On Thu, 31 Dec 2015 10:23:10 -0500 Steve Matzura <[email protected]> wrote:
> Thomas, just dd the file? That really works? I've got to try this. > I've heard of this being the way to do things, but find it hard to > understand how it could work. I suppose the boot loaders know what to > do with ISO images. > No, it's the very opposite of knowing where things go. The dd command is a very simple, completely unintelligent copier. But an ISO file is an image, literally every byte stored on some medium being scraped up in order, with the intention that it is laid down byte-for-byte starting at location zero on some other medium. An ISO contains bootloader, partition table (where used), unused space, the whole lot. What you end up with is a precise copy of the original (as long as the write medium is at least as large as the read medium), and dd is the simplest way to achieve that. Its only real drawback is that it copies every single byte, used or not, and other copiers can be quicker if they ignore unused areas. Of course, to do this, they have to know what is unused, and there is an obvious risk of error. dd doesn't miss anything, you just need a book to read while it works. -- Joe
