I think I'll go for it!

[TennBikeBerk]

Okay, I'm ready to try linux. I want something that can fit on one CD, and is free. It also needs to be simple, simple, simple! If it has lots of features I can find about later, that's wonderful, but I don't want to be overwhelmed when I try and run it the frist time. What distro should I use?

Also, is there anything I can run from a CD and not have to install? Furthermore, how do I get back to my original OS?

Thanks.

P.S. Yes, I have looked into this before, and searched, but I really need something that is basic basic basic. It's confusing when somebody says mandrake, and then five other people say install something else. I don't know what to choose.

[mairving]

Knoppix is one that will allow you to run off of the CD.

[TennBikeBerk]

What should I download from that site? I just see a bunch of files, and they don't download for me.

[bigandy]

http://www.knopper.net/knoppix-mirrors/index-en.html

Choose a mirror to download from, then choose the ISO file you want. It should be Knoppix.v3.4-2004-05-17-EN.iso, or something along those lines.

HTH

[TennBikeBerk]

Looks like it's going to take a while... 60 hours? Dang. I'm on 802.11b with cable too.

[speeddude2000]

thats becase the servers are slow. get DAP7. www.speedbit.com. i only use it when the servers are slow cause sometimes it causes te file 2 not work but 99% of the time it still does.

[TennBikeBerk]

Ahh, I found a better miror.

[IIIBarcodeIII]

Originally posted by TennBikeBerk Also, is there anything I can run from a CD and not have to install? Furthermore, how do I get back to my original OS? Thanks.

Why not try Virtual PC? This will allow you to run any OS while windows is running.

[bigandy]

Also, for the future (and if you decide you like linux and want to use another distro), check out LinuxISO as they have many distros, and I've had some good download speeds there.

[TennBikeBerk]

Well I burned Knoppix to a CD, and rebooted my computer. The CD-Drive is ahead of my hard drive on my boot-up list, so it should have ran off the CD Drive. It looked at the CD for a minute, and then went on loading windows. So that didn't work. I'm going to try VirtualPC right now, and see how that works.

All I had on the CD was the huge ISO file. Is that all I should have? Don't I need an autorun file, or something of that sort?

[WhatsThisBoxFor?]

To burn the disk open the ISO with a burning program (like Nero, one should have came with your drive) and then burn it. The ISO just contains the files, it is not what you burn onto the disk.

[Statica]

Are you burning the ISO file or are you trying to get your CDRW program to burn the contents of the ISO file (what you should be doing)?

[discodanman45]

The huge ISO file is just a cd-rom image file. When you create a cd using this type of file it will be just like a cd you buy. All the files that you need will be on the cd.


Edit: Don't use the data cd option for copying in Nero, that will just copy the ISO file. Nero will automatically burn the cd for you using the ISO file .

Finding a good free linux OS is difficult. I tried three different ones until I found one that I could install. It was a great refresher course installing linux, you forget a lot if you haven't used it in years.

[TennBikeBerk]

I am using Roxio and used the data cd option. So the ISO is a file, but it is actually many? That's interesting.

Is there anyway I can sucessfully make a CD using Roxio, or do I have to get Nero?

[Statica]

http://members.home.nl/lsnoek/iso.htm#ezcd

[TennBikeBerk]

Grr. After all that.....it's in the wrong lanugage! lol. My fault. Well, I'll give it another try.

Lol, I still can't believe I did that. I knew I was supposed to get the "EN" one. Oh well.

[LocoCoyote]

live and learn