Mac OS X 10.5 Help

Disc Burner Icon

Burning discs

If you’re having trouble recording information on CDs, DVDs, try these solutions.

Make sure your computer has a recordable optical drive
Image of inserting a disc
To burn discs, you must have a recordable optical drive. To confirm that your computer has one, open System Profiler.
If your computer has an internal recordable optical drive, look in System Profiler’s Hardware list and click Disc Burning. The CD-Write item tells you which type of discs you can burn.
If you’ve attached an external USB or FireWire drive, check to make sure its connecting cable is attached securely. In System Profiler, click USB or FireWire to make sure your drive is listed.
■
Open System Profiler
How does your computer handle discs when you insert them?
Open CDs & DVDs preferences to see how your computer is set up to handle discs when they’re inserted.
If the computer is set to ignore a blank disc when you insert it, you won’t be able to see it or record on it.
■
Open CDs & DVDs preferences
Check compatibility
Go to the Mac OS X Peripheral Support website to see a list of recordable optical drives that are compatible with Mac OS X.
■
Mac OS X Peripheral Support website
Problems inserting discs
If the computer ejected your disc after you inserted it, you may need to clean your disc. Wipe the reflective side with a soft, damp cloth, working from center to edge. If the disc is scratched, it may be unreadable. Try using the disc in another drive or computer.
■
If a CD or DVD doesn’t appear on the desktop
■
If the wrong application opens every time you insert a disc
Problems burning discs
If you can’t burn files on a recordable disc, the disc may be dirty or scratched. Clean the disc with a soft, damp cloth, working from center to edge. If the disc is scratched, try another disc.
Check to see what type of disc you have. If your disc is CD-R or DVD-R, you can burn data on it only once unless you set up the disc for multisession burning using Disk Utility. You can also use Disk Utility to erase a previously recorded CD-RW disc, allowing you to record data on it again.
■
About burning your own CDs or DVDs
■
Open Disk Utility
Problems with burned discs
If your CD or DVD drive seems to vibrate or it makes a lot of noise, the disc’s weight may be slightly off-center because it is uneven or because of the ink on the label. This won’t damage the disc or your computer. Stickers or unbalanced labels placed on your discs may make the problem worse.
■
Ejecting a CD or DVD using firmware
Keywords: khelp kmosx kmosx5