Bundled burning software – the manufacturer’s user manual – drive firmware

CD/DVD-burning software can be fairly expensive if purchased separately, so it’s a good idea to buy a CD/DVD writer that comes with good disc-burning software.

You can find plenty of paid-for and free DVD-burning software by entering a search query such as free dvd software in a search engine. You should only use free software from reputable sites, because some site are a source of malware (viruses, Trojans, etc.).

The free CDBurnerXP from https://cdburnerxp.se/ meets all of my needs using Windows XP to Windows 8.1. – “CDBurnerXP is a free application to burn CDs and DVDs, including Blu-Ray and HD-DVDs. It also includes the feature to burn and create ISOs, as well as a multi-language interface. Everyone, even companies, can use it for free. It does not include adware or similar malicious components.”

Here is a page that links to reputable free downloads:

Free Utilities and Software Tools –

http://www.thefreecountry.com/utilities/index.shtml

The DVD writer’s user manual

The user manual (or information on the manufacturer’s site) provides the technical details such as the read/write speeds of the various supported modes of operation (DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM, etc), and the supported recording modes (disc-at-once, incremental recording, session-at-once, track-at-once, packet write, etc.).

For more information on this subject, visit –

DVD Formats Explained –

http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Hardware_Software/2003/DVDFormatsExplained.asp

The firmware of CD / DVD / Blu-ray drives / writers

A drive’s firmware is the built-in software that manages the drives behaviour. It works in much the same way as the motherboard’s BIOS, and affects the capabilities and performance, such as the read and write speeds for a CD/DVD format.

Note well that for most modern drives the firmware is upgradable, which allows the manufacturers to keep their drives up to date as well as make improvements in format support.

If a firmware upgrade is available from the manufacturer’s site, all you have to do is download the file and install it by executing that file – or install it by using a special utility proved from the same site. However, you should read the documentation that came with the drive before you upgrade the firmware, because doing so can render its warranty invalid. And you must make absolutely sure that the firmware is meant for that specific make and model of drive – and, if necessary that it is the correct version for a particular country.

A site that provides discussions on firmware upgrades is: http://forum.rpc1.org/.

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