Windows XP comes with a builtin CD-copy feature that not many people are aware of. Although almost everyone has his/her favorite CD-copy software to stick with, it is still good to know about this CDR feature from Windows XP. You will find it very useful when you come to another PC that doesn't have a CD-copy software, and you can't just install your favorite software to it. With this feature, you can write some data or MP3 files to a CD/DVD, or erase a re-writable CD/DVD.
If you're using a Re-Writable CD (CD-RW), make sure the disc is blank. You might need to erase (or "format") it before use. For information how to erase a CD-RW on Windows XP without using any other software, see this article.

Requirements: You need to enable the CD-R feature on Windows XP. If you haven't done so, see this article.
  1. Insert a Formated-ReWritable CD or a Recordable (CD-R) disc into the CD drive.
  2. From Desktop, double-click on "My Computer".
  3. Navigate to the files/folders you want to copy to CD. Select them and press "Ctrl-c" to copy.
  4. Browse back to the CD-ROM, and press "Ctrl-V" to paste. The files/folders will show up as temporary files/folders at this time.


  5. On the left panel, select "Write these files to CD".


  6. The window "CD Writing Wizard" appears with the default CD name. Change the CD name if you wish, then click "Next".

  7. The "CD Writing Wizard" starts to write files/folders to the CD:


  8. Once the writing process is complete, the wizard will disappear and the CD-Rom will be ejected.