Getting OSs

Ok guys,
I finally got around to getting my DVDs I've been after(plus a sale at Staples ).
Now what I want to do is copy a Vista Disc my mother has, so I can have my own. Do I just have to copy all the stuff from it and then burn it to my DVD?(Will probably use Windows stock burning software)
Also,
I wanted a copy of Mint(perferably a live disc). Where could I get it? and how do I go about which version to get and such?
Thanks,
Spock96

 

Hi

To copy a disk, especially a Windows install disk, you need to do a disk to disk copy, OR create an image from the original disk, and burn the image to the new disk. Simply copying the contents of the disk won't work.

I use ImgBurn for most of my optical disk burning. It has Create Image File from Disk option, which you can use to then Write Image File to Disk. ImgBurn is freeware available here from MG:

http://majorgeeks.com/ImgBurn_d4870.html

Also, to obtain Mint (which I use the Live version myself at times), the download links (from the official Mint site) are 32 bit and 64 bit. I use the 32 bit version, as it's automatically compatible on any computer I need to run it on, but if you're only going to be using it on 64 bit computers, you can get the 64 bit version (or both, too). You would also use the Write Image File to Disk function in ImgBurn to write the downloaded ISO file to a DVD.

 

Wouldn't that be creating a pirated copy?
How would that work with the COA on 2 machines?

 

Spock96 - If you are talking about making a copy of Vista that has been installed on another computer, the license key will be invalid and, even if you are able to make a working copy (I would guess that Microsoft has some copy protection scheme(s)) the OS will not work on your system. Home versions of Windows come with a license key that is good for only ONE computer .

 

Key was what I meant instead of COA. :-o Typing got ahead of me.

 

The MSFT Windows Licensing EULA terms allow a copy to made of the disk media. Look it up, or search the threads for the information I posted specifically concerning this a few days ago. There's no copy protection on Windows disks, because it's okay to copy them for backup purposes.

OBVIOUSLY, you will need a valid license key to install it on any system. It's also hard to do a lot of Windows repair functions without a functional installation disk.

 

Learn something new every day!

 

@mcsmc--
Thank you first off for your response. I downloaded ImgBurn and was looking into Mint. I clicked your link for the 32-bit version and it took me here:
http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=81. I went down to the 3 USA ones and clicked on the first one and it took me here:
http://linuxfreedom.com/linuxmint/linuxmint.com/stable/11/linuxmint-11-gnome-dvd-32bit.iso.
Now, where do I go from there?

 

Click to download to click to download to click to download... seems I missed a few of those steps! They changed their downloading process, it seems, since I used their site last.

Direct download link for 32 bit Mint:

http://linuxfreedom.com/linuxmint/stable/11/linuxmint-11-gnome-dvd-32bit.iso

 

Thank you

 

Just a bit of info - having an install disc of ANY version of Windows (copied or factory original) is more-or-less useless w/o a valid LEGAL product key (aka "COA" or "Certificate Of Authenticity" but a COA does not always include a product key, but 98.772546% of the time it does include the product key). However, Vista and Win7 can be installed completely w/o a product key, and updates and service packs can also be installed w/o a product key, but the OS will generally go to "reduced functionality mode" after a given amount of time and messages stating "This software is non-genuine and may be counterfeit" will be burned in to the desktop background, and changing the desktop background (aka "wallpaper") is not allowed (and a bunch of other things will be disabled after a given amount of time).