Koppix Linux runs from CD

I just downloaded Knoppix Linux, burned it to a CD and am writting this after my second boot.

The main feature is, The entire system runs from a CD! No need to install anything to a harddrive.

It recognized all my hardware, usb, soundcards, video, etc, right away. (however I couldn't get on the net the first boot?) The CD is loaded with Apps. It plays my MP3s, has an MS Office like application, several Web Browsers and many other Apps, I've yet to explore.

If HardDrives ever get trashed, all you need do is pop in this CD. Haven't checked it out yet, but there supposedly are all kinds of system recovery apps and tools that can be utillized.

Actually, funny you should ask. I tried it on this PC (my second love. Mrs. B.S. Roberts is my first). It's a Micron Milennium running Win ME (no jokes please) and I have it tweaked, configured, locked down and hack proofed to the point where it is like a comfortable old pair of slippers. I run Mozilla Firefox for a browser and she's got plenty of peripheral storage and extras under the hood. I call her SAL

The problem is, I tried Mandrake on her a month ago and she didn't like. Would have none of it. I begged and I pleaded but no dice.

So, I thought I'd give Knoppix a whirl. It went better. I got the ISO downloaded in about 40 minutes from a mirror in Germany and got it burned with Nero. I went to boot it but SAL wouldn't let the CD-ROM do it's thing. I then ran the rawdisk utility and made a boot floppy and reconfigured my BIOS and pulled the trigger. The Knoppix splash screen came up and I enter the "knoppix lang=us" switch but the message "boot failed. Switch disks and press any key" came up.
SAL was being a haughty bitch again.

At that point, I undid everything and put her back the way she was and then turned my attention to my other PC on my home LAN.
His name is HAL. I changed the boot sequence in the BIOS and let it rip. HAL went right into the Knoppix boot up and right now, Knoppix is discovering HAL's hardware.

I expect to be seeing Linux any time now.

One suggestion: When you download the ISO, download all the readme files and FAQs and whatnot. There is good info in there on how to proceed. Also, read everything at the Tom's website for setup info.

Download it and spend time reading up on the setup. It's pretty easy.

Good luck.

As far as more mainstream Linux's go I've been running Red Hat 9 for about six months now. Unfortunately Red Hat is ending support for it, boosting their prices to the sky, and generally showing everyone that they only want to support large enterprises not individuals. Sooo...

I'm thinking maybe Suse Linux, which seems to be going after the $69 market that Red Hat is abandoning. I'm also considering going to FreeBSD.

Opinions?

If you like RH 9, try out their new freebie, Fedora. The stable version is Core I, but Core II is coming out (hopefully) this April.

It's built on RH9, and everything will be familiar to you. In fact, RH uses Fedora to beta test it's Enterprise software, I believe.

I've been running FC1 on my Sager 8890 since September, and have had no regrets. It interacts beautifully with my work's Windows network, and I can interchange documents with Windows users, using OpenOffice 1.1.

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