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I have been trying to convert a laptop over to using Ubuntu 9.04 but I was unable to write (with Instant CD and InfraRecorder) the ubuntu 9.04 ISO file to CD (a question I will pose another time) so I just wrote the data in the ISO file to a CD and hoped it would boot.

It didn't (bios set to boot from CD before HDD) so I am left with the question, Is there something more on a boot CD than just the data?

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please include the burning software you used, sometimes that can interfere. – Rob Allen Sep 9 '09 at 15:56
I first used InstantCD but it wouldn't recognise the ISO file so I downloaded the file again, tried instantCD and failed so tried InfraRecorder and got BSOD. – Gathris Sep 10 '09 at 6:17
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3 Answers

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Burning the ISO to disk with the "burn from image" function of CdBurnerXP or ImgBurn or any other tool is different from copying the ISO to the disk. Basically an ISO file is a bunch of data packaged up with instructions on how to turn that data into a bootable disk. The "burn from image" parts of the aforementioned apps unpack the data and follow the instructions to create the final disk. What you did was just copy the data and all its instructions onto a disk.

It's like the difference between a typed manuscript with formatting marks and a completed, fully-bound book.

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Yes and no, it is just the data, but they are usually hidden / system files.

Try downloading Isorecorder or CdBurnerXP and try to burn the iso again.

I had a similar problem, but it looked like it was burning and when I booted, it just had problems, turned out the image was corrupt.

If I was you, I would try to go back to the webpage and re download the image (if you can, use a different browser in case of cache) then burn using one of the programs above

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I've used CDBurnerXP in the past and its a decent program. It looks a bit sketchy, but it isn't. – Rob Allen Sep 9 '09 at 15:57
I tried using a program susgested on the ubuntu site called I think IRburner (or something) but when I use that or my normal software I get a BSOD. – Gathris Sep 9 '09 at 16:03
yeah, CdBurnerXP works pretty good I think. – djangofan Sep 9 '09 at 16:26
It's not just the data. A bootable CD (as opposed to a data CD) must have object code in the CD's "boot sector" that the host system can use to get things going. – hotei Jul 30 '10 at 3:58
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If you can boot from a thumb drive I would take a look at http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ it works very well especially if the CD is giving you problems.

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