Felix Miata <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > ... > The reality is if the windoze Adaptec software can easily > create the Mandrake 8 CD from an ISO, but this is something I don't know > either. That software, like most free and cheap software, came with no > printed docs to check. I'll get back to this question at the end. > I've browsed Linux/HOWTO/CD-Writing-HOWTO and its FTP link to various > cdrecord versions. My initial impression is this is a bear to get set up > - unless, my "easy" (default) installation of Mandrake 7.1 has already > done what I need. Probably, if you got certain pieces you need. > Questions: > > 1-Can it be said unequivocally that my Mandrake 7.1 is already set up & > ready to burn? No, but you can find out easily enough. Try running xcdroast (and I'm sure others will pipe up with other cd recording programs ;-) If you don't have xcdroast installed, and if either the download won't kill you or you've already got xcdroast rpm somewhere, try installing it and then running it. If it works ,then you are home free. > 2-If 1 is false, is there an easier way than digesting the whole of the > (not too good IMO) HOWTO to figure out what is and is not already > prepared? 1 - install xcdroast (and mkisofs, and cdrecord (as I recall, this list may be wrong)) and see if it works. While I could use cdrecord instead, xcdroast is too easy to use to switch ;-) / 2 2 - if that fails, make sure scsi is detected in your kernel on boot up (look in /var/log/messages for 'SCSI'). If scsi is not in your kernel or modules then it must be installed. At this point I'd probably just burn the 8.0 on windblows and make sure I install cd stuff on the 8.0 install (which, by the way, seems to work best if you don't UPGRADE the 7.x but rather install on blank (or newly-formatted) partitions). > > 3-Is there someplace better than the HOWTO to explain CD writing under > Linux? Here on the mandrake expert list ;-) > I've had this writer since October. All the OS/2 CDRW setup instructions > were so intimidating I've still not even tried. I'm hoping to migrate to > Mandrake from OS/2 at some point, and hopefully this CD writing project > will be the first useful step, if I can get over it. Thanks for whatever > help anyone can provide in getting me CDRW literate. The Readers Digest version of a Short howto (aka a micro how-to): Once scsi is in your kernel (you *are* using real scsi and not scsi emulation?), and cdrecord, mkisofs, and xcdroast are installed, then run 'xcdroast' (you MAY have to do this as root, or make sure permissions are right). Run through the setup, and select the correct source and destination drives and so forth. Be aware that 'raw partition' means exactly that - no file system will survive on that partition if you write anything there using xcdroast. Use files in the directory structure instead... (The most important parts are under the CD setup and HD setup tabs, but its a good idea to check the others also) Oh - xcdroast wants iso images to end in 'raw', not 'iso'. So you may want to rename your iso's to raw's so that xcdroast will automatically find them for you in the below step. (It can USE any filename, but the nifty little dropdown of files will not see it unless it ends in .raw) To make a cd from an iso image, hit the 'master cd' button. Then hit the 'write image' button, enter the correct 'write from' file, check your other settings (like speed and destination ("write image to"), and hit 'start write image'. Later on, you can explore the other buttons, like "Master from/to", "Set image-type", etc. but for making cds from images, this is all you should need. rc Rusty E. Carruth Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] Voice: (480) 345-3621 SnailMail: Schlumberger ATE ___ FAX: (480) 345-8793 7855 S. River Parkway, Suite 116 \e/ Ham: N7IKQ @ 146.82+,pl 162.2 Tempe, AZ 85284-1825 V ICBM: 33 20' 44"N 111 53' 47"W http://tuxedo.org/~esr/ecsl/index.html