I have to be honest that my favorite CD burning software is Nero 6. I got to know about it when I bought my first CD burner and it come with an OEM version of Nero. Then at every major update, Nero kept on adding new features and eventually it got so bloated that the size of the installer for Nero 9 is nearly a whooping 400MB! Well I am currently using Nero 9 because I have an original license and didn’t want it to go to waste. Of course I didn’t go ahead with the full installation as I selected Custom install and only install the necessary components that I need.

Nero has always been a shareware meaning it cost money if you want to use it (leave the keygen and crack out of this). For those that cannot afford Nero and not into piracy, there are several free disc burning software such as ImgBurn, BurnAware, CDBurnerXP and DeepBurner which works well too. Good news is if you want to use Nero to burn your disc and you don’t have the money, you can still use Nero because they’ve started to offer Nero 9 free version.
The free version of Nero 9 is called Nero StartSmart Essentials. It was originally bundled with hardware such as a PC or burner and cannot be purchased separately. The features included are specifically chosen by the hardware manufacturer to assist the user in better experiencing and enjoying their hardware product. Now Nero has put it for everyone to download. The size of the installer for Nero 9 free version is only 55MB compared to the full version which is nearly 400MB. Obviously a big part of Nero 9 full version has been stripped off.

From the Nero 9 free version description, it says that it contains simply data burning and disc copying features for CDs and DVDs. Additional features and functionality are available with an upgrade to Nero 9 full version. I’ve downloaded and tested it, you can only burn data, copy disc, erase and analyze disc from Nero 9 Free. That’s it! I cannot rip audios to MP3, cannot burn MP3 to audio CD and etc.
Honestly I can’t see why is there any reason to use the new free Nero 9 StartSmart Essentials because it really lacks of basic features which can be found in other disc burning software that are free. Unless like I said earlier, you’re a big fan of Nero and that’s the only burning software you’d use. During Nero 9 Free installation process, you’ll be prompted to install Ask Toolbar so make sure you are aware of it and don’t blindly click Next.
Related posts:
its good
plaese….
tlng bg cranya
please help me Thanks
does it work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!if not why!!!!!!!!!!if why
Got a nero startsmart 9 cd with my samsung dvd writer. As seen in my quiery, unable to rip mp3 cd. Got down loaded the free version of nero startsmart 9 too. No help. What should i do to rip mp3 cds and save them in my pc. – Swamy Manavalan
hai,..hehehhe
download nero start smart
nero est le meilleur logiciel de gravure
it is toooo gooood.
I need a leg up on my Nero 7 Essentials…It seems to lack a clear “how to” on burning DVDs frm your film files. The disc Ibought seems to have no manual or clear help in the Burn department. Can anyone help me find a clear set of instructions? Thanks!
it is very good.
I have try this one before… it contains many errors in it… I prefer not to use it… You can another file burner that free… :)
hi its a nice view to have free download of nero and it is very benefical to all the people
It’s Nero 6 for me, too.
Works great.
Why change it?
Hallo Ik heb nero 9 burnin rom op mijn pc staan. maar nou wil ik iets branden maar kan ik dat bovenaan niet aanklikken (branden).
hola quisiera descargar nero 9 por favor
i want to download nero
dowloaded nero 9 and its not working in my computer, error please send, what can be the problem, am in Swaziland Southern Africa.
thank you RAYMOND
Hi I want nero smartstart on my computer pls
Free Nero can only burn data, the user interface is ugly and full of ads. Please try Ashampoo Burning Studio free edition.
“cannot burn MP3 to audio CD” is a major selling point for FULL version…! Very cheeky…
Thanks Ray
I am a happy user of Nero 6.6.1.15a (latest) and don’t intend to switch.
Eset quarantined some kind of toolbar.Is it false positive or not???
Yup, I’ve used Nero 6 and never really needed any upgrades beyond that. Thanks for confirming my thoughts about this new freebie. There are plenty more capable freeware options out there.
great one Ray. ^^
by the way, sorry if i butted in but i was browsing the net about my hardware problem. I have a generic dvd-rom drive. it can read, burn, etc on any dvds. but when i put any cd (audio, files, even OS), my pc shows an empty disc. but the cds are working properly on my other pc.
related to this post, some says that it was cause by software conflicts. i have Nero startsmart * and MagicISO.
any kind of help will do. Thanks a lot ray. ^^
I’m with you Ray: I still use Nero 7 that was bundled with my burner. Have no reason to change it. It loads fast, does everything I need it to do, and an upgrade would be overkill. I’d rather buy beer.
It’s free but it sucks…
Try ImageBurn or Nero Lite 9 (cracked).
Thanks anyway Ray!
This free version of nero lets you duplicate discs, which a lot of the free programs don’t do unless you upgrade to the paid-for version. :)
Using UFD utility U can partition ur USB create a security area password protect etc. 2.45 mb size
Dank Raymond für den Anteil. Übrigens haben Sie einige interessante Schlüssel? wie gegen Viren wirken? Mein kaspersky hier ist bereit, abzulaufen. Neben dem Weg, Dank für Fortschritt. Hoffen Sie, dass Ihr Ideen slill auf für jeden sind Sie groß! Danke!
i’m a nero 6 user too… nero updated into ver.9 but still unicode doesnt support and that sucks. Imgburn is the best burning software so far for me, it support unicode filename(s) & mp3,lossless-audio cd, etc… why do we need a bloated & expensive software when there’s alot of free burning software competing on one another.. ^^
Thanks Ray…
thanks ray
I can’t see why does this basic functioning CD/DVD burning application have the size 55MB, while other free applications are much smaller than it with more features.
Compare it with:
* size of (CDBurnerXP version 4.2.4.1420) = 3.6MB
* size of (ImgBurn version 2.5.0.0) < 2.1MB
Thanks mate, cheers!
Great information…….many thanks Raymonds