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Plop Linux - Create a LiveCD

1. Linux: Create a Plop Linux LiveCD

There are 2 solutions to boot from CD/DVD. The first solution is to use the existing Plop Linux ISO image.

• Pro: You have to burn it on a CD as it is and it's possible to boot.
• Contra: No antivirus lisense and no antivirus database comes with the ISO. That means no F-PROT or Avast is available.
  No personal files or scripts from you are on the CD.

If you don't need any personal files, F-PROT or Avast, then you can use it. If you want more power, then you have to create your personal ISO image in a few steps. That's the second solution.

1.1. Burn an ISO image

You have to download the file ploplinux-4.2.2.iso

K3b is an easy to use GUI for the Linux burner programs. You can simply burn the ISO to a disc with a few mouse clicks.

If you prefer the command line, then use the following commands.

1.1.1. Burn on CD

cdrecord is the Linux tool to burn CD ISO images.

Burn the ISO with cdrecord:
cdrecord -v dev=<devicename> <iso image>

Example:
If your cd writer drive is /dev/hdd.
cdrecord -v dev=/dev/hdd ploplinux-4.2.2.iso

1.1.2. Burn on DVD

growisofs is the Linux tool to burn DVD ISO images.

Command:
growisofs -dvd-compat -Z <devicename>=<iso image>

Example:
If your dvd writer drive is /dev/hdd.
growisofs -dvd-compat -Z /dev/hdd=ploplinux-4.2.2.iso

1.2. Create a new ISO image

mkisofs is the required tool. It's a part of cdrecord.

1.2.1. Download and extract

You have to download the file ploplinux-4.2.2.tgz to your home directory.
Then extract the downloaded file.

tar xfvz ploplinux-4.2.2.tgz

1.2.2. Adding files

The directory ploplinux-4.2.2/ with the Plop Linux directories and files is created and you can add your personal files and the F-PROT and Avast files to the ploplinux/opt/ directory. Executeable files should be placed in ploplinux/bin/.

1.2.3. Create the ISO image

The following command creates the ISO image. Run it from the command line in your home directory.

mkisofs -J -r -V ploplinux-4.2.2 \
-hide-joliet-trans-tbl -hide-rr-moved \
-allow-leading-dots \
-o ploplinux-4.2.2.iso -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 \
-c syslinux/boot.catalog -b syslinux/isolinux.bin \
-boot-info-table -l ploplinux-4.2.2

You can download the script make-iso.sh when you don't want to type the whole stuff.

Run sh make-iso.sh 4.2.2 from the command line in your home directory to create the ISO image ploplinux-4.2.2.iso.

When creating the ISO was successful, then burn it. see 1.1. Burn an ISO image

2. Windows: Create a Plop Linux LiveCD

There are 2 solutions to boot from CD/DVD. The first solution is to use the existing Plop Linux ISO image.

• Pro: You have to burn it on a CD as it is and it's possible to boot.
• Contra: No antivirus lisense and no antivirus database comes with the ISO. That means no F-PROT or Avast is available.
  No personal files or scripts from you are on the CD.

If you don't need any personal files, F-PROT or Avast, then you can use it. If you want more power, then you have to create your personal ISO image in a few steps. That's the second solution.

2.1. Burn an ISO image

You have to download the file ploplinux-4.2.2.iso or use your own ISO file.

You can use Nero, the free CDBurnerXP or any other burner program that supports "burning ISO images".

Use an option like Burn ISO to Disc or Copy ISO to Disc. Then select the Plop Linux ISO image and burn it to the disc.

2.2. How-to create a new ISO image

mkisofs.exe is the required tool to create a ISO image. It's a part of cdrtools.

1. Download the zip file mkisofs.zip. It contains the required binaries of cdrtools-latest.zip from the cdrtools homepage and the program plpmkiso.exe.

2. Extract mkisofs.zip to your hard disk. Remember the folder you are extracting the files.

3. Download ploplinux-4.2.2.zip to your hard disk and extract the files into the mkisofs folder.

4. When you open the mkisofs folder, then you should see the ploplinux-4.2.2 folder and some files like mkisofs and plpmkiso.

5. Change to the ploplinux-4.2.2 folder. You can add your files to the ploplinux/opt/ folder. See F-PROT or Avast to add the antivirus files to your CD.

6. Create the ISO with mkisofs. Run the program plpmkiso.exe. Enter the Plop Linux version you want to create (4.2.2). Now my program runs mkisofs with the required parameters and creates the ISO image.
   When everything is ok, then a new ISO file is in your mkisofs folder. Ex. ploplinux-4.2.2.iso.

   When you want to create it by hand. The mkisofs parameters are

   mkisofs -J -r -V ploplinux-4.2.2 -hide-joliet-trans-tbl -hide-rr-moved -allow-leading-dots -o ploplinux-4.2.2.iso -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -c syslinux/boot.catalog -b syslinux/isolinux.bin -boot-info-table -l ploplinux-4.2.2

7. Burn the ISO image. See 2.1. Burn an ISO image.

© by Elmar Hanlhofer