Struggling with ISO 1

[MarcLodge]

Hi All,
I have a number of brnad new machines from Dell that are sporadically BSOD, various differing errors. They don't do it all the time, it's very hit and miss. I'm guessing that I've probably got a duff batch of memory chips, and want to test them. There's a number of utilities out there to test memory, but I have to have it on a CD as the machines do not have a floppy.

I've download an ISO file from MS and one from memtest, but I just can't seem to get the thing to write properly, so I'm obviously doing something wrong. I have used both Sonic and Nero in an attempt to burn a bootable disk, but when I attempt to create a disk from an image, neither of them have ISO in the file template, so I have to go looking and specifically name the file. After burning the disk, it's not bootable, and I don't understand what I am doing wrong.

So.....

Does anybody know whether Nero or Sonic are able to take ISO images and burn a bootable disk - if so, any ideas how I am managing to muck this process up.

If not, any suggestions as to what I should be using.

(sorry for the long post)

Many thanks in ant.

Marc

 

[Xaqte]

I recommend downloading the Windows 2003 resource kit & install it on your system (it will work w/ XP). In this kit is a program called "cdburn.exe".

This is what I always use when burning ISO.

You can get it here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...69-57ff-4ae7-96ee-b18c4790cffd&displaylang=en

Let us know your results!

X

 

[MarcLodge]

I downloaded and unzipped the resource kit, ran cmd.exe to drop into DOS, and tried to burn using it. Whirred away for a bit, but after about 2 minutes of some sort of action, it errorer. The disk had been written to with an i386 folder, but not a bootable disk as far as I could tell.

Hair is being pulled out. Please help before I go bald. I am more than happy to purchase software to enable me to do this. I just want success!!

Marc

 

[Xaqte]

What was the command you used to burn it?

What was the error given?

Did you see the help for the command(don't take offense if you did, just checking):

C:\Program Files\Windows Resource Kits\Tools>cdburn 
 Usage: 
         cdburn <drive> -erase [image [options]] 
         cdburn <drive> image [options] 
 Options: 
         -erase            Erases the disk before burning (valid for R/W only) 
         -sao              Writes the image out in "session at once", or cue 
                           sheet, mode (default is "track at once") 
         -speed            Speed of burn, or 'max' for maximum speed 
         -imagehaspostgap  Use if your image already contains a 150 sector postgap
 
         The [image] must be provided unless the -erase flag is set. 
         If both an image and -erase are provided, the media will be 
         erased prior to burning the image to the disc.

If you do "cdburn" just by itself(on the command line), do you get this help message?

Can you burn other types of media (other than iso images) with the same cd burner?

 

[MarcLodge]

I used the command
cdburn d: c:\windiag.iso
I can't remember the exact text of the error (sorry, know I should have written it down) but it was something innocous like 'error detected/disk ejected'.

I have just bought a number of CD-RW disks instead of the CD-R disks that I was wasting, so will give it another try a little later. If it does the same again, at least I will have the error message!

Marc

 

[Xaqte]

It sounds like your on the right path! If this error occurs after the write process, I don't think it should concern you.
If it is the error I'm thinking of, I've had it a few times & the write was still successful.

I have to ask... Did you actually check the disk to see if files were written to it?

 

[MarcLodge]

I did. There were files on the disk, but when I loaded it into the CD, after changing the boot settings in the BIOS, it didn't boot, hence my assuming that I'd done something wrong.

 

[Xaqte]

It sounds like you have a problem with either the ISO image or the PC you are trying to boot it from, not the software you are using to burn the image.

I'm guessing you have tried the burned CD with multiple workstations?

For further troubleshooting:
Try downloading and burning an ISO from somewhere else and see if it is bootable.

If you want any recommendations, try this:

http://www.e-fense.com/helix/downloads.php

Or pick you own...

If you want to give me a link to the exact image you downloaded, I can try it for you & let you know the results.

 

[MarcLodge]

It's a microsoft memory diagnostic check which can be found here:

http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

I've got another memory checker link from memtest86 which I will look into also, to try to determine whether it's the download. I'm assuming that because it's microsoft it's going to be ok!

 

[Xaqte]

Ok, I used cdburn to burn the image from the link you provided. The CD booted perfectly... Is there any way you can try to burn the cd with another PC?

 

[MarcLodge]

I'll try it from a desktop rather than the laptop I was attempting to do it from, and report back.

Many thanks for all your help so far.

Marc

 

[Xaqte]

That sounds like a good idea! I'm interested in hearing your results.

I suppose if all else fails, I could send you the cd I burned

 

[MarcLodge]

That's an excellent last resort. Thanks for the offer. I'll probably not get round to it tonight so I'll play again tomorrow and let you know......

Marc

 

[OldTechGuy]

Not to insult you if you know this already, but burning a cd and burning a cd iso are two different things. I use Nero and there is an option of "burn image" Other burning software also has something like this somewhere. See if you can find something that refers to image, iso, or nrg. It may be in an area where it lets you create a disk image also.

Hope this helps.

 

[MarcLodge]

No insult taken OTG. Before going down this path, I must admit I'd never heard of burning ISOs. I'd burnt audio CDs, MP3, backup data and DVDs, but not this image stuff. I did look at Nero, and it did indeed mention images, but when I tried it, it didn't seem to work.

I've now got some CD-RWs as I was getting fed up of burning disks which then didn't boot. I'm about to give it another try, so will get back to you all in a bit.....

Thanks for your advice and help.

Marc

 

[Rick998]

I use Nero to burn from ISO's and have to agree that the method to do this is not clearly marked. Don't use Nero's SmartStart, just the main 'Nero Burning ROM' program.

Instead of using the usual 'Add files > burn' dialog you have to keep on cancelling all of Nero's attempts to automate the process.

Next, when you get to the plain Nero shell (i.e. just a menu and toolbar with the rest of the dialog blank), select 'Burn Image...' from the 'Recorder' menu.

This will show an 'Open' dialog looking for .nrg, .iso and .cue filetypes. Browse for and select your 'Windiag.iso' file.

This will open a 'Burn Compilation' dialog. Make sure that the 'Finalize disc' checkbox is ticked and change the 'Write method' to 'Disk-at-once' before clicking on the 'Burn' button.

The Windiag.iso is itself a bootable CD image so you don't need to worry about any of Nero's options to make bootable CD's.

(I was looking for a memory diagnostic tool myself so downloaded MS's mtinst.exe, created the Windiag.iso file and burnt it to CD moments ago using the Nero method above. Works perfectly!)

Hope this helps...

 

[MarcLodge]

I used CDBURN.EXE on my desktop and it worked absolutely fine. Got both the windiag memory checker and the memtest86+ tool (from

http://www.memtest.org),

and they both burnt and work fine. The MS one found a problem with the memory straight away.

Now back to Dell for some new memory - some that works!

Thanks everybody for your help.

Marc

 

[Pleonasm]

For Sonic RecordNow Deluxe 7.3, you can burn an ISO image file to an optical disc by selecting the "Burn Image" option on the "Backup Project" tab.

 

[Xaqte]

Glad to hear you got it figured out!

So, I guess it is safe to say that something was wrong with your CD writer on your laptop...

 

[MarcLodge]

I did notice that CDBURN on the desktop flipped out the CD and dragged it back in at the end, so it may have been something to do with that. Alternatively, it could just have been my incompetence, as it was fairly late on friday evening when I was attempting this.

Thanks for your help

Marc