I'm wondering whether ISOs can have issues right off the bat, even when their checksums verify correctly. I'm not talking about user error or compatibility problems with the system. Could it be that ISOs can be configured in such a way that they end up having incorrect settings or permissions, making them less functional on the first boot?
4 Answers
Just because the checksum is correct doesn't guarantee you have the ISO you need. It simply means that the file didn't get corrupted during the download. An ISO can still be broken or improperly configured even with a matching checksum.
Yeah, exactly! Checksums only tell you that the downloaded file matches the uploaded one; they don't ensure that it works as intended. It's totally possible for someone to upload a faulty ISO along with a valid checksum.
Right! Matching checksums only confirm that there was no corruption in transit. Beyond that, it's on the creators. They can definitely release ISOs that are poorly set up, and that happens fairly often.
For sure! Sometimes you'll find that development ISOs, like daily builds of Ubuntu, can work one day and be broken the next. Ideally, final release ISOs should be reliable, but it's always a gamble with less established distributions. Stick to those with a solid track record if you're venturing outside the mainstream.
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