Still, if all you want is a backup copy of a bootable disc, it is easy enough to do. It's especially easy if you have disc-duplicating software (such as Toast Titanium) and two optical drives.

To reinstall Windows or access repair tools loaded on your Windows DVD, you’ll need to boot the PC from the optical drive instead of the hard drive.

With an old laptop, I cloned the OS HD to an SSD with Macrium Reflect, both harddrives are mounted inside the laptop. When I enter the BIOS, I wanted to select the SSD as the first boot choice. But it ...

In last month's column, I described the hurdles that Mac OS X puts in your way when you try to create a bootable disc, especially a custom bootable CD, DVD or flash drive. I offered various solutions ...