Jack the Pug's
Official Advice page

Dear Jack,

My neighbor keeps saying that he can copy music cd's, program cd's and more with his computer. I don't understand what this is all about but I know I have to buy a CD-Re Writer to do it. Can you give me any help?

Janina from Toronto

Dear Janina,

You do need to buy a CD-RW to copy CD's. It looks just like a regular CD-rom and can cost up to $600.00, depending on the kind you buy. I can't recommend a specific brand because I only have experience with the one I own and no company has offered to pay me big bucks to promote them yet. But I would suggest that you check Consumer Reports and pcmag.com to see the latest models and their recommendations. Then shop around at various electronic stores to get the best price.
Internal vs External
If you buy an Internal CD-RW, they are cheaper but it means you have to open your computer tower to install it. You also have to have the room to put it in (an extra bay in your tower). If you aren't sure and can't tell by looking, contact your computer manufacturer. An External CD-RW can be plugged into a USB port on the outside of your computer. If you already have a ton of stuff plugged into your tower and you don't have a free USB port, you can invest in a switch (available at most electronic stores) so you can switch between your scanner, printer and CD-RW.
Software
Each CD-RW comes with software to use with it, but you can also buy software seperately. I would try the software that comes with it first but if it seems really difficult you can use Neto which is affordable and easy to use. It works with most CD-RW's, but check with the sales clerk at your favorite electronic store first. By the way, Neto hasn't paid me a dime to push their software, I just like using it.
Finally, you will need to buy blank CD's. It is cheaper to buy CD-R CD's which you can only copy onto once. There are also CD-RW CD's which allow you to erase them and copy over what you have burned onto them. Burning is geek speak for when you make a copy.
CD-RW's are not only great for copying your fave CD's, but you can store photographs, text documents and other things on them. Then you can send them to anyone who has a computer with a regular CD-Rom drive. I should also tell you about copyright laws. It's ok to copy your favorite music CD so you can leave one in your home stereo and one in the car. But it's illegal to copy one for all of your friends. It's also illegal to copy software and give it to other people, or sell it to other people. Some software is illegal to copy at all, even if you are just making a back up disc for your own use. Read the warning labels on each CD carefully and do a little net research. You should find plenty of CD-RW information on the world wide web.

Remember: The only stupid question is the one you didn't e-mail me about!

Thanks and have fun!

Jack The Pug