This week my mailbox contained questions about creating CDs, blocking pop-up ads, and understanding the nomenclature of digital video recording.

My children are trying to download music from the Internet and burn to a CD. Do we need a special software application for this process? We have a new computer with a CD-ROM burner and we received the software in the computer for using this hardware as well. They have learned to copy CDs but not copy from the Internet.

You don't need anything special, beyond your Web browser and the CD-burning software that came with your computer. Just download the music files (probably so-called MP3 files) from the Web, using your regular Web browser.

Then, remember where the downloaded files landed on your hard disk - which folder they're in.

Next, put a blank CD in your CD burner and launch your CD-burning software (such as Adaptec's Easy CD). Using the CD-burning software, simply find the folder containing your downloaded music files, select the music files you want to place on the new CD, and drag them to the appropriate place in the software. After you make sure you don't have more files than the CD can hold, just click on the command to create the CD. That's all there is to it.

Note: In some older CD-burning software, you may first have to convert the MP3 files to a type called "WAV" files before you can burn them onto a CD.

In the latest version of Easy CD, in MusicMatch Jukebox and some other programs, this conversion takes place automatically, on the fly, without user intervention.

Is there a way to keep the Web browser from spawning new browser Windows when you visit a new Web site? Sometimes when you visit a Web site, additional windows are spawned, typically with advertisements. For example, if you go to www.aol.com, a second window opens with an ad for AOL service, in addition to the home page. Some Web sites even cause this to happen when you leave them too. Microsoft tech support says there is no way to turn this "feature" off, but in this age of pushed ads I'm getting tired of it.

You might try a $30 program called AdSubtract, which I've recommended before. Its primary purpose is to strip the ads from Web sites, and to block cookies. But the Pro version also blocks many, or most, of these pop-up Windows you hate. I hate them too. AdSubtract can be downloaded at www.adsubtract.com.

What is the name of the class of set-top devices that record TV programs on hard drives for replay whenever the viewer wants?
These products are new, so a universal name for their category hasn't emerged yet. Some call it "Personal TV" or PTV. Others call it DVR, for digital video recorder. Still others call it PVR, for personal video recorder. I prefer PTV. There are three competing brands. One is called TiVo, another is ReplayTV and the third is WebTV, which is also well known for providing Internet access on TVs, a separate function.

Adding to the confusion, these three brands of Personal TV are manufactured and sold by a variety of other companies. For instance, TiVo-based boxes are available from Sony and Philips. ReplayTV-based boxes are made by Panasonic.

The WebTV DishPlayer, which also includes a satellite TV receiver, is sold only in conjunction with EchoStar's DISH satellite network. I believe these devices are important and revolutionary and will eventually be a huge success. But the companies involved ought to come up with a common nomenclature quickly.