post How To: Mount Images (ISO Files) in Windows XP with a Small, Free Microsoft App first appeared on Techerator.