Hugh,

An ISO image is either compiled to be bootable or not. If you use a CD
compilation program like Nero, then when you drag the files into the
destination pane and "burn" it, the first thing Nero does is create an ISO
image representing the compilation of files. With Nero you usually burn the
CD automatically, but you can also choose to have the ISO compilation image
saved to hard disk. This is what the Fedora ISO images are, pre-compiled
collections that were created using Nero or some other CD compilation SW,
with the ISO image saved to a disk file. There is an option in Nero (and
likely other SW), to make the image bootable or not during the process.
Once the ISO is created, you cannot change its properties (like make it
bootable if it wasn't before).

It is this raw ISO image that needs to be written directly to a CD, without
repeating the compilation, otherwise you have an ISO of an ISO image file,
or a compilation of a compilation, and it won't work. In the case of large
ISO images near 700Mb, then the extra hidden space used in making the ISO
compilation puts it over the size of the CD.

It sounds like perhaps you didn't use the "burn from ISO image" procedure,
but rather created a new CD compilation using the ISO image file as the
lone file on the CD.

Russ Poffenberger
[log in to unmask]

At 03:18 AM 12/1/2004, you wrote:
>These are the instructions from the Fedora site:
>"The ISOs have an md5sum embedded in them. It is strongly recommended you
>verify the md5sum on any Fedora Core CDs or DVD you create using downloaded
>ISO images. This will ensure that the disk was burned correctly and prevent
>installation failures related to bad media. To test the checksum integrity
>of the DVD/CDs, boot off the DVD or first CD, and type the following command
>at the boot: prompt:"
>This seems to imply that if I burn the CD correctly it will boot from at
>least the first CD.
>The CDs I burned are just one iso file-no details visible. I can mount the
>discs using Nero drive image and see the files, but can't boot from them.
>My system boots from other CDs without any problem.
>To clarify my question:
>What are iso images for?
>How do I burn a bootable CD from an iso image using Nero or Linux? I did
>manage to make a boot CD from the "boot.iso" image on the Fedora site, and I
>suspect if I wasn't so ignorant I could then use the iso images to install
>Fedora 3, but I got lost in this process.
>The site also says I could copy  these images to the Linux HD and install
>from there, but I think I'd be better off with a cd install.

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