OT - Newsgroup Reader For Linux

The question of fitting the Ubuntu ver 8.10 on a CD has been answered already.

I don't have a lot of experience with Linux OSs, but if you intend to operate a OS from a CD copy of a download, it will likely be in a compressed form. So, if it is compressed, it will perform slower than it normally would if an install was done (just so you know it wouldn't be slow if installed). If you can, or know someone who can burn the files you need to a CD in their uncompressed form, that type of CD will operate better than running the compressed OS which includes a lot of data that you probably don't need.

If you can boot from an external source depends on your motherboard capabilities, Joe.

You would need to look up the motherboard's capabilities at the manufacturer's website, and/or look in the BIOS settings of that motherboard to find out for sure.

Another thing the manufacturer's website can inform you of, is whether there is a BIOS flash update for that board, which may add some capabilities that it may not have, if it has not been updated. If there is an update, and you choose to proceed, you'll need to follow the provided instructions closely, or bad voodoo can take place.

Reply to
Wild_Bill
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Well, despite what the above article says, the 8.10 download would not burn onto a 700MB CDROM (failed with "insufficient free space" sort of message. Twice.) I tried 8.04, as it showed a file size of 695MB (or so), but the final file was 711MB, & still won't fit - at least not according to my notebook. Crap.

BTW, The Ubuntu distro is a .iso file. How is it read/executed/run?

Joe

Reply to
Joe

I have a copy of 8.04 burned on a 700 mb disc , so it can be done . To load , go into your BIOS and set the first boot device to CD-ROM , then exit and save . You install it by booting your comp with that disc in the CD drive . Follow the prompts to install or "test drive" the OS . FWIW the copy on my server shows 711 mb , so I dunno how it fit . If ya want, I can copy this for you . Let me know offline , my reply-to is valid . -- Snag every answer leads to another question

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Joe, I apologise if you already know this, but as you are transitioning from Windows, you may not.

The ISO is an image of the *entire* CD so can actually be slightly

*bigger* than the available space for files on a CD. Your CD burning software needs to be able to open ISO images. If double clicking the ISO file doesn't open the burning software and File -> Open in the burning software doesn't see ISO files you may have a problem. If the CD is burnt so that when you open it under windows, you see a single file, {any_name}.iso, Its done *WRONG* and will *NEVER* work. The burning software has to unpack the ISO onto the CD which it should do automatically if its opened the ISO.

On most machines, dragging the ISO to the CD *wont* trigger this process but just copies the ISO just like any other file. If you haven't made this mistake, and you *still* can't get it to fit, try getting some 80 minute blank CDs, Most burning SW supports them nowdays. You may also have problems if you tried to use a CDRW. Lastly check the MD5 hash on your ISO. If you got it from a less than reputable site, it *might* have some 'extras' in it that no one would want!

Once the ISO is burnt to the CD, and CDROM set ahead of all hard drives in the BIOS boot order, it should 'just work' on *any* pc with a good enough spec made in the last ten years or so, though configuring Linux for your graphics card if its something out of the ordinary can be a bit 'interesting'!

I wouldn't mess with bootable USB devices if I were you till you have the system up and running. You would be surprised how many PCs cant handle them properly and unless you have it in writing that the device

*IS* capable of being booted from, you dont know whether its the PC BIOS, the device, the boot image you've loaded it with or a hardware fault on the PC that's preventing it working.

Good luck.

Ian

Reply to
IanM

I burned kunbuntu, xubuntu, ubuntu 8.04 to 700MB CDs for my neighbor to try. They all worked. Sizes are

726099968 bytes, 570589184 bytes, and 728221696 bytes respectively.

And just to make sure I'm not "assuming" anything, I just downloaded the 732766208 byte ubuntu-8.10-desktop-i386.iso ... and it burns fine to a 700MB CD.

Um... you are *burning the image* rather than copying a file, correct? This may be of some help:

formatting link
...and associated links...

If you follow those, and still can't get it burnt, then it sounds like defective CDs or a defective burner.

Reply to
Steve Ackman

I don't really disagree, but there are some *very* useful new features in some of the latter Versions..... especially if you use multiple servers.

Reply to
Gene

[ ... ]

That is a rather incomplete list. Among others, it misses rn, trn, strn, slrn (which I use), and several others, whose names I have forgotten) -- all free for any unix platform, and most can be compiled (and have been compiled) for Windows as well.

I'm particularly upset by Windows apparently usurping the "Xnews" name for Windows only, and proprietary, while not supporting X11 (The X windowing system) as the 'X' at the start would imply.

For that matter, I use "xnews" as a shell script to start my current choice of newsreader in a separate X11 window, with its own set of colors. ("slrn" is the current choice).

Enjoy, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

It is burned *directly* to a CD, and then that is booted. ".iso" is the extension for a CD (or DVD) ROM image. It sounds as though your system has tried to burn a directory containing the .iso file, instead of burning the .iso directly to the CD-ROM. If your program tried to burn it as a directory containing the .iso, it would be a significantly larger file (and also rather useless as a file in the .iso format).

What program are you using to burn with, and does it have an option for burning a .iso file?

With the programs which I use (on Sun's Solaris 10 unix), I need to first run "mkisofs" (with selected options) to make an image of a directory and its contents into a .iso file, and then use one of two choices of programs to burn the .iso file onto the CD ROM or a DVD ROM. (Actually, only one of the two programs will burn DVD ROMs, but mkisofs works for either.

If all else fails, let me know the URL from which you downloaded the .iso file, and I'll download it and burn it and snail-mail it to you. (Unless someone closer can do this for you and just hand you the CD ROM.)

Good Luck, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

Actually , I have the 8.04 release on CD in .ISO format , and have offered to copy it for him . I know for a fact it will work , I've used it a couple of times . I burned that image from the copy on my server ... but can't remember whether I used Nero or InfraRecorder .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Uh... ok. ;-)

Reply to
Steve Ackman

search a bit on the Ubuntu website - they will send you a free live CD. Very handy for those of us with only dial up connections.

Reply to
Larry Kraus

When I first discovered the Ubuntu website (maybe around ver 4), the free CD program was actually recommending that folks request 10 or more CDs, and give the extras to friends and associates. The program was totally free, and said that it would remain that way. Sending numerous CDs that end up being distributed is cheaper than sending individual ones.

I saw a movie entitled In My Country, about South Africa (with Samuel L Jackson) where the meaning of Ubuntu was said to mean; what hurts you hurts me, and what's good for you is good for me.

This is the mission/spirit of the Ubuntu OS program, many with a common cause helping everyone.

Reply to
Wild_Bill

Still using good-old trn myself. Text-only, but a brilliant, brilliant user interface.

Reply to
Edward A. Falk

You need to give slrn a try, then.

Reply to
Ignoramus6829

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