K3b Mini Howto for linux. (I am using ubuntu 7.10 and KDE)  :-)                                                                                 Back to Main Page

This is a very short version, and if you want to know more, go to the Internet etc.

This howto is without any guarantee, and you may use it on your own responsibility only.

There may be errors, but I do not want to use too much time to  write this minihowto.

To check specific words or items you may try to Search in:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page/    or    http://www.google.com/



Index Of Page:

The short version

To burn an iso file

The md5 checksum

To burn files onto a cd disc

To copy a cd onto an empty cd disc

Clone copy

To burn audio files

An overview of the various burning options


K3b is a cd -and dvd burning KDE linux program, which is very easy to use.                                                                                        Back to the Index

You can copy cd's and dvd's, burn cd -and dvd iso files, data files, audio files and some types of multimedia files etc.

You can also use it for back-up of files, as you can keep adding (burning) files to the same cd -or dvd until it is full.

Best to use "CD-R" or "single sided DVD-R" discs.


The short version: Open k3b, insert a cd -or dvd disc into the cd slot, choose burning option etc, click the "Burn" button, wait until the burning is finished, close

k3b and the cd slot will automatically open (music is played).

Below I will show some examples from my computer (your computer will look differently) - the examples are what I use most myself.


To burn an iso file open k3b -> K-menu - Multimedia - k3b - "Enter" (see below)

k3b opened

Do not change the settings unless you know what you are doing - k3b is from start set up to work best with the default settings.    Back to the Index

For this exercise I have downloaded "ftp://ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/puppylinux/puppy-3.01-seamonkey.iso" which is a Linux Puppy iso file.

Besides this I have downloaded the file with the md5 checksum "ftp://ibiblio.org/pub/linux/distributions/puppylinux/puppy-3.01-seamonkey.iso.md5.txt" which

contains the following checksum text "1aacaf2c0d2620617c7aa10a12635bba puppy-3.01-seamonkey.iso" - the md5 checksum guarantees (to a high degree) that

the file has not been fiddled with.

Normally the checksum file can be downloaded from the same place where the iso file itself is downloaded.

Then I insert an empty cd disc into the cd writer and can choose k3b - Device - Media info to see what kind of cd disc is inserted (see below)

To check media info

and I see the following (see below) - just for my information if I am unsure of what kind of cd disc is inserted

Empty cd-rmedium info
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Then I click on the "Burn CD Image" button The Burn CD image button and choose the "puppy-3.01-seamonkey.iso" in the /home/user1/downloads/puppy directory (see

below)

An iso chosen and checksum shown
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To choose another iso file, you have to click on the "Open File Dialog" icon Open File Dialog (see above) and choose another iso file - and a file manager dialog opens (see

below)

The k3b iso file manager window opened
                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Back to the Index

When a new iso file is selected, k3b automatically calculates its md5 checksum (see above 2nd image)

I use to check that the last 6 figures of the md5 checksum (here "635bba" shown above) are identical with the figures from md5 file from the download site.

Then click on the "Start" button Burn iso Start button and the iso burning is starting (see below)

ISO burning taking place
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After some time, the iso burning is finished (music is played and the cd slot is automatically opened) - see result dialog below (green "Success")

ISO burning finished with success
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Back to the Index
Take the cd out, close the cd slot, and then close the k3b program  (Close - File - Quit), and you have just burnt an iso file into a puppy installation cd.


To burn files onto a cd disc, open k3b and click on the "New Data CD project" New data cd project button and a select files dialog window opens (see below)

New data cd project, select files dialog window
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Select the files to be burnt in the upper right window (see below), and drag them with the left mouse cursor to the lower window - please note, that you can

select whole directories in the upper left window and if a directory contains subdirectoires you can click on the directory in the upper left window to open it, so

you can see the contents (drag the vertical slider down to see more of the contents).

You can select whole directories (upper left window) by left clicking with the mouse cursor and drag them to the lower left window, one at at time.

You will always see the contents of a directory which is selected in the upper left window (blue color), in the upper right window.

You can select single files (upper right window) by "ctrl + clicking" with the left mouse cursor, one file at a time, and then drag the selected (blue) files to the

lower right window (see below)

Directory and files selected and dragged to the lower windows to be burnt
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A directory called "downloads" and two files named "index.html" and "october 07 030.jpg" are selected and dragged down into the lower  windows, to be burnt.

You can right click on a directory or files and select the "Remove" option to remove the items               Right click on directories or files to select the remove option

Then click on the "Burn" button Click on the "Burn" button to start burning  (see above) and a dialog opens and ask you to insert an empty cd disc (see below)

Insert an empty cd medium/disc                                                        Back to the Index

Insert the disc, close the cd slot and then click on the burn button Click on the "Burn" button to begin burning  (the button which is greyed out above) and the burning starts (see below)

Burning in progress                                                        Back to the Index

After a while the burning is finished, the cd slot opens (Success - and music plays) see below

A directory and two files successfully burned                                                            Back to the Index           

Take out the cd and close the cd slot - always treat your cd discs with care and do not touch the surface.

Do not change the k3b settings unless you know what you are doing - they are from start set up to work best with the default settings.

You can continue to burn more directories/files data onto the same cd disc, using above procedure, until the cd disc is full.


To burn dvd's is almost the same procedure (I haven't tried it yet) - of course you have to use the dvd options.


To copy a cd onto an empty cd disc, open k3b and choose the "Copy cd" option To copy a cd onto an empty dicc choose the "Copy cd" option button and follow the dialogs (see below".

You can both make an "Normal copy" and a "Clone copy"  (bit by bit copy without caring about what content is being copied - exact copy.

The Copy cd dialog with help information window open "?"                                                                Back to the Index

To get help about the various options, click on the "?" in top  right corner The "?" help icon, top right corner and the mouse cursor changes into a "question" mark which can be clicked on the

various options, to get a pop up window with some help text - this option also exist on some of the other k3b dialog windows.

To burn audio files (to be played directly when inserting the disc into the cd slot) click on the "New Audio CD Project" button The "New Audio CD Project" button and

follow the dialog (you will have to experiment yourself, as I have not tried everything).


You can see an overview of the various burning options, by clicking on the "Further actions" button The "Further actions" button

The "Further actions" dialog                                                                Back to the Index                                                                                                                                                          


12/2007