The Bit Budget is the graphical representation of a disc in the upper left corner of the Tesco Easy Record console. You can start a new project by dragging files to it. The Bit Budget also displays information about your disc.

Even when the project window is closed, the name of the active project is displayed directly beneath the Tesco Easy Record console.

You probably have a data file mixed in with your music files. Try again with only music files.

Click the Save button on the Project Window to save a project. If the Save button is not displayed for a particular project, it cannot be saved. However, Tesco Easy Record can remember most unfinished projects when you quit the program and make them available when you restart the application.

You must use Sonic Drive Letter Access (DLA) to format the disc. To determine if DLA is installed on your computer, right-click a recorder drive in your My Computer window. Select Properties from the short-cut menu. You will see a DLA tab in the Properties dialog box if DLA is installed on your computer. Click on the Help link at the bottom of the DLA tab to open the DLA Help file.

Yes. Even without a recorder, you can use Tesco Easy Record to create image files, view disc information, listen to music, and open associated programs

You can only burn one project at a time.

It's not absolutely necessary. We recommend that you insert a disc first to take full advantage of the Bit Budget.

Click the project tab containing the unfinished project, and click the Cancel button. Repeat for each tab containing a project you would like to cancel.

A red dot on a project tab means a burn is in progress.

A yellow dot on a project tab means you have an unfinished project on that tab.

Traditional audio CDs are created using the Audio CD for Car and Home CD Player project. If you use MP3 files to create an audio CD, Tesco Easy Record will automatically convert them into the audio CD format so your new disc can be played on any CD player. Tesco Easy Record can also be used to create a special type of disc called a Jukebox CD. On a Jukebox CD, your MP3 and WMA files are not converted to the audio CD format. Because your MP3 and WMA files remain compressed, Jukebox CDs can contain many more songs than an audio CD. However, Jukebox CDs can only be played on computers and music players that can read MP3, WMA, or WAV files. Jukebox CDs are created using the Jukebox CD project.

Your stereo system may not be compatible with all of the music formats on your disc. For instance, some systems can read MP3 files, but not WAV files. For more information, consult the documentation that came with your stereo system.

You will not be able to burn the WMA files created with Windows Media Player unless the options for copying CDs are set correctly. To learn more, consult the Windows Media Player Help file.

Before a song from a commercial music CD can be copied to a Jukebox CD project, it must be converted to MP3, WMA, M4A, or WAV format.

VBR is short for Variable Bit Rate.

MP3 encoders achieve their high level of compression by removing sounds that most people can't hear. The more a file is compressed, the more audio data the encoder removes. At some point, even the casual listener will notice a drop in quality. The audio quality of the MP3 files created by Tesco Easy Record is set using the Quality drop-down list on the Settings dialog box. This dialog box appears when you click the Settings button on a Convert Audio CDs to MP3 Files project.

Use the Quality Drop-down list to set the bit rate of your MPs files

Tesco Easy Record lets you choose from several quality levels in two formats: constant bit rate and variable bit rate (VBR). Bit rate refers to the flow of data passing through the MP3 encoder in kilobits per second (Kbps). Higher bit rates generally result in lower compression, higher quality, and larger file sizes.

For detailed information - See the Comparison Table

No. For best results use matching disc formats when burning an Exact Copy project.

Not all projects or project tabs are available with all versions of this program.

Data discs can be used to store music and video files. But you will not be able to play your videos or music on a conventional player using a disc created from a data project.

An appendable disc is capable of having additional data written to it. Some discs, such as audio CDs created with Tesco Easy Record, are closed at the end of the recording session. No additional data can be added to a closed disc.

Yes Tesco Easy Record can create a bootable CD or DVD from either a bootable floppy disk image or from the bootable floppy itself.

Windows XP can create bootable floppy disks, but only for MS DOS, not bootable XP. You cannot use this to create a Windows XP recovery CD as you would not have the files to do this, only an official Windows XP CD has these.

File archive is designed to create an archive of your common work files, such as email, pictures or office documents. It is not designed to backup your entire PC.
See below for a list of what can be archived

Email: All files with the following file name extensions - .pst, .msg, .att, .mbx, .mim, .mime, .mlm, .wcm.

Financial: All files with the following file name extensions - .qdb, .qmd, .mn4, .mny, .tax, .txf, .qbw.

Music: All files in your My Music folder and all others with the following file name extensions - .wav, .mp3, .wma, .ogg, .m4a, .wpl, .asx, .m3u.

Photos: All files in your My Pictures folder and all others with the following file name extensions - .jpg, .jpeg, .tif, .tiff, .bmp.

Productivity: All files in your My Documents folder (except those in your My Pictures, My Videos, My DVDs, or My Music folders) and all others with the following file name extensions - .xls, .doc, .ppt, .pps, .pdf, .rtf, .mpp, .wps, .wks, .wp, .wpd, .wp6.

To create CD or DVD labels with Tesco Easy Record, you need to download a FREE Label creator SE from SureThing. You can download this program by clicking on the 'Home' Project and then clicking on 'Label Disc' in the Utilities section. You can then follow the download instructions for your free labeler.

Tesco Easy Record can only import music playlists from Microsoft Windows Media Player. We do not support any other music players at this time.

Tesco Easy Record will only work correctly with Windows 98 Second Edition. If you are running an older version of Windows 98 you will need to upgrade in order for the software to install. You can check the version you are running by going to Start - Control Panel - System. Under the general tab it will give you information on your Operating system. If it does not specify Windows 98 Second Edition you will have to upgrade.

To find out what CD/DVD drives we support with Tesco Easy Record, please go to the following web page

http://rpp.roxio.com/drives/?page=supported_drives

Note: Recently manufactured devices may not yet be included in this list. If you do not see your device listed, please allow time for our database to be updated. Even if it is not on the list, as long as the drive was manufactured after 1997 it is compatible with Tesco Easy Record.

CD Burning software such as Tesco Easy Record must utilise specific windows registry entries in order to access optical devices attached to your computer. At times these entries may become corrupt during the install/uninstall process, or if there are/were multiple CD recording application installed on your computer. We have two solutions that will correct this problem if you installed the software and the fault occurs, or if you uninstall the software and it then occurs.

Installed Tesco Easy Record and my drives are missing

1. Please click on the link and download this file to your desktop - http://www.tescosoftware.com/software/DriveFixEZ_Installed.exe
2. Double click the file and follow the instruction
3. Click "Yes" to restart your computers
4. Open "My Computer"
5. Windows should now see your devices

Uninstalled Tesco Easy Record and my drives are missing
1. Please click on the link and download this file to your desktop - http://www.tescosoftware.com/software/DriveFixEZ_Uninstalled.exe
2. Double click the file and follow the instructions on screen.

1. WARNING: The next steps involve editing your computers SYSTEM REGISTRY. We STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you EXPORT your REGISTRY (please see STEP 3) before attempting ay editing (please see STEP 4). Editing your REGISTRY incorrectly can cause IRREPARABLE SYSTEM DAMAGE. We recommend that if you do not feel comfortable editing your REGISTRY, that you skip the following section.

• Log on with Administrative Privileges.
• Open the Registry Editor: - Click on Start then select Run - Type "regedit" and click OK
• BACKUP YOUR REGISTRY BY:
  
  
  • Highlight My Computer by clicking on it once.
  • At the top of the page you should see File(Win XP) or Registry (Win 2000), click on this and then select Export Registry File
  • The following screen will allow you to select where you would like to save this backup and what file name you would like to save it as.
  • Please note at the bottom of the screen where it says export range All; this should be selected to ensure your entire registry is backed up completely.
  • Give the File a name and click on the SAVE button (this will bring you back to the registry editor)
    
    
• Remove the UpperFilters and LowerFilters values by:
  
  Expand the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key (looks like a folder) by double clicking it (or clicking the + next to it.)
  
  
  • Expand the SYSTEM Key
  • Expand the CurrentControlSet Key
  • Expand the Control Key
  • Expand the Class Key
  • Please look for a key containing the following string of letter and numbers:
    {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.
  • High light this key by left clicking once on it) On the right hand side you are looking for UpperFilters and LowerFilters, once you find these please delete them - high light them (clicking on them once) and then delete them by right-clicking on them and choosing delete (or pressing Delete on your keyboard.)
  • Note: It will be easier to use the Registry editor in the future if you collapse the keys that you expanded by Double clicking the expanded key (or clicking the - next to them.)
    
    
    
• Close the Registry Editor, click on File(Win XP) or Registry (Win 2000) and then click on Exit.
• Restart your computer. Your CD/DVD Drives should be back and functioning. For more information on this issue see Microsoft knowledgebase Article ID: Q270008 at: http://search.support.microsoft.com/

Norton System Works/Utilities incorrectly reports that the .dll files and registry entries created by Easy CD and DVD Creator 6 are errors or have issues. This is not the case and the registry entries and .dll files are correct.

We advise that you ignore these warning messages and do not attempt to 'fix' them if offered by Norton.

If you have already used Norton to 'fix' these problems, you will need to re-install your Tesco Easy Record software as Norton will have damaged the program.

1. Make sure there is no other CD-burning software application on your system,
   
   
2. Make sure you have the latest firmware on both the CD-ROM and CD-Writer.
   To verify the version:
   
   
1. Go to "Start" then Right Click on "My Computer" and select the "Manage" option
2. Expand "Storage", then expand "Removable Storage" and then expand "Libraries" (Expand by double clicking)
3. Right Click on the CD-(ROM)(R/RW)'s and choose "Properties"
4. Click on the "Device Information" Tab
5. The Revision is your Firmware Revision
6. you can then go to the website for your drive manufacturer and check if there are any updates to the firmware and apply them.
   
   
3. Applications running in the background can interfere. Try to stop them by pressing the "ctrl" + "alt" +"delete" keys and selecting 'Task Manager' and ending the task on them.
   
   
4. You may also want to try a different brand of Media (the blank CD's you are using).
   
   
1. Make sure that they are a brand recommended by your CD Burner Manufacturer for use in your drive.
2. Make sure that you are not using Media that is rated slower than the speed you are burning at.
If you are burning at 16x use media rated for 16x.
3. You may also try reducing the burn speed down.

In Tesco Easy Record, the write speed is determined by the following two items-

1. The CD/DVD recorder drive's firmware

2. The speed rating of the blank CD/DVD media

Therefore, the write speeds that are displayed cannot be changed or modified within Tesco Easy Record since both the items above are auto detected.

NOTE: If you have a CD/DVD recorder that writes to a maximum of 52x and you insert your blank media, the maximum speed shown is a rating of 12x, then the maximum write speed available will be 12x.
Ensure that if you have a high speed or ultra speed drive then you will need to purchase high speed/ultra speed media to take advantage of the higher rates.

If you are receiving a buffer under-run error message then your PC cannot transfer data fast enough to the CD/DVD Recorder. If the buffer under-run prevention option is greyed out then your drive does not support that feature. Try the following to see if it helps remedy the situation:

1. When burning try and lower the write speed so the drive is transferring data at a slower rate.
2. Make sure no other software is running in the background or you are not working with another software program while a CD is trying to be written.

Note: If you are using Windows 2000 Professional, please skip this step
1. Click on "Start and select "Run"
2. In the Run box type msconfig, and hit "OK"
3. On the General Tab, click "Selective Startup".
4. Remove the checkmark beside "Load Startup Items".
5. Apply the changes then close the Configuration Utility and restart your computer.
   
   
3. If you are copying from a CD-ROM drive, make sure the CD you are copying is not copy protected.
   
   
4. Check the recording memory cache size Configuration for Tesco Easy Record. Click on the 'Spanner' icon on the program display to go into the program options, go into the 'General' link on the left side display and then click on 'advanced'. On the right hand side of the panel, there is a drop down box for the recording cache, by default the size is 4.7mb. if you have 512mb of RAM installed on your computer or greater, try to increase the size of this option as this may help.
   
   
5. Check to make sure source media and files are not corrupt or defective.
   
   
6. Try different media because inferior grade CD's may cause a problem
   
   
7. If you are copying from a CD-ROM drive to the CD/DVD Recorder try copying the CD to the hard drive then burning the CD from the hard drive.
   
   
8. Run Disk Defragmenter on your Hard Drive.
1. Click on "Start" and select "Programs", go to "Accessories" and click on "System Tools".
2. Choose "Disk Defragmenter"
3. Check for Drive Firmware Updates
Contact the manufacturer of your computer or disc drive to see if updates for your drive are available.

Burning errors can happen for a number of reasons. Tesco Easy Record has found that carrying out the following steps resolves about 80% of all burning issues. Please give all these steps a try and see if it fixes your writing problems.

1. You might need to update your drive's firmware/drivers:
   Most companies regularly update their firmware and drivers. If you are unsure what model your burner is and its firmware, click here to find out.
2. Enable DMA:
   Direct Memory Access enables better efficiency of data. For more info, check how to enable DMA.
3. The media. Check the following:
   The disc is clean and unused.
   The media is recommended by your burner's manufacturer or try a different brand, preferably a name brand, if you continue to have problems.
   Make sure that media (-R/+R, -/+RW, dual-layer compatibility) is supported by the burner by checking burner's manual or manfacturer's website.
This is especially true for some Blu-Ray burners which do not support CD-R/RW media.
Make sure that media (-R/+R, -/+RW, dual-layer compatibility) is supported by the burner by checking burner's manual or manfacturer's website.
4. If your burner is external, make sure it is connected directly to the computer via USB/Firewire and not a hub or other other device like a sound card.
5. Update to the latest PX Engine.
6. A reinstall of the burner's drivers may also help.
7. Go into My Computer--"Control Panel--"System.
• Click the Hardware --> Device manager.
• Expand DVD/CD-ROM Drives, then select your burner and uninstall it by right - clicking on it.
• Reboot.

In order for applications to print to a LightScribe drive you must have the LightScribe driver installed. This driver is normally installed as a part of the software that was shipped with your LightScribe drive. This means that if Label Creator does not recognize your LightScribe drive you will need to install the software that was shipped with the drive. Until that has been done LightScribe enabled applications will not recognize that you have a LightScribe drive installed. You may also wish to download an updated LightScribe driver directly from HP here

Tesco Easy Record will not copy a commercial film DVD such as movies which you rent/purchase. This is because these movies are CSS (Content Scrambling System) encrypted and our software does not bypass any level of encryption. However, some of our software allows you to edit and/or copy DVDs that are not encrypted. These discs are made by our software or recorded by DVD recorders.

Issue When using Tesco Easy Record to perform a backup of data to a location on a hard disk you may receive the following message and be prompted to click "OK":
Compatibility Warning:Your project layout contains one or more files larger than 4GBs. The current file system does not support file sizes larger than 4GBs. A UDF File System (without Bridge) that supports 4GB files will be used to record the disc.

Resolution

This message only applies to backup projects being recording to CD or DVD and does not apply to backup projects being recorded to a hard drive. When recording to hard drive no change will be made to the file system and you can safely click "OK" and ignore the contents of this message box.

Issue When copying data to a USB flash/thumb storage device, this error appears:
Confirm Stream Loss
The file "filename.avi" has extra information attached to it that might be lost if you continue copying. The contents of the file will not be affected. Information that might be lost includes:
:Tesco Easy Record: EMC Stream:$DATA
Do you want to proceed anyway?

Resolution

About tagging, metadata, and data streams:

• As a part of Tesco Easy Record, the RoxWatch application stores "tags" (aka, "metadata" or "data streams") to your files helping organize them better for you. When a file is indexed, or tagged, by RoxWatch, it is stamped with a unique ID and becomes accessible/recognizable through Media Manager. Only media files which are indexed by RoxWatch will contain this information.
• RoxWatch updates the location of any moved files on your computer, thus eliminating errors of "missing files" in Tesco Easy Record projects. Once the new the file is indexed by RoxWatch, your projects will automatically point to the new location of the files.
• The tag is only unique to YOUR computer and only useful on your computer. The same identification tag may exist on another customers computer for a different file.
• The tags can only exist on NTFS hard disk partitions and are NOT included if you e-mail a file or burn a CD/DVD of the file.
However, if trying to copy a file which contains a data stream to a non-NTFS drive or USB storage device such as a USB thumb/flash drive, you may receive the following error message:
Confirm Stream Loss The file "filename.avi" has extra information attached to it that might be
lost if you continue copying. The contents of the file will not be
affected. Information that might be lost includes:
:Tesco Easy Record: EMC Stream:$DA
Do you want to proceed anyway?

Choose "Yes" and only the tagged data will be removed from the file(s) as it is copied since tagged information can only be stored on NTFS partitions.
To stop tagging your files, right-click on the RoxWatch or Media Manager Services icon in your system tray and choose "Stop Watching Folders". If you have hidden the system tray icon, you can access these options in the Media Manager application.
More information on tagging, alternate or multiple data streams is available here.

Issue
Users who have only a USB audio device connected may experience an error message similar to one of the following when launching certain Tesco Easy Record applications:

1. PROGRAM_NAME.exe - Application Error The exception Integer division by zero. (0xc0000094) occurred in the application at location 0x0197dfd1. Click on OK to terminate the program
2. PROGRAM_NAME.exe has generated errors and will be closed by Windows. You will need to restart the program. An error log is being created.
3. Creator Classic may display the following text in the media selector area: Error: Unable to load source information.

Issue
This issue will occur when certain USB audio devices which do not have a software mixer are connected. While there are a number of USB audio devices that may cause this to occur, we have confirmed this behavior with the following devices:

1. Yamaha RP-U100 CAVIT External Audio Soundboard
2. Yamaha AP-U70 CAVIT External Audio Soundboard with Integrated Amplifier
3. Yamaha RP-U100 Receiver
4. Edirol UA5 Audio Interface
In order to resolve this issue you will need to physically disconnect any USB audio devices you may have connected. If you are using a USB audio device as your primary soundcard, you may need to remove this and replace it with a PCI soundcard or enable your onboard soundcard if one exists.