Computers & Electronics

If you were to build a new rig, would you add in a DVD burner?

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Oct 26, 2003
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Winnipeg
Gee wrote: He is booting from a ROM on his network card and then installing images over Ethernet

No discs, no USB keys. He installs from a NAS
what's PXE? why not just use usb? booting from network seems a pain
Deal Addict
Aug 14, 2015
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lol my case doesn't even have drive bays..

define s ftw.

external if needed.
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Aug 22, 2006
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divx wrote: what's PXE? why not just use usb? booting from network seems a pain
PXE is faster, doesn't require USB keys, is more flexible in some cases (although Windows is a pain).
USB is also good because it's portable, can do Windows easily, especially if you have something like:
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/yumi-multi ... b-creator/

PXE does take work to set up but in the end it's worth it.
I have a PXE stack at every single site I manage. Sometimes the machine is virtual so USB isn't really an option.
I really should publish my PXE stack so it's publicly clonable.
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Jun 27, 2004
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Vancouver.bc.ca
killoverme wrote: I have a 'external' drive as well. I use an adapter for my internal (either my sata or my IDE drives) to USB.
Gee wrote: Yes it works, I have several of these adapters. You just need to make sure an external power supply is used
willilumplump wrote: My experience it that it shows up but you can't boot from it - the drivers are not in the BIOS/UEFI. If the device identifies as a USB drive, it may boot, but if it identifies as a CD/DVD it won't. YMMV.
If you're going to go this method, do it via eSATA. If you don't have eSATA, get an SATA to eSATA cable/bracket. Some of these brackets have a molex connector, as well. This would bypass any USB booting issue you might have had.


bowmah wrote: I think For booting I will try and amount into a USB key. There has got to be a way to get Macrium recovery ISO to boot on USB key?
I've found https://rufus.akeo.ie/ to be the simplest, although never tried a Macrium recovery ISO.
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Aug 25, 2006
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rabbit wrote: I've found https://rufus.akeo.ie/ to be the simplest, although never tried a Macrium recovery ISO.
Thanks, I did have to use Rufus recently to make a DOS bootable USB Key to roll back to an older BIOS firmware. Worked like a charm.

Just tested Macrium recovery ISO and if you plug in a USB key at the time of recovery media creation, it actually has an option to generate a bootable USB option. Never noticed it before as the USB key was not plugged in! Even copied all content out of the once created, re-formatted the USB key with FAT32, then just copied and pasted content back on the key and it still booted up Windows PE. This worked well as well.
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Oct 3, 2012
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Hamilton, Ontario
e-man wrote: If you were to build a new system today, would you add in a DVD burner? The main reason I use it is to install Windows (when I need to). If you don't have one, what are you using to install Windows? USB drive?
No. I use an external blu-ray drive. READ ONLY. My computer has a DVD Burner, and I've used it 3 or 4 times in the last 2 years. There are a few of my son's homework assignments my wife insisted we should burn on DVD. I don't think he ever used the DVD's, just he USB sticks. And there are a few videos I burnt on DVD to lend to my brother, as I didn't have a USB handy. But the last stack of 50 DVD's I purchased in 2009 still has about 30 blank DVD's left...

It is useful to be able to read optical media, but writing it not so much.

What I do use regularly is my USB external blu-ray reader. If I were building a new PC today, I would probably add an internal one instead.
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Aug 2, 2004
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East Gwillimbury
death_hawk wrote: PXE is faster, doesn't require USB keys, is more flexible in some cases (although Windows is a pain).
USB is also good because it's portable, can do Windows easily, especially if you have something like:
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/yumi-multi ... b-creator/

PXE does take work to set up but in the end it's worth it.
I have a PXE stack at every single site I manage. Sometimes the machine is virtual so USB isn't really an option.
I really should publish my PXE stack so it's publicly clonable.
The setup is a pain, but worth the effort

I use pfSense (DHCP) and NAS4Free (TFTP) and it works great

I can post my Syslinux config if anyone is interested

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