Burn ISO onto a DVD (using a Macintosh)?

Today I had a visitor who had an ISO file that he made from a DVD and saved onto an external Hard Drive.

He wanted to burn it onto another DVD as a "DVD", as opposed to a data disc (I didn't ask what was on it). In my lab the only workstations that burn DVDs are our Macintosh computers (used primarily for video editing, etc.)

I'm pretty sure this was the first time anyone ever posed that question to us. So, as I like to do, I said, "if you have couple minutes, I'll look it up!" Meanwhile the visitor totally ignored the fact that I said I would research it and started doing whatever he was doing. He didn't come back and complain so I don't care. The point of all of this being, on a Mac (OS X), successfully burning an ISO onto a DVD is totally *not* the process you would expect. Here it is, in the nutshell version:

(Assuming the file is on either an internal or external hard drive...)

1. Open the Disk Utility application (Finder > Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilties > Disk Utility)
2. Mount the ISO file by dragging it from the Finder window and dropping it onto the Disk Utility sidebar.
3. Select the "ISO" option.
4. Click the "Burn" icon.
5. Wait.

At least I think that's right, since I haven't had an opportunity to try it out. Simple, yet totally not obvious to the MS Windows audience. But, now you know!

If you have any tips, tricks, questions, or comments, leave a comment!

Excellent!

The twice-yearly evaluation is a bitter-sweet time for me every 6 months.

I had my Annual Evaluation this past week, where we review my work performance, and see if I met my "Goals" that were established in the previous Annual Evaluation.

On it, I got excellents in every category, for the third year in a row! "What does that mean?" you ask? It means... um... I can tell people I got excellents in every category for the third year in a row?

No .02% salary increase, or a certificate, or handshake, or name on the break room board. Just bragging rights, and that sad, sinking feeling that everyday I keep this job I'm getting just a little more ripped off.

So, I have to brag.

PC rebooting itself in the middle of the night?

A client sent me this one the other day:

"Why the hell has my PC taken to rebooting itself in the middle of the night? It started a couple days ago and I'm figuring there has to be a setting that got changed with an update or some such ridiculousness but how do I make it stop!?!... I shake my fist at you in anger Microsoft."

Since I took the time to answer it, I figured I may as well post it for future generations (and page hits):

Symptom: PC rebooting itself in the middle of the night
OS: Windows XP, SP2

Hmmm... "PC rebooting itself in the middle of the night"? That's usually not a good sign... but before getting you all paranoid, there are two things you can check:

1) Windows Update - I also suspect that Windows Update may have set a schedule for itself. Its helping, y'know. To check this: Click on Start > Settings > Control Panel > Security Center. The last item in this window should be "Automatic Updates". Click this and a new window will open... In your case "Automatic" should be chosen, with the option to set the frequency and time of day. Change this to your preferences. My preferred option is "Notify me but don't download... blah blah blah", because I like to know when/why things are being downloaded onto my computer. Click "OK" to lock in your new settings.



If that wasn't the case you can check Scheduled Tasks:

2) Scheduled Tasks - To check this, Start > Control Panel > Scheduled Tasks. In the window that opens, you will see things that are scheduled to perform automatically. In your case, you should see something interesting, and a schedule that matches the behavior you are noticing. If you want to delete an item from this list, right-click on that item and choose the "Delete" option.

If you want to edit it, double-click on the item and a window will open with three tabs: "Task" describes the item. Don't change that. "Schedule" is where you can edit the schedule (uh, duh...). The "Settings" tab lets to add some more conditions to how/when the task runs. Click OK to lock-in your changes.

That should remove the ghost in the machine. However, if *neither* of these seem to be the cause of your PCs new late-night activities, I strongly recommend running a complete anti-virus check of your system with an up to date anti-virus program. If that doesn't pick something up, you may want to also run some anti-spyware app too.*

If you found this information helpful, or have something to add, please leave a comment! [SS]


*When it comes to battling spyware, I always recommend Spybot Search and Destroy from www.safer-networking.org

It's Official!! (Diploma Enclosed!)*

After years of toil and strive, months of red tape, and constant battling against holds out of nowhere...

... I went to the Post Office today to pick up a couple thousand dollars worth of unpaid bills. And what to my wondering eyes should appear??...

A strange envelope with a cryptic message and ancient symbol...

Inside: A call to action- namely, "hey- spend more money"...

And finally, the moment we've all been waiting for...

Yeah buddy! An actual state-issued document noting my scholastic achievements! En vivo authentico! Complete with pre-embossed logos and pre-printed signatures!

Now I've just got to:

• frame it
• find a place to hang it
• figure out how this make any real difference in my life and financial status (I mean, other than now having to pay sales tax in the cafeteria)
  

Overall, not a bad day! **grin** [ss]

*If only I had real camera to take decent photos with... (hint, hint)