Trouble initializing a USB drive

Thanks for that.  Very interesting.

So I put one of those disks in the tray, and I selected the option you recommended.  I then right-clicked on the file pmagic_2013_08_01.iso, and chose "Burn disk image".  The machine seemed to do as one would hope.  It apparently burned the file to the disk, "finalized" it, then checked it, finding it to be OK.  Then it ejected the disk.

So I turned off the computer, reinserted the disk in the tray and pushed it in, and started the computer.  While it was starting, I pressed F9 repeatedly until I got to a menu that offered me a choice of boot devices.  I chose the DVD drive.  The response given was, "Selected boot image did not authenticate."

I then chose the C drive and booted normally.  Looking at the contents of the disk I burned, I see this:

BTW, do you know how I can remove those last two files from the queue of files to be burned to disk?

I'm still wrestling with the fine details of getting this done.

First off, I bought a pack of Maxell DVD-R disks.  According to the packaging, they can be written once (and only once).  I think these should do the job, right?  (Is it just me, or is the designation "DVD-R" confusing.  To me, the "R" suggests "read-only".)  It seems that in my various efforts, I've been able to write some stuff to at least one such disk but, without getting into the detail, I've seen confusing things happening.

Which choice is correct?  I've tried a bunch of things that haven't worked and unfortunately, at this point, I'm not sure what I've tried and what I haven't tried.  It would be helpful to remove the uncertainty by knowing the correct answer to the above.

Thanks.

The "R" stands for "recordable."  See the differences between recordable discs here.

Hi,

The disks you chose will do the job... The designation is in fact a bit confusing...

There is also a DVD+R type disk... This is because at one time DVD-R was the only choice, but was not compatible with some devices... So they started making DVD+R as well...

You have the correct selection highlighted, although the other would probably work...

The catch to that is that if "Used Like a USB Flash Drive" is selected, the disk can be written to more than once... regardless of the fact it is a write once only disk...

With the selection you have chosen, a DVD will be "Full" even if it only has 100mb written to it... The Disk is "Finalized" after writing, and no more can be added even though there is room...

With the "Use As A Flash Drive" chosen, the Disk IS NOT "Finalized" after writing a file, and as long as there is room, more can be added... This sounds good, but a lot of devices can not read this type of Disk that is not "Finalized"...

If you have a DVD burning program that will burn as a "Image" you could use that after making your selection in the posted window... But most likely after hitting "Next" you will be directed to the "Windows Disk Image Burner"...

I probably missed something you have a question about... I will be available off and on this evening to check my mail if you have problems... Burning a DVD used to be simple... In the process of making the Disks more versatile, they have complicated things...

I'm still wrestling with the fine details of getting this done.

First off, I bought a pack of Maxell DVD-R disks.  According to the packaging, they can be written once (and only once).  I think these should do the job, right?  (Is it just me, or is the designation "DVD-R" confusing.  To me, the "R" suggests "read-only".)  It seems that in my various efforts, I've been able to write some stuff to at least one such disk but, without getting into the detail, I've seen confusing things happening.

I load one of these into the DVD drive tray, push it in, and I get this.

Which choice is correct?  I've tried a bunch of things that haven't worked and unfortunately, at this point, I'm not sure what I've tried and what I haven't tried.  It would be helpful to remove the uncertainty by knowing the correct answer to the above.

Thanks.

Hi,

First off, it needs to be burned to a CD as a Image (ISO) file...

It is bootable after you put it in the tray and close it... Then Restart the computer...

You might need to hit a key to boot from a CD... that varies by machine...

If you didn't burn as an image, try again... Right click on the ISO file you downloaded and select "Open With" then Windows Disk Image Burner" from the list...

If it is not on the list, select "Choose Another App"... "More Apps" at the bottom, the "Look For Another App On This PC"...

Then browse to, and select C:\Windows\System32\isoburn...