Bootable Linux CD tyo surf the web??

Hey , I would really like to know if there are any good Linux Programs that i can use on a bootable Cd to surf the net for extra security and because i would like to try something new, so any ideas is a must! Tom

(PS i would like it to be easy and straight foward as i havnt really much experiance with Linux.)

 

Knoppix is the standard bootable (live) linux. But you can get live versions (which means the same thing as bootable) of Suse pro, Ubuntu, Kubuntu and Mepis that i know of. There are probably others but these are the ones most people use. As these are all the best versions of linux from what i have read.

But most people who start with a distro of linux after a while seem to always want to switch to Ubuntu or its KDE counterpart Kubuntu So it must be good. (Actually im considering the switch myself).

Suse is a retail linux which knocks you back £85 here in the uk for the install version of the pro version (the live CD of it is free however) so this too may be a good one to start with.

But like i say the standard for bootable live CD's is Knoppix it has no install version.

(By the way im using Xandros which is a Debian Based Distro which is apparently the best disto type for newbies, Mepis and (k)ubuntu are also debian based).

But on a side note why not consider having a dual boot with linux and windows on two separate partitions. Trust me once you start getting the hang of it youll start using windows less and less as linux is great fun to use.

Hope this helps
Anthony

 

When i tried knoppix i just put the CD in and it configured everything and booted automatically by itself. The only problem you will have is if you have your modem attached to your computer via USB. Linux is really bad at using USB setups for modems and you have to do some major complicated stuff to configure it. If its connected via Ethernet it is total and complete breeze and infact easier than windows to set up so i would strongly recommend you connect via this method if your considering using linux.

 

Hi Anthony1uk, Thanks for such a good reply. I have heard of Xandros in PC answers, sounds good. To be honest i would like to try a bootable version first to see what Linux is like before i think about partitions!! Do you have links i could use Knoppix or Xandros? One more question if thats alright are they easy to set up on a CD to start with, cheers Tom

 

Hi, i dont believe Xandros has a live CD version available but i could be wrong. But Xandros is mainly available as a retail version of linux (they do offer a free version but it is a very feature free version)) so if you are not sure it might be best to start with a free distro.

For the bootable live versions. If you google to the distro name (Such as Ubuntu linux) it will take you to their own website where you can download the entire operating system for free (if its a free distro). These come onto the format of ISO files. These just need to be burned to a blank CD using a standard burning application like Nero. (all i do is right click on the iso file once downloaded and choose open with and choose nero.exe from the list and the appropriate ISO disk burning part of nero opens the file ready to burn. I find this the easiest way to burn these types of files).

But as soon as the ISO is burned that is now a Bootable CD containing the entire operating system. So just reboot the machine with the CD in the CD drive and linux will boot instead of windows and nothing will be installed (unless i believe if you chose Mepis as i believe this has both the live and Install version on the same CD so you have to choose what you want. This may have changed now though as it was back in April i tried this one).

To save some searchine here is the Download page for Knoppix. Just choose if you want to download the ISO from a FTP site or HTTP. The select a region your close to. And it should take you to the link to download.

Download Page For Knoppix

But here is the direct Download link For Ubuntu live CD.

Ubuntu Live CD Download

PS. Depending on your download speed it might be best to use a Download manager to download as it may take a while to download. Or another idea is people usually sell CD's they have downloaded and burned themselves on ebay for real cheap (Usually about 50p - £2. (A couple of months back I got a 3 DVD version of Debian Sarge for a relitive for £4. And this had the person who download it use Litescribe DVD's to make a very nice professional looking DVD too. Bargen for the price of £4 as Blank LiteScribe CD's are usually £2 each).

Hope this helps

 

Many small Linux distros great for just surfing. Ive tried Puppy, Slax and Damn Small Linux they are tiny and fit on a small LIVE CD ranging from about 50MB to 150MB and all connected me to the net automatically. Im not a Linux expert so I didnt manage to install Java despite my best efforts and I wouldnt have a clue how to install software on Linux but these small distros are great for newbies who just want to surf in safety from malware and nothing else.

 

Thanks i never thought of the small linux's for that purpose. As a relitive was wanting an easy to use live linux too.

 

Knoppix never seems to find a network card on my test system, whereas Mepis and Ubuntu run just fine.

Check out Distrowatch.