How to burn a Linux ISO image to a CD


When you download Linux from your distributor, for example, Fedora, Ubuntu etc. You will most likely be downloading a CD image (.iso file) of the distribution. You need to burn this to a CD in order to start up. However, you cannot just copy the .iso file to a CD, you need to burn the image. This short article, which borrows advice from the excellent Burning ISO Howto at Ubuntu's website shows you how to burn the ISO file to a CD or DVD using Windows, MacOS X as well as Ubuntu, Xubuntu and Kubuntu. 

Windows 95 / 98 / ME / 2000 / XP / Server 2003 / Vista: Infra Recorder

  1. Download and install Infra Recorder, a free and open source image burning program.

  2. Insert a blank CD in the drive and select Do nothing or Cancel if an autorun dialog pops up.

  3. Open Infra Recorder and click the 'Write Image' button in the main screen.
    • Alternatively you can select the 'Actions' menu, then 'Burn image'.

      • infrarecorder3.png

  4. Select the Ubuntu CD image file you want to use, then click 'Open'.
  5. In the dialog, click 'OK'.

 

Alternative XP / Server 2003 / Vista: ISO Recorder

  1. Download and install the appropriate version of ISO Recorder.

  2. Insert an unformatted CD into your burner. (Note: one can burn DVDs with this tool only from Vista.)
  3. Open Windows Explorer, browse to your ISO file, right-click and choose "Copy image to CD".

 

Mac OS X

Note: To burn most ISOs, you can use Apple's Disk Utility (Disk Copy in older versions).

  1. Launch Disk Utility (Applications → Utilities → Disk Utility).
  2. If you see the ISO in the left-hand pane, select it.
  3. Click on the Burn button in the toolbar. (If you did not select the ISO in step two, you'll be prompted to find it.)
  4. Ensure that the "Verify burned data" checkbox is ticked (you may need to click on the disclosure triangle to see the checkbox).
  5. Click on Burn. The data will be burned and verified.

 

Ubuntu

  1. Insert a blank CD into your burner. A "CD/DVD Creator" or "Choose Disc Type" window might pop up. Close this, as we will not be using it.
  2. Browse to the downloaded ISO image in the file browser.
  3. Right click on the ISO image file and choose Write to Disc.
  4. Where it says "Write disc to" you may have options such as "File image" as well as your CD drive. Choose your CD drive. Your CD drive may show as something like "BD-MLT UJ-210S"
  5. Select the write speed. If you are burning a Ubuntu Live CD (one that you may want to boot from), it is recommended that you write at the lowest possible speed.
  6. Start the burning process.
  7. After burning completed, verify that your CD contains multiple files and folders and not just the ISO file. This way you will know the process was performed correctly.

 

Kubuntu

  1. Find the ISO image in the file browser (available at System Menu > Home Folder on bottom of the screen next to KMenu.)

  2. Right click on the ISO → Actions → Write CD Image with K3b...
  3. K3b will now automatically verify the md5sum, make sure these match.
  4. Place Blank CD in burner and click on start.

Xubuntu

  1. Launch the burning tool, brasero (available at Applications > Multimedia > Brasero Disc Burner.)

  2. Choose from the main toolbar the option "Burn image",
  3. From the Burn image dialog box, click over (Click here to select an image), and find the ISO image in the file browser
  4. In the dialog, click 'Burn'.