How to Burn an ISO file to a CD-ROM

An ISO file is a CD-ROM image that contains the directory structure, the files, and the metadata necessary to recreate a CD-ROM. To create a CD-ROM you must have a CD-ROM drive that can write CD-ROMs, a CD-ROM writing program, and an empty CD-ROM disk. To create a CD-ROM, download the ISO image file (or the compressed .zip version) to your local hard drive, and record the image (commonly called burning the image) to the empty CD-ROM. If you download the compressed .zip version, which contains the individual files on the CD-ROM, extract the individual files to a directory on your local hard drive, and then burn these files to a CD-ROM. If you purchased a computer with a disk drive that can burn CD-ROMs, the computer probably came with CD-ROM burning software. Commercial software programs by Roxio and Nero commonly are included with a computer purchase (Note: Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.) An Internet search will provide links to commercial, freeware, and open-source CD-ROM authoring software. For example, a list of such software is currently (2009) available here, and a comparison of this software is available here. The following instructions for using the Roxio and Nero software were provided by the National Academy of Sciences, Transportation Research Board  on this web page (the instructions are repeated here to preclude broken links).

 

Using Roxio Easy CD Creator® 5.x

Roxio Easy CD Creator provides support for burning ISO images using the "Record CD from CD Image" feature.
  1. Start the "Record CD from CD Image" feature.
    From Easy CD Creator's File menu, select Record CD from CD Image.

  2. Open the ISO image.
    In the file open dialog which appears, select the ISO file you downloaded. Click Open.

    Note: You may need to select "ISO Image Files (*.iso)" in the file type combo-box to see the ISO files on your computer.

  3. Write the CD.
    Easy CD Creator's "Record CD Setup" dialog will appear. Click Start Recording to create the CD.
The above instructions will create a CD using the default options. If you need to customize the CD writing options, please consult Easy CD Creator's documentation.
Roxio Screen-Shot

Using Nero® Burning Rom 5.x

Nero provides support for burning ISO images to CDs using the "Burn Image" feature.
  1. Select the "Burn Image" feature.
    From Nero's File menu, select Burn Image.

  2. Open the CD ISO image.
    In the file open dialog that appears, select the ISO file you downloaded. Click Open.

  3. Write the CD.
    Nero's "Write CD" dialog will appear. Click Write to create the CD.
The above instructions will create a CD using the default options. If you need to customize the CD writing options, please consult Nero's documentation.
Nero Screen-Shot
Nero is a registered trademark of Ahead Software.
Roxio Easy CD Creator is a registered trademark of Roxio, Inc.