Linux creating CD-ROM ISO image

dd is a perfect tool for copy a file, converting and formatting according to the operands. It can create exact CD-ROM ISO image.

This is useful for making backup as well as for hard drive installations require a working the use of ISO images.

How do I use dd command to create an ISO image?

Put CD into CDROM

Do not mount CD. Verify if cd is mounted or not with mount command:

# mount

If cd was mouted automatically unmout it with umount command:

# umount /dev/cdrom

OR

# umount /mnt/cdrom

Create CD-ROM ISO image with dd command:

# dd if=/dev/cdrom of=/tmp/cdimg1.iso

Where,

  • if=/dev/cdrom: Read from /dev/cdrom (raw format)
  • of=/tmp/cdimg1.iso: write to FILE cdimg1.iso i.e. create an ISO image

Now you can use cdimg1.iso for hard disk installation or as a backup copy of cd. Please note that dd command is standard UNIX command and you should able to create backup/iso image under any UNIX like operating system.

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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Aatch 01.06.08 at 11:09 am

This has cemented my love of *nix. I already knew that you could mount disk images using mount, but the using of dd to make a disk image. That was the best bit. I have the need to make alot of images, for various reasons. And its faster than on windows. (In my experience anyway).

2 iceblox 10.23.08 at 1:52 pm

You better add some blocksize parameter using bs=$something or it will take quite a while…

3 Benjamin M. Strozykowski 02.19.09 at 11:52 am

This just made my day, thank you. For some reason, Brasero wouldn’t copy the cd, but dd did it without error.

Thank you very much!

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