cd/dvd

For those who need custom disc labels, native programs may not have enough options. Fortunately, there are plenty of other programs to chose from. While functional, CD/DVD Disc Label Maker for Mac's price tag may not be justifiable for all but the heaviest users.

The free trial version of CD/DVD Disc Label Maker for Mac adds a mark to every disc printed while the full, unrestricted version requires a $29.99 payment. The program is nearly 100MB and has no native installer. While the program loaded quickly, the user is immediately prompted to enter, register, and pay … Read more

There are many programs, both free and paid, that can be used to manage files for CDs, DVDs, and data discs. Express Burn for Mac, while functional, may not justify the price required for the full version.

Express Burn for Mac is available as a free trial version with an upgrade for $69.95. The limitations on the trial version aren't apparent from either the program itself or the developer's Web site. The download was fairly quick, but the installation required careful attention to avoid downloading additional, nonadvertised programs set to be downloaded by default. These included a … Read more

To burn discs with your PC, you need two things. The first is a CD burner, or (better) a DVD burner, or (better still) a Blu-Ray burner. The second is disc-burning software. For the first, you're probably limited by the burner you already own, and your burner's capabilities will determine what kinds of disc you can burn, how much and what kind of data they can hold, and how long it takes to burn them. But for the second requirement, the burning tool, you have a lot more choices, and a lot of them are free. Active Data … Read more

Between external hard drives, USB drives, laptops, desktops, CDs, DVDs, and other storage locales, it can be hard to keep track of which files are stored where. DigiCat is a simple program that allows you to quickly and easily create catalogs of disk contents, making it easy to determine where files are stored when you need them.

The program's interface is fairly intuitive, though it took us a few minutes of poking around to figure out exactly how things worked. We tried to access the Help file, but, despite the presence of a Help tab, the program had no … Read more

Windows 8 will let you open and view ISO and VHD files all on its own, according to the latest "Building Windows 8" blog from Microsoft.

Posted yesterday by Microsoft engineer Rajeev Nagar, the new blog post, titled "Accessing data in ISO and VHD files," revealed that native support for ISO and VHD files was one feature often requested by users, prompting the company to add it to its upcoming OS.

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) files are image files that hold the contents of a CD or DVD. Large programs available for download through the … Read more

Apple included an optical drive in most Mac models, and even for those who do not have an internal drive there are options for using external USB or Firewire drives. While optical drives should accept formatted and blank optical media, there are times when people find that discs automatically eject from the drive when inserted.

This happens because the drive cannot recognize the formatting of the disc and also does not recognize it as a burnable medium. Usually the drive will recognize a disc and attempt to communicate its file-system structure to the computer, but if it cannot read the … Read more

Nero Kwik Media is a light and free media manager with which you can organize, edit, and share your music, photos, videos, and data. Imagine iTunes and iPhoto rolled into one, then trimmed in half. While this download is technically "free," there is one caveat: you'll have to purchase some of its functionality in the form of "apps" listed in Nero's built-in store. Sure, most of these add-ons aren't too expensive, but it's a shame that a few of them (like Nero Kwik Play, a video decoder) don't come with the … Read more

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed from our readers. This week we have questions on the OS X keychain not saving passwords, internal speakers no longer working on a MacBook Pro, an external optical drive not reading some discs, and Apple's FaceTime application not running. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present a few here, we certainly welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: OS X Keychain not saving passwords

MacFixIt reader "Raul" asks:

My OS X Keychain does … Read more

PITMAN, N.J.--In this corner of the music universe, you won't find many limousines, groupies, or people lighting guitars on fire.

While the public often associates the music business with jet-setting rock stars and lavish living, this place is marked by minivans, Phillies and Eagles fans, and, very soon, people without work.

Pitman, which has 9,365 residents and is about 17 miles southeast of Philadelphia, is home to one of Sony's two remaining U.S.-based CD-manufacturing plants--until March 31. After that, the company will shutter the facility and 300 workers will be out of jobs. … Read more