Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Live CD From Your In Installation / Running System - Ubuntu - Easy Way

In the previous posts I have shown howto remaster an Ubuntu LiveCd, which could also be used to make a LiveCd from your running system with some minor modifications, but the method I will be showing is fully automatic and effortless, and it works i tested it under ubuntu 8.04 and worked like a charm.

You can also use this, to customize an Ubuntu LiveCd if you install it on your hard drive and them use this method.


First off all you have to get remastersys:

$ wget http://www.mirrorservice.org/sites/download.sourceforge.net/pub/sourceforge/r/re/remastersys/remastersys_2.0-5_all.deb

$ sudo dpkg -i remastersys_2.0-5_all.deb


Now you just have to use remastersys either in the "Bash Shell" or via its "Gui":


-----------
Bash Sell
-----------

You have basically you have three options:


backup - backs up your system including your /home folder with
your users on it.

dist - omits the /home folder thus making it a distributable cd
that you can give to your friends.

clean - removes the temporary folder that was created, including the
new iso so burn it and copy it elsewhere before you run
"sudo remastersys clean"



If you want to make a LiveCd you choices are either 'backup' or 'dist', I'm going for 'dist':

$ sudo remastersys dist

Now the process starts and you have to do is wait, be sure have enough space in your system because remastersys is going to make /home/remastersys dir and work there.

When it all ends, you have an iso off your LiveCd, that you can burn with K3B or other, at:

/home/remastersys/remastersys/customdist.iso

Now burn it or move it and clean all the temp files remastersys created under /home/remastersys, using the following command:

$ sudo remastersys clean



-----------
Gui
-----------

To run the remastersys gui, which is very basic, just type:

$ sudo remastersys-gui

The gui presents you, with the following options:

Back Complete System including User Data
Make a Distributable copy to share with friends
Modify the remastersys config file to customize options
Remove temporary files
About Remastersys Backup
Quit Remastersys Backup

If you want to make a LiveCd you choices are either 'Back Complete System including User Data' (backup) or 'Make a Distributable copy to share with friends' (dist), I'm going for 'Make a Distributable copy to share with friends'.

Now the process starts and you have to do is wait, be sure have enough space in your system because remastersys is going to make /home/remastersys dir and work there.

When it all ends, you have an iso off your LiveCd, that you can burn with K3B or other, at:

/home/remastersys/remastersys/customdist.iso

Now burn it or move it and clean all the temp files remastersys created under /home/remastersys, execute the remastersys gui once again:

$ sudo remastersys-gui

and chose:

Remove temporary files



Happy LiveCD Making.

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