Is it possible to run Linux from a CD

NorthstaNder

NorthstaNder

NorthstaNder

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Hi,

I would like to have a look at linux as I'm often curious about different programs and I love messing around with different stuff.

However, as my Vista laptop is fairly new I don't want to risk messing it up by trying to create a dual boot system, and nor do I have to knowhow on how to set one up anyway, so I was wondering if it's possible to download and install Linux onto a CD or DVD so that I can boot it up that way and have a play around with it.

Thanks
 
Most Linux distro are of "Live CD" variety, e.g. Ubuntu 7.10 which can be freely downloaded . Wait a few more thans, another 3 days? Ubuntu 8.04 will be out then :) Just wait for the CD or download the ISO, burn it and run it. It'll boot into the OS

I've ever only tried Ubuntu and in the 16 days of complete use of it, I can't fault it much for an essentially free OS.
 
I've downloaded Ubuntu (couldn't wait for the new one!) and burnt the image onto a cd...so it's now a case of reboot with the cd in the drive and off i go?

edit: just realised i've downloaded the standard version, but i am running a 64bit processor...should that be a problem? (it's because i've got 32bit vista, so i got the standard ubuntu without really thinking).
 
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Burn the CD and you're good to go, just make sure the CD is in when reboot.

Also it doesn't matter about 32bit or 64bit on your processor (I'm assuming Core 2 Duo?), they both will run :) I personally have tried both the 32bit and 64bit ubuntu, on thing I've realised is the 32bit seem to have better support for the apps available in the Add/Remove list - or it could just be me?

Anyway, what are you doing here, go give it a go :)
 
Dr Jones said:
Burn the CD and you're good to go, just make sure the CD is in when reboot.

Also it doesn't matter about 32bit or 64bit on your processor (I'm assuming Core 2 Duo?), they both will run :) I personally have tried both the 32bit and 64bit ubuntu, on thing I've realised is the 32bit seem to have better support for the apps available in the Add/Remove list - or it could just be me?

Anyway, what are you doing here, go give it a go :)
Click to expand...

Cool...thanks.

I've tried it once so far and it said something about running in low graphics mode because it couldn't detect my graphics chip, so I clicked continue and it just sat there...black screen, cursor winking at me in the top left hand corner of my screen!

Will try it again later. Also downloading Knoppix and will give that a try.

In the end, once I've satisfied my curiosty about Linux I shall keep these discs by me as I think they could be usefull in case my windows installation goes Pete Tong. At least I'd be able to retrieve important files/docs!

Thanks again.
 
Knoppix is far more fully featured anyway, lots more stuff included, and since he's after an impression of what penguinland is all about, it's probably a better choice. Ubuntu's live cd, while having much less on it, is very slick and quick.

You can even get silly and install knoppix on a tiny waferdive usb stick, so small you can keep it in with the cards in your wallet, I never have to cope with windows again if I don't want to ;)

One final note for the OP, please do not make speed judgements based on live cd's not only is there the bottleneck of CD access speed, but to get as much as possible on the disc, they obviously compress everything.


And a question for the rest of you, do you know of any live CD that comes with KDE/Gnome and mplayer with the w32codecs? I'm far too dense to get the livecd build scripts in gentoo to work.
 
Linux Mint seems to fit the bill, thegooden. It comes with Gnome and boasts that it plays mp3s out of the box.

That said, most distros can add the codecs to a live environment with no drama. For instance in Ubuntu if I try to open a wma or something it says it needs to grab codecs. I approve, synaptic fires up, and 10 seconds later I'm listening.

EDIT: There used to be an Australian Gentoo-based Live CD that did this and also came with the proprietary ATi and nVidia kernel modules as well. it got shut down due to the inherent GPL violation of shipping a non-free kernel. I think it was called Kororaa. I don't know if it's still around or not.
 
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Cheers. MP3 aint the problem, most distros can manage that on live CD.

I want DivX and wma etc playback.

Ubuntu doesn't even allow mplayer once it's properly installed. Followed their 3 day old how-to and kept getting file not found errors, and people on forums kept trying to tell me that the appalling media player it ships with is better than mplayer, despite it having no transcoding ability, ability to play from tv cards etc.
Lack of a media player= mke2fs -j /dev/ubuntu-root
 
Yes, but what live cd has it on it?

Only thing that puts me off VLC is that you need to spend DAYS setting it's keybinds, (I use my laptop as a big remote control) whereas mplayer has this amazing idea call "default keybinds" with which it arrives.
A shame, as VLC is nice looking.
I take it it comes with something like mplex too then so I can use it to transcode?
 
You can install software onto a running Live system, it just goes away when you reboot. sudo apt-get install vlc
downloads and installs it on an Ubuntu system.

What sort of keybindings do you need to set up? It does come with keyboard shortcuts, if that's what you're talking about.
 
I would really need it ON the CD in case the machine I'm using it with has no connection.


Yeah, just key shortcuts. Mine (in gentoo) has none at all pre-set, must be a gentoo thing.

Just the usual, forward/back 5 sec, 30 sec, 5mins. Speed +/- colour +/- contrast +/- volume, nothing fancy.

Suppose I could install ubuntu (think I may still have one on a partition somewhere), install vlc and rob it's .config couldn't I.
Actually, think my DOS-XP box has VLC, maybe it has a human readable config I can thieve.
 
There's a way in Knoppix that you can save your configuration to either a floppy, a hard drive partition or to a USB key, so that once you've configured it how you like it, you can re-apply those settings the next time you boot from the CD.

I'd assume other distros offer this too, but Knoppix is the only one I've seen it on.
 
Yeah, I think you can add packages to that other space as well as config stuff.
But, 3 main problems....
1. It's really for a USB stick, and I've had trouble getting the first partition to boot if there IS a 2nd one.
2. I'm a moron when it comes to RPM
3. I'm not sure mplayer can be installed in a working condition from RPM, the mere fact that gentoo's portage makes a bloody good job of building it with all functions working, is enough to keep me on gentoo despite some of it's other quirks.


Still thanks for all the help folks, I was really just hoping someone knew of one I didn't, or had built one themselves (there ARE some very good media player distro's out there if anyone else is reading this and wondering, some small enough for business card CD's...it's just that I'm an mplayer fanboy who has a GF with MAJOR media troubles in DOS-XP).

As it stands, I think I'm back to plan A.....get gentoo's live CD creation tools to work.
 
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