Knoppix and other bootable Live CDs (Wear & Tear question)
 

Hello -

I have here a Knoppix CD and i just got the FreeBSD 1.0 Live CD also.

Question, (easy one).

Will these CDs scratch, ruin, or wear out the CD or the drive from continuously popping in the CD all the time?

And is this a better solution: to have the CD in the drive the whole time without taking it out from the drive??

I have Mandrake Linux installed on HDD, no problem there with Linux. But I have this FreeBSD Live bootable CD.

Just wondering.

JAFT !

egag

unixfreak - I have doubts as to whether or not this is a serious question, given that CD's have been in widespread use for 20 years now, and that they have been used as the standard media for software installation since the early 90's.

On the remote chance that you honestly don't know, here are the answers to your questions:

1. CD's are very durable and will last for many years if you handle them carefully.
2. CD drives likewise will last for many years if you don't abuse them.
3. You can leave the Live-CD in the drive for as long as you want, but if you want to use the OS that's intalled on the hard drive, you will have to remove the Live CD and reboot. That's how Live CD's work, a fact that I'm certain you already know given that you already are using several.

Based on this and a few of your other posts, let me ask you a question: How long have you been using PC's? There's no right or wrong answer, but perhaps if we knew that, it would help us tailor our responses appropriately. -- J.W.