I recently posted about how the hundreds of photos on my desktop system might be slowing down the computer.  I decided to move them all to CD's, as I had been advised that CD's are a much more permanent storage solution than are flash drives.  In my eagerness to get started I bought 100 CD's plus cases this past week.  Can you imagine my reaction when I discovered I have a DVD read only drive?  I've never had reason to try to burn a CD before - even on my old computer this was a chore I did not like, so I just never gave it a thought.

I have had several people tell me to just  buy an external hard drive and keep the photos there.  Wouldn't that be about the same storage life as a flash drive?  I opened the package of CD's and inserted one into the drive slot before I realized my error, so returning them is not an option.  Now that I have them I would like to use them.  I have a Dell Dimension E521 desktop with Windows XP.  How difficult is it to install a CD burner, and where would be a good place to look for one.  I am not enthusiastic about buying online, and will be near a Wal-Mart, Costco, Best Buy, and Office Depot next week.  Is there a generic drive that would work or would I be better off to contact Dell?  I know how to remove the side panel from my desktop and don't think I would have too much difficulty getting the drive installed, although I wouldn't want to give odds at this point.

I am actually looking forward to spending my summer in a place where I can't access the internet, and the only reason to turn on my computer will be to play a game of Solitaire or Mah Johng once in a while.

gypsy

Might be easier to buy an external CD burner. I am not familiar with your exact desktop, but adding an internal drive is usually not difficult...as long as you have an empty drive bay, and your power supply is up to the added draw. I would recommend an external drive if you don't feel comfortable working inside the desktop machine. Like you, I bought a huge stack of CD's and DVD's so it's been a long time since I had to buy any...but way back when...I had to make sure I bought the correct CD's, either +R or -R. Not sure if that is still an issue or not, but since you already have the CD's (they should be labeled) make sure any burner you purchase is able to read/write the CD's you have.

Thanks for the reply, Dan.  Do you think it would help if I took the label from the pack of CD's along with me?  That is assuming that staff at Office Depot or wherever I go will be able to tell me. 

Gypsy

Take the lable with you. Idid the same thing with the machine I bought to convert my VCR tapes to DVD. I bought + R DVD'S and needed - R DVD'S like Dan said and ended up with DVD'S I had no use for. Tell the clerk exactly what you plan to do.I have found the help at Best Buy to be better equipped to answer questions than the ones at Wal-Mart.

Thanks, Racerguy.  I hope I can find something at Office Depot.  Wal-Mart has absolutely no knowledgeable staff from my experience, and as I've said before, I think Best Buy staff are more interested in selling you an extended warranty on a product as they are in selling the product itself.

gypsy

Just one more tidbit, there are DVD burners and CD burners...there is a difference. I haven't shopped for anything is a long time so not sure of the prices...you may be able to purchase a burner than does both CD's and DVD's. I prefer DVD's as they can hold more data and can be used for movies if you decide to convert your 8mm or 16mm home movies (or even VCR format) to DVD. I know a lot of full-timers do this to save storage space in the RV. I'm getting ready to start ripping over 200 vinyl records to CD so I can stop hauling them around :) But yes, take the label (or one of the CD's) with you when you go shopping...Best Buy or Office Depot should be able to set you up with a burner. I'm still boycotting Walmart.

Having helped someone buy an external burner in the last couple months I will say that only DVD burners are available right now and all could burn CDR (CD read-only blanks), DVD+R and DVD-R blanks along with their RW equivalents (read-write, ie., reusable disks).  I have seen the external DVD burners that hook to USB at Wal-Mart, Best Buy and other places for $70 to $90.    I haven't seen a new DVD burner that was restricted to either DVD-R or DVD+R blanks in a couple years, they all handled both kinds.

Internal DVD burners are a bit cheaper and should directly replace your existing DVD drive, or you can add the burner if you have a spare drive slot, drive connector and power connector.  But you have to find out if your existing DVD drive is ATA or SATA since that changeover happened a couple years back.

External hard drives can die just like internal ones.  They should not be your only archive.