How to burn a bootable CD or DVD

A bootable disc runs independently of the operating system on your computer. For a example, if you boot your PC through a bootable "live CD" for a Linux distribution, you can test that distribution, and install it you wish. To create a bootable disc, you must download its ISO file (disc image), and then burn it (copy it) to a writable optical disc (CD or DVD).

Note: Usually, you won't need a permanent copy of your disc image. Therefore, to conserve Earth's resources and save your money, you should use a read-and-write optical disc (CD-RW or DVD RW).

Downloading an ISO file - To download an ISO file, do the following:

1. Go to the website from which you wish to download an ISO file.
2. Download your selected ISO file, for example, you might download a distribution of Linux, such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or Fedora.
3. Burn the ISO file to an optical disc according to the section below.

Burning a bootable disc - This procedure explains how to burn a bootable disc in a Windows 7 system. The procedures for Linux and Mac operating systems are similar. To burn an optical disk in Windows 7, do the following:

1. Double-click Windows Explorer, and then select Downloads.
2. Right-click the ISO file you wish to burn, and then click Burn disc image.
3. Click Burn to copy the ISO file to your optical disc.
4. Wait for the Image Burner window to display a "successfully burned" message.
5. Remove and label your bootable disc.