CD Burning or CD Writing software is essential for anyone wanting to backup their computer data to CD or DVD. The software usually allow you to save data on CD or DVD, as well as creating audio CD’s from MP3, WAV, WMA, and other types of files.

Windows XP comes with built-in software to burn to CDs or DVDs, but the features are limited. So in many cases, computer owners have other software they use to burn CDs. Most of the time, this software is either preloaded on a computer by the manufacturer or comes with the new CD-RW or DVD-RW drive you’ve purchased.

What happens when you have reformatted your computer and don’t have the original disks to reinstall the software? Are you stuck with just using the Windows XP built-in software? The answer is no. There are several good packages out there to choose from. Most of these work on Windows 98, ME, 2000, and XP.

Free CD Burning Software Solutions

CD Burner XP

One of the best free CD burning utilities is CDBurnerXP. Its from a swedish development team and has great features and an easy to use interface similar to Roxio and Nero. The feature list is long, and although it doesnt burn to double-layer DVD’s yet, it will in the future. Here are some of its features.

* Writes all kind of mediums apart from double-layer DVD (follows in next version). Burning video-DVDs is limited.
* Burn audio-CDs with and without gaps between tracks
* Burn on the fly / Burn-proof
* Supports most IDE, USB, Firewire and SCSI drives
* Rip Audio-CDs to harddrive, obtain track-information (ID3-tags) from Internet
* Burn and create ISO-files
* Customizeable with many settings
* Data verification after burn, create bootable discs
* (will be) available in multiple languages
* 100% freeware – no adware or restrictions
* bin/nrg->ISO converter, simple cover printing and much more!
* Operating systems: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/2003 Server.

Express Burn

Express Burn is another great free alternative to the commercial CD and DVD burning packages on the market. The Australian company behind Express Burn distributes it free in the hopes that you will upgrade to Express Burn Plus. The Plus version adds the ability to create and record ISO images and, for audio CD, support for many more file formats (the basic version only supports wav and mp3). Although in most cases, the free version does an outstanding job for the average person.

Deep Burner

Deep Burner is one of my favorite free CD burning programs. Easy to use and it just works. It features the ability to data CDs and DVDs, audio CDs, and create and burn ISOs. The paid version will do even more, but for most applications the free version will do.

Download and install Deep Burner, I think you’ll be impressed.

Burn4Free

Burn4Free is a fourth alternative that definitely deserves a look.  Burn4Free is ad supported so you get some advertising throughout the program. It includes a Burn4Free toolbar and has some files that may be seen as suspicious by several antispyware programs. Its features include

1. Burn4Free burn data (CD and DVD) and audio from different files types (WAV, FLAC, WavPack, WMA, M3U (mp3 winamp compilation) , MP3, MP2, MP1 OGG and CDA (normal cd audio tracks))
2. Low cost burning : you can burn and dvd copy- backup data – cd with only 2 clicks
3. CD-R/CD-RW/DVD-R/DVD+R/DVD-RW/DVD+RW/DVD-RAM drives (SCSI – IDE/EIDE – USB) are supported
4. Multi languages: many languages are available, choose your favorite
5. Print Compilation, select layout, colors and items to print
6. 4 way to burn your CD/DVD: you can choose the way you prefer to burn a CD/DVD (fly window, right click from explorer, internal add window, derag & drop
7. Burn and save .ISO files
8. DVD dual layer support (check Compatibility menu)
9. Print Compilation
10. Burn MP3 compilation
11. Free online upgrades
12. Easy Interface
13. Easy to use ex: you can store all your movies
14. 1900 + COMPATIBLE RECORDERS

There are many other free alternatives to the commercial versions of Roxio and Nero, however I do like CD Burner XP and its features, even though you can’t burn ISO files yet.

Commercial Software Packages to Burn CDs and DVDs

Roxio CD Creator

Roxio CD Creator and related titles have been around for a long time, they are stable and easy to use, definitely a good choice.

Nero Burning Rom

Nero is another great commercial program with all the features you need to burn CDs, DVDs, ISOs, audio, and more.

What about Software to Backup DVDs?

Ok, so you can view DVD’s on your computer, but what you really want is to backup the DVDs in case of disaster. There is software still out there that allows you to do this, one of the most popular is DVD-Cloner III.

This software will allow the user to make Perfect 1:1 copies with no watermark and no warning screen. You can also make unlimited copies from a copy. AND there is a 30 day money back warranty. Check it out for yourself.
Go To Original Source

Cannot delete file: Access is denied
There has been a sharing violation.
The source or destination file may be in use.
The file is in use by another program or user.
Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.

So if the file is in use, how do you delete it?

I’ll show you several ways of removing these types of files and even some freeware programs that help you remove these pesky undeletable files.

Windows 95/98/ME

If you are using Windows 95, 98, or Windows ME, the easiest way to remove an undeleteable file is to boot to a DOS prompt and manually delete the file. Before you do this, you’ll want to make a note of the location of the file including the entire path to it. Follow the steps below to delete these types of files.
If you already know the path to the file, please skip to Step 7

1.  Click on Start, Find, Files and Folders
2. Type the name of the undeletable file in the Named or Search For box
3. Make sure the Look In box shows the correct drive letter
4. Click on Find Now or Search Now and let the computer find the file
5. Once the file is located, right-click on it and choose properties, make a note of the file location. Usually this is something similar to

c:\windows\system32\undeleteablefilesname.exe
6. Close the search box
7. Locate a boot disk for your version of Windows, if you do not have a boot disk, follow the steps on the link below to create an emergency boot disk.

How to Create an Emergency Boot Disk for Windows

8. Shut down and restart your computer with the boot disk in your floppy drive.
9. The computer will boot to a DOS prompt that will look similar to

c:\

10.  Type the following command and press Enter to delete the filer, substituting the phrase <path to file> with the actual path and file name you discovered in Step 5 above.

del <path to file>

Example:

del c:\windows\undeleteablefile.exe
11. Remove the boot disk in the floppy drive and restart your computer
12. The file should now be deleted.

Windows XP

In Windows XP, there are a couple ways to remove an undeleteable file, a manual way, and a couple automated ways using some freeware programs. First, I’ll show you the manual way.

Manual Method

If you already know the path to the file, please skip to Step 7

1. Click on Start, Search, All Files and Folders
2. Type the name of the undeletable file in the box shown
3. Make sure the Look In box shows the correct drive letter
4. Click Search and let the computer find the file
5. Once the file is located, right-click on it and choose properties, make a note of the file location. Usually this is something similar to

c:\windows\system32\undeleteablefilesname.exe

6. Close the search box
7. Click on Start, Run, and type CMD and Press Enter to open a Command Prompt window
8. Leave the Command Prompt window open, but proceed to close all other open programs
9. Click on Start, Run and type TASKMGR.EXE and press Enter to start Task Manager
10. Click on the Processes tab, click on the process named Explorer.exe and click on End Process.
11.  Minimize Task Manager but leave it open
12. Go back to the Command Prompt window and change to the directory where the file is located. To do this, use the CD command. You can follow the example below.

Example: to change to the Windows\System32 directory you would enter the following command and Press Enter

cd \windows\system32

13. Now use the DEL command to delete the offending file. Type DEL <filename> where <filename> is the file you wish to delete.

Example: del undeletable.exe
14. Use ALT-TAB to go back to Task Manager
15. In Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the Windows shell.
16. Close Task Manager

Programs to automatically delete a file

Remove on Reboot Shell Extension

This is a nice extension that loads into the right click menu. All you have to do is right-click on a file and choose “Remove on Next Reboot” and the file will be deleted the next time the computer restarts. Although it probably should only be used by more advanced computer users since it may be TOO easy to delete files using this program.

Pocket Killbox

A simple .exe file that you can use to delete undeleteable files, although the program will also delete temporary files, edit the HOSTS file, and more. A definite must have program when you are fighting an annoying spyware or adware program that won’t remove.

Unlocker

Unlocker is another program that runs from the right click menu. Its simple and very effective. The website even has a side by side comparision of other programs that accomplish this task.

Using one of the three tools shown above, you should be able to remove those annoying undeleteable files once and for all.

Go To Original Source

BitZipper 2009 can also open ISO files, Windows and Mac disk images. It can extract the contents of Microsoft and Nullsoft installer files, and even look inside Microsoft Office compound documents. It’s also a fast and flexible backup tool. And the price is very competitive, too!
Go to Original Source

Cannot delete file: Access is denied
There has been a sharing violation.
The source or destination file may be in use.
The file is in use by another program or user.
Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.

So if the file is in use, how do you delete it?

I’ll show you several ways of removing these types of files and even some freeware programs that help you remove these pesky undeletable files.

Windows 95/98/ME

If you are using Windows 95, 98, or Windows ME, the easiest way to remove an undeleteable file is to boot to a DOS prompt and manually delete the file. Before you do this, you’ll want to make a note of the location of the file including the entire path to it. Follow the steps below to delete these types of files.

If you already know the path to the file, please skip to Step 7

1. Click on Start, Find, Files and Folders
2. Type the name of the undeletable file in the Named or Search For box
3. Make sure the Look In box shows the correct drive letter
4. Click on Find Now or Search Now and let the computer find the file
5. Once the file is located, right-click on it and choose properties, make a note of the file location. Usually this is something similar toc:\windows\system32\undeleteablefilesname.exe
6. Close the search box
7. Locate a boot disk for your version of Windows, if you do not have a boot disk, follow the steps on the link below to create an emergency boot disk.How to Create an Emergency Boot Disk for Windows
8. Shut down and restart your computer with the boot disk in your floppy drive.
9. The computer will boot to a DOS prompt that will look similar toc:\
10. Type the following command and press Enter to delete the filer, substituting the phrase <path to file> with the actual path and file name you discovered in Step 5 above.del <path to file>Example:del c:\windows\undeleteablefile.exe
11. Remove the boot disk in the floppy drive and restart your computer
12. The file should now be deleted.

Windows XP

In Windows XP, there are a couple ways to remove an undeleteable file, a manual way, and a couple automated ways using some freeware programs. First, I’ll show you the manual way.

Manual Method

If you already know the path to the file, please skip to Step 7

1. Click on Start, Search, All Files and Folders
2. Type the name of the undeletable file in the box shown
3. Make sure the Look In box shows the correct drive letter
4. Click Search and let the computer find the file
5. Once the file is located, right-click on it and choose properties, make a note of the file location. Usually this is something similar toc:\windows\system32\undeleteablefilesname.exe
6. Close the search box
7. Click on Start, Run, and type CMD and Press Enter to open a Command Prompt window
8. Leave the Command Prompt window open, but proceed to close all other open programs
9. Click on Start, Run and type TASKMGR.EXE and press Enter to start Task Manager
10. Click on the Processes tab, click on the process named Explorer.exe and click on End Process.
11. Minimize Task Manager but leave it open
12. Go back to the Command Prompt window and change to the directory where the file is located. To do this, use the CD command. You can follow the example below.Example: to change to the Windows\System32 directory you would enter the following command and Press Entercd \windows\system32
13. Now use the DEL command to delete the offending file. Type DEL <filename> where <filename> is the file you wish to delete.Example: del undeletable.exe
14. Use ALT-TAB to go back to Task Manager
15. In Task Manager, click File, New Task and enter EXPLORER.EXE to restart the Windows shell.
16. Close Task Manager

Programs to automatically delete a file

Remove on Reboot Shell Extension

This is a nice extension that loads into the right click menu. All you have to do is right-click on a file and choose “Remove on Next Reboot” and the file will be deleted the next time the computer restarts. Although it probably should only be used by more advanced computer users since it may be TOO easy to delete files using this program.

Pocket Killbox

A simple .exe file that you can use to delete undeleteable files, although the program will also delete temporary files, edit the HOSTS file, and more. A definite must have program when you are fighting an annoying spyware or adware program that won’t remove.

Unlocker

Unlocker is another program that runs from the right click menu. Its simple and very effective. The website even has a side by side comparision of other programs that accomplish this task.

Using one of the three tools shown above, you should be able to remove those annoying undeleteable files once and for all.

Go to Original Source