Problem Burning Files to CD using Live File System Format

Can anyone help me? I just purchased a DELL inspiron 1525 laptop with Vista Home Premium. Yesterday I went to burn some files to a disk for the first time and I was asked which format I wanted, the Live File System or the Mastered. After reading the description for both, I chose the Mastered format and all worked fine. Then I went to burn some other files on a CD for a friend and forgot to chose my formatting options. The system unfortunately defaulted to the Live File System format. I was clued to this when, after burning the files, that the CD didn't eject automatically. When I pushed on the drive to eject the CD manually, it said it was preparing the CD so that it could be read by other machines. Suspicious, I removed the CD and then put it back in to see if the files were there. When I click on Computer, the E: drive where the CD/DVD reader/writer is located shows the disk and how much free space is available, but when I click on the E: drive, no files show up.

Am I missing some step? Thinking it might be some problem with the computer itself, I repeated the process again on a separate CD and the same thing happened....CD shows less free space than a blank CD, but can not see/access the files on the CD. I even tried doing the process twice on the same CD, which worked, meaning I was able to keep adding files to the same CD, but still can't find them once they are on there.

Can anyone help me? Am I missing a step? I called Dell since it is a new computer but that was a waste. Was told it was a software and not a hardware issue, so I had to pay to get someone to help me. No thanks. I spent enough money on the laptop. Any help would be appreciated....Michele J.

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