I repair Windows machines often with KNOPPIX; it’s the easiest way for me to get a clean OS running so I can blow away viruses. However, KNOPPIX 5.1.1 shows its age, as it failed to work on a computer I recently went to service due to the computer being “too new.” KNOPPIX 5.2 is a DVD-only release and so is not particularly useful to me. I’m also looking for a USB-based self-contained Linux. The problem is that the number of choices are staggering: SLAX, DSL, MEPIS…it’s hard to pick one. I’d be primarily using it for command-prompt-based repairs on Windows machines, but I’d need X11 and a browser like Firefox available as well. Having ntfsprogs and ntfs-3g are crucial, and having the “dd_rescue” command would be a very good thing as well. Failing all this, having a guide to rolling my own would be a nice thing to have. I’ll be booting this on anything from a Pentium II to a brand new Core 2 Duo, so a RECENT kernel and drivers is fairly vital.
So, what “live” distros should I check out in my search? And please don’t say “Ubuntu.” It’s the worst Linux distro I’ve ever seen in my life, and horribly slow on top of all that.
RIP LInux (Recovery Is Possible) is a very small linux with a lot of recovery stuff built-in. It will easily fit on a 128meg (or larger, of course) Flash drive.
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fedora 9 has a live cd.
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I use the Ultimate Boot Disk for Windows for this task. This is a version of Microsoft Windows XP that runs completely from a CD-ROM.
This boot disk can be built on a CD-ROM, DVD, or USB flash disk.
The disk includes several anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. It also has many system and file recovery tools. It can access the Internet using either an Opera or Firefox web browser.
http://www.ubcd4win.com/
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I use the Ultimate Boot Disk for Windows for this task. This is a version of Microsoft Windows XP that runs completely from a CD-ROM.
This boot disk can be built on a CD-ROM, DVD, or USB flash disk.
The disk includes several anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. It also has many system and file recovery tools. It can access the Internet using either an Opera or Firefox web browser.
http://www.ubcd4win.com/
Report Spam/Abuse