Topic: The Best, Free Alternatives to Nero CD/DVD Burner

[tomkaka]

Nero is one of the best piece of softwares available in the market for CD/DVD Burning Purposes, but it’s quite expensive. It’s bulky and comes with a lot of programs that you’ll never really use.

Why not try some freeware CD DVD Burning Apps applications that can serve as an alternative to Nero Burning ROM for your Windows PC?

1. CDBurnerXP



This is by far the most popular free alternative to the expensive Nero Software. Works on Vista as well, and here’s a features-highlight from CDBurnerXP:

Multi Language Interface
Support for Blu Ray/HD DVD
BIN > ISO converter included
Download CDBurnerXP

2. InfraRecorder



This is the software that I currently use on my computer as a Nero alternative, and I must tell, it’s damn simple and straightforward. Has all that you might expect in a CD DVD Burning software like Nero. Some highlights from this Nero alternative include:

Support for Multi-Session
Very Light on Resources
Support for not just ISO, but also BIN and CUE images
Burning on Dual Layer DVDs is supported
Download InfraRecorder

3. DeepBurner (Free Edition)



Another good alternative. Available both as a regular and portable app. So if you want something you can carry around on your USB Flash Drive then check this one out.

Supports both internal and external CD/DVD writers.
Burn any data, copy any disc.
Create multiple disk copies.
Make ISO CDs.
Print CD labels.
Download DeepBurner

4. Ultimate CD/DVD Burner

This simple solution can serve all your basic CD burning needs. Similar to above Deepburner, there is a portable version. The only thing I don’t like about this one is interface, it reminds of Windows 95.

CD Photo Albums creation
Easy Backup CD creation
Disk copying
ISO Creation and Burning
Download Ultimate CD/DVD Burner

5. Burn At Once



Burn At Once is another good CD/DVD Burning Application. It can copy discs on the fly and has the following unique features:

Tagging of media by importing data from FreeDB
Multi Language Support
Drag and Drop Interface
However, it looks like support for this application is stagnant at the moment.

Download Burn At Once

6. Burn Aware Free Edition



This relatively new software is creating waves, and it’s intuitive interface is attracting users. It’s very light on resources, and supports every other format that you can imagine (including Blu Ray). Burning is fast because this software burns data directly on to the medium, instead of waiting for ‘hard disk staging’

Download BurnAware

7. ImgBurn




Another software that’s worth mentioning here is ImgBurn. It’s a lightweight CD / DVD / HD DVD / Blu-ray burning application that can be installed both on Windows and Linux PCs. It’s probably the most extensive out of all. If you’re looking for something advanced and with lots of features ImgBurn seems like a good candidate.

Download ImgBurn

Do let us know about your experiences with these software in the comments. Have I missed out any? Shoot out your voices, come and discuss!
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[stickfighter]

Sir tomkaka, thanks for sharing these free cd/dvd burner softwares. I will try them out.

[nerveblocker]

I have NERO but I can't seem to burn dvd movies in dual layer DVDs.  No problem with single layer DVDs though. My BENQ DVD burner is capable of burning in dual layer dvds.   I bought different brands of dual layer dvds from cdr king but nothing was burned to the DVD.  Is it the software or some other problem? TIA

[Alfie]

Nerveblocker- you should'nt have any problem with your Nero 7, I was able to burn dual layer discs with my BenQ during the 1st quarter last year, however, during the last quarter, 4 discs were wasted and at that time, on my other desktop,my Liteon was still burning dual layer discs with  Nero 7, thus, I figured that it's the BenQ, hence, I replaced it with a lightscribe capable Liteon which only cost Php 1,280.00 in Gilmore, and my burns have not resulted to any coasters.
BTW....there are better branded dual layers in Quiapo, near the Mosque, with a speed burn of 4X, unlike the ones with a 2.4X burn speed being sold at CDR-King. These comes in 10 packaged with a sealed disc tray.

[nerveblocker]

Nerveblocker- you should'nt have any problem with your Nero 7, I was able to burn dual layer discs with my BenQ during the 1st quarter last year, however, during the last quarter, 4 discs were wasted and at that time, on my other desktop,my Liteon was still burning dual layer discs with  Nero 7, thus, I figured that it's the BenQ, hence, I replaced it with a lightscribe capable Liteon which only cost Php 1,280.00 in Gilmore, and my burns have not resulted to any coasters.
BTW....there are better branded dual layers in Quiapo, near the Mosque, with a speed burn of 4X, unlike the ones with a 2.4X burn speed being sold at CDR-King. These comes in 10 packaged with a sealed disc tray.

Thanks for the reply.  I am using the Nero software that came with my DVD burner.  I am not sure though what version it is.  I'll try to settle with single layer DVDs first until I upgrade my NERO software or just look for other NERO alternatives to burn in dual layer DVDs.

Or maybe I can try converting the videos first to the hard drive and then just burn it afterwards. 

[Alfie]

Oh....Your'e doing the copy disc from Nero.

Error is to be expected with such method due to copyright problems.

Best method is still to copy via DVDdecrypter to your Hard Disc either via vob files(then convert to Iso via DVDshrink,no compreswsion for 4.5 gigs up) or Iso, then burn via Nero or DVDdecrypter (this makes a report log,just in case you'll encounter a burn fail, you'll get to detect where the problem lies).

Good Luck.

[nerveblocker]

Oh....Your'e doing the copy disc from Nero.

I am converting my downloaded videos in either xvid or divx format and converting them to DVD files to fit in a dual layer DVD using DVD flick.  When I am burning the converted files already to DVD9, there is some error problem or it simply won't burn in the dual layer DVD.

Error is to be expected with such method due to copyright problems.

How come I can burn single layer discs but not dual layer ones if it is due to copyright problems? Tried upgrading NERO to NERO 8 but still can't burn dual layer discs.  Tried also converting the videos to the HDD using DVD Flick and then burning it to dual layer but to no avail.  Is it maybe because my dual layer disc's speed is 2.4x?  Does it affect the burning process? Or maybe I need to upgrade my DVD burner? My burner is a BENQ DW 1620 PRO.  TIA

[SiCkBoY]

Alfie, magkano yun mga dual-layer 4X DVD-Rs sa Quiapo?  Medyo steep kasi yun price nung nasa CD-R King which is P35 per disc.  And they're always out of stock.  I sometimes end up having to split the DVD into two DVD5s.

[steelcrazy]

Alfie, magkano yun mga dual-layer 4X DVD-Rs sa Quiapo?  Medyo steep kasi yun price nung nasa CD-R King which is P35 per disc.  And they're always out of stock.  I sometimes end up having to split the DVD into two DVD5s.

Is it worth burning files on dual layers Dvds? Is quite expensive at 35-50 /disc compare to the 7-10/disc of Dvd5. The risk of a lemon blank disc is very common.

[SiCkBoY]

Is it worth burning files on dual layers Dvds? Is quite expensive at 35-50 /disc compare to the 7-10/disc of Dvd5. The risk of a lemon blank disc is very common.

Just files?  Not really.  Might as well just burn them onto single-layer DVDs.  If you commonly produce coasters, you might want to think about replacing your hardware. 

[Alfie]

Alfie, magkano yun mga dual-layer 4X DVD-Rs sa Quiapo?  Medyo steep kasi yun price nung nasa CD-R King which is P35 per disc.  And they're always out of stock.  I sometimes end up having to split the DVD into two DVD5s.

Sickboy- 40/disc iyun' branded (Illusion) nasa 10 discs packaged, may tawad kung marami sa isang package, 35 yata...BTW wala pa akong coasters.

Is it worth burning files on dual layers Dvds? Is quite expensive at 35-50 /disc compare to the 7-10/disc of Dvd5. The risk of a lemon blank disc is very common.

Yes...for PC games...it's worth it.(for movies why bother....DVD movies in dual layer are so dirt cheap nowadays)
There are PC games that just cannot be split into 2 discs(such as the Call Of Duty 4), hence, next best thing to do is use a virtual drive, however, this takes HDD spaces, thus it's better to burn them into dual layers.

[SiCkBoY]

Thanks Alfie!

Pero yun backup ko ng Call of Duty 4, naka split into two discs hehehe.  The magic word, of course, is WinRAR.

[steelcrazy]

Yes...for PC games...it's worth it.(for movies why bother....DVD movies in dual layer are so dirt cheap nowadays)
There are PC games that just cannot be split into 2 discs(such as the Call Of Duty 4), hence, next best thing to do is use a virtual drive, however, this takes HDD spaces, thus it's better to burn them into dual layers.

I agree w/ you on that. Yes for PC games indeed i never thought of that i thought its for burning movies.

[ifyousee]

I hate Nero! I love Infrarecorder -- hasn't failed me yet in burning. Plus, it doesn't go up t 100% cpu usage like Nero does.

[Alfie]

Thanks Alfie!

Pero yun backup ko ng Call of Duty 4, naka split into two discs hehehe.  The magic word, of course, is WinRAR.

I tired that too....however, when I tried installing it, it gos into error(when installing the maps, probably can't find the pathway)...probably corrupted,due to the split.
The dual layer copy is now fine.

[evo69]

Imgburn rocks. Ultra costumizable, does everything by the letter, and you actually know what it's doing during the burn process. Haven't tried the others though, and I always spend my time with my Mac.