When Was The Last Time U Used Ur A:

[Virtualbody1234]

cds aren't rewritable they can only act as a read only boot device, which is often not ideal.

Are you looking for a 'write to' while booting device? Sounds like a good way for a virus to be transfered to the media.

And as for CDs not being rewriteable... What's this?

[echidna]

Originally posted by Virtualbody1234@15 November 2003 - 01:29

cds aren't rewritable they can only act as a read only boot device, which is often not ideal.

Are you looking for a 'write to' while booting device? Sounds like a good way for a virus to be transfered to the media.

And as for CDs not being rewriteable... What's this?

You know when installing some software you are asked to restart the computer?

the restart is needed as the software requires some 'things' to have been set up from system boot up,
to do this the install writes boot time commands on your hard disk which are run at the next boot time.

this is only possible when using a writable boot device.
so if you are operating on a machine without an OS or without a HDD
then a CD cannot provide this,

i have never heard of software received on a CRWR. have you?
that would be REALLY insecure

yes writable boot devices do provide the vulnerability of viruses or malicious users altering boot time commands,
this is why the safest way to make a software firewall is to copy a linux OS with the correct firewall rules onto a CD with references to a writable swap space on a HDD and boot it from that CD.

using an unwritable boot device poses a number of issues,
don't you boot off you hard disk? if not what do you boot from?

[Livy]

most cd themselves are bootables, since win 98 at least, or maybe 95. and they dont need anything written to them, they use ram drives, and write the info to the hdd boot info if need be.

[bigdawgfoxx]

Not in forever

[echidna]

Originally posted by Livy@15 November 2003 - 12:17
most cd themselves are bootables, since win 98 at least, or maybe 95. and they dont need anything written to them, they use ram drives, and write the info to the hdd boot info if need be.

that is ALMOST always possible
[definetely more and more so too]

[raiserblade2003]

wasnt there a topic like this a couple days ago?

[raiserblade2003]

ahhhh yes, here it is just a couple post down

[echidna]

they're slightly different
this one is 'when did you last use A:'
while the other is 'do you think floppies are a thing of the past'

two questions, one peice of unfashionable hardware

[vivitron 15]

I dont have a floppy disk drive in this PC. I had one, but took it out so that i could stick it in an old PC which doesnt boot from cd....just never got round to doing anything with it yet

[SciManAl]

i have a dual boot sys and it is essentail i use it everyday to boot linux, when the disk inst in it goes windows...