If you chose to go for VS express ,there will be missing features of course,but since you are starting up , you will have the essentials , best place to read about it would be the product FAQ
regarding your DVD burning problem, this appears to be a known issue with Toshiba Disc creator on Toshiba laptops.
here
I would suggest trying to burn the Image on a different computer / DVD burner.
on the other hand, in order to use an ISO image, you do not always need to burn it, you can use something like Daemon tools to Mount the image &use the DVD through virtual DVD drive, Also in case of Standard ISO images , Winrar will be also able to extract the image contents to a folder of your choice where you can directly run Autoplay.exe or Setup.exe
also in many cases, your school could provide an installation disc for educational purposes, usually educational institutes get free or very discounted licenses for similar software.