Ron, No, these programs do not need to reside on the CD. The database programs scan the CD then create a list of all the files on the CD and only the list of filenames is stored on your computer with other info like how big the file is and of course which CD it is on. So you can use these programs for CDs you've purchased as well as ones you make yourself. Handy of you buy CDs full of textures or fonts or whatever. Phoenix