Help with Installing from a .iso image

[woodyak]

How the heck do I install Linux from an .iso image? I downloaded this image from their site and I can't install it. I tried burning it to a cd, I've tried ftp, I've tried off the hard disk. Linux set just doesn't recognize this as a valid image. Is there a way to decompress the image? What am I missing here?

[MiiJaySung]

Ummmm, this is a common format for downloading big OS's etc. ISO is the de-facto format for CD images. You will basicly need someone with a CD writter to burn the ISO image on to CD with some special software.

If you have CD writter, then that ain't too much of a problem, just get some good software that burns ISO images, like FireBurner for windows, Adaptec (Roxio) software like Easy CD creator and WinOnCd will do the job, but are commercial products, I think if you download the demo of Clone CD, that might burn ISO images to CD. If you know someone with a CD writter and Linux, they will probably have some ISO burning software built in to the system (Gcombust is an example).

You can't just copy the ISO file as it is on the CD, you will need to use the something that is designed to write ISO files (as they are packeked fileing systems, and like Zip files, they need to be unpacked, The software will do this as it writes to CD)

If you don't have CD writter, you may need to take ur harddisk out to put it in a friend's PC who has CD writter to do this. Alternatively, if you can find someone with a USB/external CD writter, put the CD writter on to ur system, which would save you opening ur system box. Alternatively ur local shop would probably write the file to CD if you lend them ur PC, thou this would cost!

Hopw this has helped.

Good luck with ur installation.

Note it is worth checking all of ur hardware works in Linux if possible, such as GFX card, Sound card, and if you have an internal modem CHECK before you install that it will work (it's not a WinModem), as that will save you having to buy an extra modem. At the moment I have the dreadful task of trying to find some drivers for my modem, and luckly I have a spare modem, which works in linux that will do for now)

Also find a copy of Partition magic 5 or 6 to repartion your harddisk. Linux will need about 2 Gb to be safe. If you have Morpheus from www.musiccity.com (http://www.musiccity.com) then search for it in there. That's the best way of getting a copy if you don't know anyone with a copy :)

Once you have Linux on ur system, and learn it, you will see how good it is. In 2 years time moreless all major develorers will probably be relasing Linux version of all of their software.

[seeker22]

Well if you're on windows you don't have to go through all of that if you just want to do a hard drive install. just go download WinImage http://www.winimage.com/ and extract the ISO to your hard drive and install that's what I did when I had mandrake. hope this helps!

[pengwin]

i'm having a problem with easy cdcreator.....getting the .iso to burn over as a series of files to install (my disk just shows the same image file name that i was trying to burn).
i just found this site which may help both of us:
http://provolone.aparato.net/e-smith/e-smith/docs/howto/CD_burning_howto.html

pen :cool:

[woodyak]

Thanks for the help. I ended up using WinImage to extract the files to my ftp server. I then booted off of a bootnet.img floppy and am installing off of ftp.

I tried burning the ISO to CD using Easy Creator software and it claimed that it needed a floppy to make the CD bootable. I also tried to install off of the harddrive after booting with a floppy and it failed as soon as it tried to copy the files. Not sure what I did wrong on either of these. But, who cares it works now.