Burn an ISO File

Overview

As outlined in the Download Manjaro page, an ISO is not simply a 'drag and drop' or 'copy and paste' duplication of Manjaro's installation files. It is in fact a copy of the raw computer code that makes up the files themselves. This is why it is necessary to use a software burning application to 'burn' an ISO file, that is, convert its raw code into the files onto a physical medium such as a DVD or USB flashdrive / datastick in order to use it. Once burned / converted, the files on that medium can then be used to run Manjaro directly without having to install it to your system (referred to as Live-CD or Live-USB mode), and/or install Manjaro on your system. Again however, it will not be necessary to to burn an ISO if you intend on running Manjaro in a virtual machine environment using Oracle's Virtualbox. This is because Virtualbox is able to read ISO files directly as virtual disks.

Note

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Manjaro will not have full functionality when run in Live-CD mode. For example, you will not be able to save any changes to the system, or install updates or new applications.

Burning to CD/DVD in Linux

Tip

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It is strongly recommended to select the slowest speed available when burning to disc in order minimise the possibility of corruption during the burning process.

Several different software burning applications - if not already installed - should be available for installation from your distribution's Software Center / Software Manager / Package Manager / repositories. Popular burners include XFBurn, K3b, and Brasero. Which one you may choose is entirely down to personal choice. However, a guide to burning your downloaded Manjaro ISO using Brasero has been provided below:

1. Insert a Blank CD/DVD (use a DVD if burning an ISO for anything other than the NET Edition)

2. Start the Brasero software burner

3. Click the Burn Image - Burn an existing CD/DVD image to disc button to open the Image Burning Setup window.

4. Click the button beneath the title Select a disc image to write to open up your file manager. Locate and double-click the downloaded ISO file to load it. Upon automatically returning to the Image Burning Setup window, note that the ISO file is now listed as the disc image to write.

5. Underneath the title Select a disc to write to the blank CD/DVD inserted should already have been automatically listed. Otherwise, click the button to select it manually.

6. Click the properties button to open the properties window, and then click the button beneath the title Burning Speed. Again, it is strongly recommended to select the slowest speed available. Once selected, click the Close button.

7. Click the Burn button to start the burning process. If necessary, follow any on-screen instructions provided.

Burning to a CD/DVD in Windows

Several free software burner applications are available for Windows. The most popular examples of these include:

• Imgburn (Youtube video tutorial)
• Burn Aware free (Youtube video tutorial), and
• CDBurnerXP (Youtube video tutorial)

An overview of each of these applications is available on the CD/DVD Burning Article on the TechSupportAlert website. Additional burners may also be found on the Download.com website, although you will have to filter the search results to view only the free applications provided. It will also be worthwhile to take the time to read any reviews provided for your choice(s).

Writing to a USB Stick in Linux

Using the Terminal

To burn the iso on an usb stick, enter the following command in a terminal :

dd bs=4M if=/path/to/manjaro.iso of=/dev/sd[drive letter]

Where [drive letter] is the letter of your removable device. Please note that it is the device (e.g. /dev/sdb), and not the partition number (e.g. /dev/sdb1).

To find which drive letter it might be write:

fdisk -l

Using a Burning Application

ImageWriter should be available for installation from your distribution's Software Center / Software Manager / Package Manager / repositories. Once Imagewriter has been downloaded and installed, ensure that your USB stick is plugged in before starting it.

A brief guide to writing the Manjaro .ISO image has been provided:

1. Click on the centre icon

2. Navigate to where the ISO image has been saved and select it

3. Ensure that your USB device has been selected from the drop-down menu

4. Click on the Write button

5. Reboot your system

isousb is a graphical tool to copy a hybrid ISO onto a USB key.

A package for installing 'isousb' is available in the Arch User Repository (AUR).

A discussion of 'isousb' can be found in the Manjaro Forum.

Writing to a USB Stick in Windows

Note

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Windows Imagewriter does not automatically detect .ISO files, which is why it is necessary to type *.* in the filename box, in order to find them.

It is recommended to use ImageWriter For Windows, which is a free application designed to write disc images to USB sticks as well as Compact Flash (CF) and Secure Digital (SD) cards. Once Imagewriter has been downloaded and installed, ensure that your USB stick is plugged in before starting it.

If you find that ImageWriter is unable to start, then it may be necessary to download Microsoft's .NET 2.0 Runtime Framework, which is used by some software programs to run. In addition, if an error message is displayed upon starting the process, then you may wish to open ImageWriter by first right-clicking on the icon, and then selecting the Run as Administrator option.

A brief guide to writing the Manjaro .ISO image has been provided:

Tip

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Ensure that Windows Explorer is closed prior to attempting to write the ISO image, otherwise it may block access to the USB stick, resulting in the following error being displayed: system.componentModel.Win32Exception:Access is denied.

1. Click the seclect button

2. Type *.* in the filename box and then select the Manjaro .ISO image

3. Select your USB Stick

4. Click the Write button.

Should your attempt to write to a USB stick still be unsuccessful, then use a partition tool to format it as a RAW partition type, and use ImageWriter again.

Warning

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Re-partitioning your USB stick as a RAW data type will result in all data present being destroyed, and will render it unusable for other purposes until reformatted back to its original partition type.

See Also

• Download Manjaro
• Check a Downloaded ISO Image For Errors
• Installation Guides