Hi Bill,

I have used Nero 6, 7 and 8 and it works well if you realize what is 
happening and just what to use within the suite of programs.

Although it can be done, I would not recommend trying to launch any of 
Nero's utilities with the Nero Start Smart Icon or by using Nero Express.  I 
would go to the start menu then to programs, then to the Nero menu item, and 
choose Nero Burning ROM.  Wait a few seconds and you get a splash screen 
that gives you a bunch of options.  By default if you haven't changed 
anything, this splash screen places you on the multi-session tab and in a 
combo box that gives you the choice of DVD or CD.  Make the appropriate 
choice by using your arrow keys and then look at a bunch of other options 
under the ISO tab.  Tab to the list of tabs and use your arrow keys to 
select the ISO tab.  Then use the tab key to move to a list (6 for DVD and 
12 for CD) items.  By default, in both CD and DVD burning, the choice is ISO 
which is a fancy way of saying Data type.  This is the type of disc you 
would make for storing documents, program installers and compressed music 
such as MP3 files.  If you use your arrow keys you will see choices like 
Audio CD, Bootable Disc, Copy Disc, mixed mode ETC.  For CD's you wish to 
play in standard CD-ROM players, you would choose Audio CD.  (Why anybody 
needs this any more with all the mp3 players and discless Ippod type players 
is any body's guess, but just in case you do...)

The first time you use the program, you might want to check out some of the 
other items under the ISO tab.  While for most other of the settings, the 
defaults work just fine, I usually check all the boxes that talk about file 
name and folder length names and the amount of permissible character 
lengths.  Modern burners can handle all of these longer names so I maximize 
the length of all my file and folder names.  Otherwise every time you burn a 
document or track with an unusually long file name, you will be prompted to 
truncate the file name.

In any case, after you have configured this splash screen, use your tab key 
to find the New button and press the space bar.  This will launch a standard 
duel window involving a layout for your soon to be created CD/DVD disc and 
the files on your system.  By default, you land on a tree view for the 
layout in a name field.  By default, there is something like New 
Compilation.  To better identify your new disc, you should rename this to 
something recognizable.  To do this is pretty standard--just as in Windows 
Explorer.  Press the F2 key and then type in a new name and press enter.

Now you must tell the burner which files you want to burn to Disc.  Pressing 
the Tab key once from the tree view layout name field brings you to the 
layout list view--which at this point should say zero items.  Tab once more 
to the tree view of your computer system.  Here's where it gets a bit tricky 
if you are not used to working with tree views.  The movement to the files 
and folders you wish to select is most easily done using a screen reader by 
using the tree view.  By default, you will probably be placed either on the 
tree view for your desktop or your local install disc (usually the C drive.) 
Press the right arrow key to open branches on this drive (meaning folder.) 
then arrow down to the folder wherein you are storing the items you wish to 
burn to the disc.  When you reach this folder, press the tab key once to 
move to the list view of your selected folder.  Yu can either manually move 
to and select item by item, or if you are smart, you will have previously 
moved all the items you wish to burn to CD to a single folder and you can 
press control + A to select them all.  After selecting various items, press 
the keystroke control + keyboard 1 to place the items paths into the layout. 
If under the view menu, you have selected to show the status bar, pressing 
the screen reader keystroke for reading the status bar (JAWS = insert + page 
down) you will see the size of materials you have pasted to the layout. 
(Be careful not to create too big a layout: CD-ROM = 700 MB maximum; DVD-ROM 
= 4483 single density.)  Repeat the above procedure until you have completed 
your layout and then you are ready to do the burn.

To launch the burn screen, press control + B.  This will open up a set-up 
screen which you can customize for the burn.  Most of these choices are good 
to go with the defaults, but you may want to change a few things to your 
taste.  You may want to make more than 1 copy, or change the speed (If you 
are burning a standard old fashion audio CD, I find it works in stand alone 
players better to use the slowest burn speed.  This doesn't seem to make any 
difference if you are making data discs, so you can use the maximum.)

After you have made these choices, initiate the actual burn by pressing alt 
+ B or by tabbing to the burn button and pressing space bar.  while the burn 
process is actually under way, you may want to check the box that says 
verify the written data.  This will double the time it takes to actually 
complete the burn, but if you are having any trouble with your drive or 
system, this will tell you if you have a good disc or not by the end of the 
process.  If you are confident you are having no problems, then leave this 
box unchecked.

Eventually, the process will complete and a funny bugle noise (unless this 
is disabled by default) should sound and indicate that the process completed 
successfully.  If it doesn't and sounds are enabled, then a loud 
disappointed Boo will be heard.  You can then read the output of the failure 
to see what might have happened.

One more thing, if you are using JAWS later versions, (9 and 10) you might 
(as I have been) have some difficulty if you leave focus of your screen 
reader in the Nero main window during the burn.  I have had some bad discs 
created when doing this and I am not quite sure why--except that I have seen 
memory spikes during this process when JAWS is constantly reporting items 
being displayed in the Nero main window.  so either shift focus to the 
desktop or unload JAWS until you hear the noise for completion.  Then reload 
JAWS to see the results.  I am not sure about Window-Eyes or any other 
screen reader and in fact, I never had this problem prior to JAWS 9.0 second 
update.

I hope this helps and if you need any more help, write me off-list.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Deatherage" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, January 10, 2009 5:09 AM
Subject: good program for burning CD's


Hello to all, I have now installed Nero on my computer version 7.  I am =
not sure how to get it to work and was wondering if any one else on the =
list has had any success with it.  or could you recomend a good program =
for burning CD's?
I appologize for the off topic message.
thank you in advance.
Bill Deatherage