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Nero

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Nero is now at version 9 and performs many video tasks from adding menus to your videos through to burning DVDs and Bluray disks. My experience with Nero started with version 3 and continued through to the version 7 supplied with some brands of CD burners. I have several CDs containing other software for burning CDs but used to return to Nero every time. Imgburn is now a good choice for a straight burn with Nero still the best choice for one program to perform a wide range of video file management tasks.

Imgburn takes files or DVD images and burns them to DVD. Imgburn is a good choice when you want to select files by hand and backup the files to DVD. Imgburn is a good choice when you download operating system CD or DVD images and burn the images to disk. Imgburn does not help you organise video files into DVD format and add menus.

You need Nero or equivalent for the creation tasks. There free open source programs to perform each of the tasks performed by Nero. If you are happy with a dozen separate programs and have plenty of time, go for the free stuff. The cost of Nero is less than the time you will waste finding all the separate programs, learning all the separate programs, then jumping back and forth between all the separate programs.

There are specialised commercial programs for creating titles and DVD menus.

Windows XP

Windows XP has the same problem with DVD burning as described under Windows 2000. XP has an administrative option to fix the problem.

Windows 2000

When you install Nero on Windows 2000 Pro to burn CDs, you will find that Microsoft has taken away your basic right to burn CDs. Removing that right in an office environment can remove one of the many ways a worker can steal your files. Unfortunately Microsoft did not provide a way to grant back the right on your computer when you are logged on. The CD burning problem appears in Windows 2000 Pro, which contains a strong security system, and may not occur in Windows 2000 Home edition, which lacks system wide security. One solution is to download Nero BurnRights, a free program from Ahead software that sets up Windows 2000 to let you burn CDs using Ahead's Nero software. Nero BurnRights sets up a new security group named Nero. You add group Nero to your user profile. Use the following steps to install and configure Nero BurnRights.

  1. log on to Windows 2000 as administrator.
  2. Doubleclick neroburnrightsinstaller.exe.
  3. At the Welcome page, click [Next>].
  4. At “The Wizard has completed the installation successfully.”, click [Finish].
  5. You will find a window labelled Nero BurnRights. Select the tab labelled Burn Rights.
  6. Click (.) Members of the group Nero.
  7. Click [OK].
  8. A smaller window will pop up saying The group Nero is not yet existing.. Click [Yes].
  9. At the “You must restart” message, click [Yes].
  10. Click [OK]. The system will restart.
  11. Log on as administrator.
  12. Start > Settings > Control Panel > Users and Passwords
  13. Advanced > [Advanced]
  14. Double click on Users.
  15. Right click on your user name and select Properties.
  16. Click Member Of then [Add].
  17. Click group Nero then [Add], [OK], [OK], [OK].
  18. Log off administrator.
  19. Log on as you.
  20. Burn a CD to prove you can.