What I'm suggesting is mostly to verify that your setup works, and if not it will help you sort out individual problems. Afer all, trying to sort out what could be a hardware problem (e.g. the CD-ROM may not work properly), and a technology problem (e.g. the CD-ROM may not be able to read CD-R media), and a software problem (e.g. you may be burning HFS+ CDs) all in one step is kinda hard.
If you have an old Mac CD, see if your Classic can read that. Almost anything prior to 1995 should do. If it works, you're in good shape. If it doesn't work, and you've installed the Apple drivers, you may have problems with your CD-ROM drive.
Once that works, try to find an old pressed ISO-9660 CD. Do not use a CD that claims to support the Mac. Almost anything prior to 1995 should do. If it works, you're still in good shape. If it doesn't work, you have problems with the CD-ROM drivers. Ensure that they are installed properly.
Now try burning an ISO-9660 CD. Pretty much any CD burning software on the PC or Mac should be able to do that. Then try reading it on the classic. If your classic cannot read it, it probably has trouble with the CD-R media. Do a Google search to find solutions for that.
Now for the tricky part, burning an HFS CD. You probably don't want to do this, but it will make life easier once you figure out how to do it. The link that porter ported out will probably work. If not, ensure that it is making a real HFS CD. Unfortunately, a lot of software likes to play dumb and pretend that HFS is the same as HFS+ -- when they certainly are not the same!
If you have an old Mac CD, see if your Classic can read that. Almost anything prior to 1995 should do. If it works, you're in good shape. If it doesn't work, and you've installed the Apple drivers, you may have problems with your CD-ROM drive.
Once that works, try to find an old pressed ISO-9660 CD. Do not use a CD that claims to support the Mac. Almost anything prior to 1995 should do. If it works, you're still in good shape. If it doesn't work, you have problems with the CD-ROM drivers. Ensure that they are installed properly.
Now try burning an ISO-9660 CD. Pretty much any CD burning software on the PC or Mac should be able to do that. Then try reading it on the classic. If your classic cannot read it, it probably has trouble with the CD-R media. Do a Google search to find solutions for that.
Now for the tricky part, burning an HFS CD. You probably don't want to do this, but it will make life easier once you figure out how to do it. The link that porter ported out will probably work. If not, ensure that it is making a real HFS CD. Unfortunately, a lot of software likes to play dumb and pretend that HFS is the same as HFS+ -- when they certainly are not the same!