Posted on 07/20/2010 8:24:33 AM PDT by Willie Green
Live CDs, DVDs or USB drives let you run Linux without actually installing it. Here are five reasons why you should.
Computerworld - In the almost 20 years since Linux was first released into the world, free for anyone to use and modify however they like, the operating system has been put to a lot of uses. Today, a vast number of servers run Linux to serve up Web pages and applications, while user-friendly versions of Linux run PCs, netbooks, and even Android and WebOS phones.
One incredibly useful way that Linux has been adapted to the needs of modern computer users is as a "live CD," a version of the operating system that can be booted from a CD (or a DVD or, in some cases, a USB drive) without actually being installed on the computer's hard drive. Given the massive RAM and fast CPUs available on even the lowest-end computers today, along with Linux's generally lower system requirements compared to Windows and Mac OS X, you can run Linux quite comfortably from a CD drive.
Live discs allow you to radically transform the nature of the machine you're working on -- without modifying the installed operating system and software at all. There are a number of reasons you might want to do this. The most obvious is to test a new version or different distribution of Linux before deploying it, saving yourself the surprise of incompatible software or nonfunctional hardware after installation. But even if your business does not plan to deploy Linux as a desktop or server operating system, there are still good reasons to have a live Linux CD or two on hand.
~~~SNIP~~~
Here are five ways to use live Linux in your business, as well as pointers to distributions best suited to each particular task.
(Excerpt) Read more at computerworld.com ...
Nope, just a bunch of angry adherents who get enraged at people looking for help, because they didn't buy hardware compatible with their particular distribution.
/johnny
LOL
Nothing like a Puupy Linux USB device to crack a Windows ‘password’ and get a forgetful user back up and running. You are right, most IT pros have one (or more) Linux based tools for those odd problems.
Just for work, of course....
I think you are barking up the wrong tree here.
The best way to figure out what is going on is to go to the forums at ubuntuforums.org. Make a post in the "Absolute Beginner Talk" section. They'll help you out.
There's a number of things that could be going on. It depends if you are on a DSL, Cable or dial-up connection. Each is handled differently. And there are some commands that you can type into the "terminal" that may be able to fix the issue immediately.
Don't give up! I've been using Linux full time for about 4 years. There is some *great* software in the Ubuntu repository. And it's always good to have that Live CD sitting around in case Windows acts up.
Best wishes!
Yes, a live CD can be useful in a technicians bag of tricks, but it’s not going to work in every situation, and it’s really a last resort. And people who have the tech knowledge to use a live CD as a recovery tool have already known about it for many years. They also know that Linux has its uses on servers and other applications. Thus, there isn’t that much new or informative in the article.
Bookmarked
Dittos on the Linux Mint.
Good stuff.
The article was in fact a small compendium of knowledge that was already out there. It was informative to me, and I appreciate the post, and I say that as a Windows proponent.
Ping
I could care less if you’re a Windows proponent. I don’t know why you keep repeating it. I have nothing against the post being made, especially since I can add my own comments.
A bit over-dramatic, IMO.
BTW, my comment was intended to be a bit over-dramatic.
Another more specialized use is Devil Linux, which boots from a CD and turns a computer into a standalone router. It stores its config on whatever writeable drive it finds, but otherwise doesn’t require a hard drive.
Because I realize that there are Linux geeks like the Apple Fanboys who will defend their favorite to the death. I'm not one of them. Perhaps that is why I found the article informative and useful, and why I continue commenting in this thread. Otherwise I would be wasting my time.
You achieved your goal, and then some.
I hate to be the one to break this to you, but I’ve used a machine with 2 NICs in that capacity across 4 versions of Windows and 2 of Sygate now. It’s not exactly the toughest thing to get right....
Oh, and the same machine’s still plenty capable for anything else, from watching movies to browsing to playing Japanese fighting games and World of Warcraft.
Is the 2 NIC configuration really common enough to make Devil Linux even worthwhile overall, though?
LOL!
This laptop has only had linux on it--since 2003. It's always been my most productive laptop and my safest.
This is about the only way I can use Linux. I hate changing my hard drive to let it run...I still have the boot loader from ubuntu on my machine even though I uninstalled ubuntu.
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