To burn a DVD, you need some special software. However, Windows 7 comes with tools to easily burn DVD data. Windows 7 also comes with the ability to burn ISO files without the need for any other program. If you want to burn a video DVD that can be played on a DVD player, you will need a DVD authoring program such as DVD Styler, an open source software.
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Method 1 of 3: DVD Data
Step 1. Insert a blank DVD into your computer
Make sure that your computer can burn DVDs, unlike older computers that don't have the capability to do this.
Step 2. Select "Burn files to disc" in the AutoPlay window
If the AutoPlay window does not appear, click the Start menu and select Computer. Right-click on the DVD disc and select "Open".
Step 3. Name your DVD
This will help you identify the contents of your DVD. Dates to DVD names can also help you organize your DVDs.
Step 4. Choose your DVD format
There are two options for burning a data DVD, namely Live File System or Mastered.
- With the Live File System, you can add, edit, and delete files on the disc as long as you're still using the DVD with your Windows computer. If you select this option, the DVD will be formatted before you add files to the DVD. This process will take a few minutes.
- With Mastered, your DVD will be organized after you've finished adding files, so they can't be changed. However, you can use this DVD on any computer or device that supports data DVDs.
Step 5. Insert files into DVD
Once you've selected your DVD format, you can start loading files onto the DVD. A single layered DVD can store 4.7 GB of data. There are various ways to add files to your blank DVD:
- Click and move the file into your blank DVD window.
- Right-click on the file or directory and select "Send to", then select your DVD disc.
Step 6. Wait for the file to burn successfully (Live File System)
If you're using the Live File System format, the file will be burned to the DVD as soon as you copy the file. This process will take a long time for large files.
Step 7. End the burning process
When you have finished adding files to your DVD, you can end this process by closing the session (Live File System) or burning the DVD (Mastered).
- Live File System - Click the Close session button at the top of the DVD window. This will close the file copying session to your DVD which can be used like a USB flash drive on any other Windows computer.
- Mastered - Click the Burn to disc button at the top of the DVD window. You will be given another chance to name the DVD and choose your recording speed. The burning process will take a few minutes. At the end of this burning process, you will be given the opportunity to burn the same files onto a blank DVD if you need a copy.
Step 8. Add files to complete the DVD
You can continue adding files to a burnt DVD as long as there is space available. You can do this regardless of the type of DVD you created. Follow the process above to add files.
- Live File System - Every time you open a new session in a DVD, you will lose 20 MB of usable space.
- Mastered - Files that have been added to a burnt DVD cannot be deleted.
Step 9. Remove a DVD-RW
DVD-RW discs are rewritable and erasable discs even if you choose the Mastered format. To remove a DVD-RW, insert it and open Windows Explorer. Select your DVD-RW from your list of devices, but do not open the DVD-RW. Click the Erase this disc button at the top of the window.
Method 2 of 3: DVD Video
Step 1. Download and install DVD Styler
If you want to burn a movie file that can be played on any DVD player, you'll need special "DVD authoring" software. There are a variety of programs like this available, but DVD Styler is free, open source software. You can download it from dvdstyler.org/en/downloads.
- Chrome may report DVD Styler installation files as malware. If you get this warning, use a different browser to download this installation file.
- Supervise the program installation process. As of June 6, 2015, installation files for Windows 64 bit no longer have advertising software (adware). However, this may change at a later date. Carefully read each installation screen.
Step 2. Create a new project with DVD Styler
When you run DVD Styler for the first time, you will be taken to the New Project window. There are several settings you can adjust in this window before loading your video file:
- Disc label - The name that will appear when a DVD is inserted into the computer.
- Disc capacity - Most DVDs are DVD-5 (4.7 GB). If you have a dual-screen DVD (DL), choose DVD-9 (8.5 GB).
- Video/Audio bitrate - This section sets the video and audio quality. Most users don't change this section.
- Video Format - Choose PAL if you live in the PAL region (Europe, Asia, Brazil) or NTSC for the NTSC region (America, Japan, Korea). You will be prompted to change this section if you add media in a different format.
- Aspect Ratio - Choose 4:3 if you are going to play DVDs on a standard definition television. Choose 16:9 if you are going to play DVD on HDTV. This change will not affect the aspect ratio of the original video file.
- Audio Format - You can choose AC3 or MP2. Most users use AC3.
Step 3. Select the templates menu
DVD Styler comes with several template menus for you to choose from. You can also select "No template" which will immediately play the video when the DVD is inserted.
Step 4. Drag and drop your video file into the bottom frame
By doing this the video will be included in your project. DVD Styler supports most video formats, so you don't need to change the video format before inserting it.
- The bar at the bottom of the window will show you how many minutes your video has and how many minutes you have left.
- You can add different files depending on the type of video you are inserting. For example, you can store 4-6 episodes of a TV show on one DVD or one full movie and some extras.
Step 5. Edit your DVD menu display
After adding the video file, you can edit the appearance of your menu to your liking. Double-click on any element you want to change and you can click and drag the object to move it around the menu.
By double-clicking on an object button in the editor menu, you can change the navigation command for that object
Step 6. Burn your DVD once you are done
When you've finished setting all the options, you can start burning the DVD. Insert a blank DVD and click the "Burn" button at the top of the window. Various options will appear. Click the Start button when you're ready:
- "Temp directory" - You can set the directory that will store temporary files during the burning process. The temporary files will be deleted after the burning process is complete. You need available space that is twice as large as the DVD space.
- "preview" - Check this box if you want to preview the DVD in your media player program before burning it.
- "just generate" - This section will save the project to your hard disk in DVD Folder format which can be burned later.
- "create iso image" - This section will save the DVD image to your hard drive in ISO format. You can burn or share this ISO file.
- "burn" - This section will burn the project onto a blank DVD. You can use this DVD in any DVD player that supports DVD-R/RW.
Method 3 of 3: DVD ISO
Step 1. Insert a blank DVD
The ISO file is a disc image file. An ISO is a copy of a disc and burning it onto a DVD can make the DVD act like an ISO source. ISO files cannot be burned as data files if you want to make the DVD a copy.
Windows 7 has the ability to burn ISO
Step 2. Right-click on the ISO file and select "Burn disc image"
The "Burn Disc Image" window will open.
Step 3. Select the drive that contains the blank DVD
If you have more than one disc drive, make sure the correct one is shown in the "Disc burner" drop-down menu.
Step 4. Click
Burn to start the ISO burning process. You can choose to review the DVD after burning, but this will take a lot of time and there's nothing to do with DVDs that don't play. This burning process will take a few minutes depending on the ISO size and speed of your burner.
Step 5. Use a burnt DVD
Once the ISO is burned onto a DVD, it will act as a copy of the source ISO. For example, if the ISO file is a Linux install DVD, your DVD can be run and used to install Linux or run Linux from that DVD.
