Using Advanced mode and the project window in Burn by Zaweba

For everyday jobs, Burn by Zaweba keeps things simple. When you want full control over how a data disc is laid out, there is Advanced mode, which opens new data discs in a project window with every option on show.

It is a switch, not a separate program, so you can turn it on for one fiddly disc and off again afterwards.

Switching Advanced mode on

The Advanced mode switch is in the status bar at the bottom of the window. It is also on the View menu as Advanced mode, and in Settings. All three do the same thing, so use whichever is nearest.

With it off, a new data disc opens in the plain page you would expect. With it on, a new data disc opens the project window instead.

The project window

The project window is laid out in two halves. On the left are this PC's files. On the right is the disc you are building. You drag files and folders from the left to the right, or straight in from Explorer, and you can drag between the two sides as you arrange things.

On the disc side you have more freedom than a simple list gives. You can make folders of your own, rename items, and add empty folders. That means the disc can be organised the way you want it to be read, not just the way the files happen to sit on your PC.

Every option for the disc is available in the window, so nothing is hidden behind a simpler page.

Jobs it suits

Advanced mode earns its place when the layout of the disc matters. A disc for someone else, say a set of documents for a solicitor or a folder of photos for a relative, reads better with clear folder names than with whatever your own folders are called. Making folders on the disc side and renaming items lets you present it neatly without changing anything on your PC.

It helps too when files come from many places. Gather them on the left, arrange them on the right, and the disc ends up tidy even though the sources are scattered.

Empty folders are a small thing, but useful when a disc is meant to be filled in later or when you want a structure to be visible for someone who will copy the disc onto their own PC.

Getting it right

Plan the disc's folders first, then drag files into them. It is quicker than dragging everything in and tidying afterwards.

Keep an eye on what the disc will hold as you go, especially with a large job. The usual data disc rules still apply, so files over 2 GB lead Burn to switch to UDF, and multisession works the same way.

Rename on the disc side, not in Explorer. Renaming in the project window changes only the name on the disc, so your own files stay as they were.

Times to stay in the simple view

For a quick disc of a few files, or for backups, the plain pages are faster. The Backup Assistant plans its own discs, so Advanced mode has nothing to add there. Many people leave it off and switch it on only for the occasional disc that needs care. Because it is a setting in Burn by Zaweba rather than a choice made per disc, switch it back afterwards if you prefer the simple view.