Linux Live Cd Download

LiveUSB Install is another nice third party Live Linux Bootable USB Creation tool created by Krasimir S. It can be used to quickly install a Live Linux distribution of your choice on a thumbdrive from ISO, CD/DVD, or torrent download.

This is a list of live CDs. A live CD or live DVD is a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM containing a bootable computer operating system. Live CDs are unique in that they have the ability to run a complete, modern operating system on a computer lacking mutable secondary storage, such as a hard disk drive.

2BSD-based
3Linux kernel-based
- 3.2Debian-based
6OpenSolaris-based

Rescue and repair[edit]

Billix – A multiboot distribution and system administration toolkit with the ability to install any of the included Linux distributions
Inquisitor – Linux kernel-based hardware diagnostics, stress testing and benchmarking live CD
Parted Magic – Entirely based on the 2.6 or newer Linux kernels
System Folder of classic Mac OS on a CD or on a floppy disk – Works on any media readable by 68k or PowerPC Macintosh computers
SystemRescueCD – A Linux kernel-based CD with tools for Windows and Linux repairs

BSD-based[edit]

FreeBSD based[edit]

DesktopBSD – as of 1.6RC1^{[citation needed]} FreeBSD and FreeSBIE based
FreeBSD – has supported use of a 'fixit' CD for diagnostics since 1996
FreeNAS – m0n0wall-based
FreeSBIE (discontinued) – FreeBSD-based
GhostBSD – FreeBSD based with gnome GUI, installable to HDD
Ging – Debian GNU/kFreeBSD-based
m0n0wall (discontinued) – FreeBSD-based
TrueOS – FreeBSD-based
pfSense – m0n0wall-based

Other BSDs[edit]

Linux kernel-based[edit]

Arch Linux based[edit]

Artix – LXQt preconfigured and OpenRC-oriented live CD and distribution
Archie – live CD version of Arch Linux.
Manjaro – primarily free software operating system for personal computers aimed at ease of use.

Debian-based[edit]

These are directly based on Debian:

Debian Live – Official live CD version of Debian
Finnix – A small system administration live CD, based on Debian testing, and available for x86 and PowerPC architectures
grml – Installable live CD for sysadmins and text tool users
HandyLinux – A French/English Linux distribution derived from Debian designed for inexperienced computer users
Instant WebKiosk – Live, browser only operating system for use in web kiosks and digital signage deployments
Kali Linux – The most advanced penetration testing distribution
Knoppix – The 'original' Debian-based live CD
Tails – An Amnesic OS based on anonymity and Tor
Slax – (formerly based on Slackware) modular and very easy to remaster
Webconverger – Kiosk software that boots live in order to turn PC into temporary Web kiosk
Open Secure-K OS^[1] – a Debian-based live operating system following liveng ^[2] patterns (kernel update on a live ISO9660 file system, encrypted persistence).

Knoppix-based[edit]

A large number of live CDs are based on Knoppix. The list of those is in the derivatives section of the Knoppix article.

Puppy Linux Live Cd Download

Ubuntu-based[edit]

These are based at least partially on Ubuntu, which is based on Debian:

CGAL LiveCD – Live CD containing CGAL with all demos compiled. This enables the user to get an impression of CGAL and create CGAL software without the need to install CGAL.^[3]
Emmabuntüs is a Linux distribution derived from Ubuntu and designed to facilitate the repacking of computers donated to Emmaüs Communities.
gNewSense – Supported by the Free Software Foundation, includes GNOME
gOS – A series of lightweight operating systems based on Ubuntu with Ajax-based applications and other Web 2.0 applications, geared to beginning users, installable live CD
Linux Mint – Installable live CD
Mythbuntu – A self-contained media center suite based on Ubuntu and MythTV
OpenGEU – Installable live CD
PC/OS – An Ubuntu derivative whose interface was made to look like BeOS. a 64 bit version was released in May 2009. In 2010 PC/OS moved to a more unified look to its parent distribution and a GNOME version was released on March 3, 2010.
Pinguy – An Ubuntu-based distribution designed to look and feel simple. Pinguy is designed with the intent of integrating new users to Linux.
Puredyne – Live CD/DVD/USB for media artists and designers, based on Ubuntu and Debian Live
Qimo 4 Kids – A fun distro for kids that comes with educational games
Trisquel – Supported by the Free Software Foundation, includes GNOME
TurnKey Linux Virtual Appliance Library – Family of installable live CD appliances optimized for ease of use in server-type usage scenarios
Ubuntu and Lubuntu – Bootable live CDs

Other Debian-based[edit]

AVLinux – AVLinux is a Linux for multimedia content creators.^[4]
CrunchBang Linux – Installable live CD, using Openbox as window manager
Damn Small Linux – Very light and small with JWM and Fluxbox, installable live CD
DemoLinux (versions 2 and 3) – One of the very first live CDs
Dreamlinux – Installable live CD to hard drives or flash media * This distribution has ceased support *
gnuLinEx – Includes GNOME
Kanotix – Installable live CD
MEPIS – Installable live CD

Gentoo-based[edit]

FireballISO – VMware virtual machine that generates a customized security-hardened IPv4 and IPv6firewall live CD.
Incognito – includes anonymity and security tools such as Tor by default

Mandriva-based[edit]

DemoLinux (version 1)
Mageia – installable live CD
Mandriva Linux – installable live CD; GNOME and KDE editions available

openSUSE-based[edit]

openSuSE – official Novell/SuSE-GmbH version – installable live CD; GNOME and KDE versions available

Red Hat Linux/Fedora-based[edit]

CentOS – installable live CD
Fedora – installable live CD, with GNOME or KDE
Korora – installable live USB (recommended over DVD), with Cinnamon, GNOME, KDE, MATE, or Xfce
Network Security Toolkit – installable live disc, with GNOME or Fluxbox

Slackware-based[edit]

AUSTRUMI – 50 MB Mini distro
BioSLAX – a bioinformatics live CD with over 300 bioinformatics applications
NimbleX – under 200 MB
Porteus – under 300 MB
Vector Linux (Standard and SOHO Editions)

Other[edit]

Acronis Rescue Media – to make disk images from hard disk drives
CHAOS – small (6 MB) and designed for creating ad hoc computer clusters
EnGarde Secure Linux – a highly secure Linux based on SE Linux
GeeXboX – a self-contained media center suite based on Linux and MPlayer
GoboLinux – an alternative Linux distribution. Its most salient feature is its reorganization of the filesystem hierarchy. Under GoboLinux, each program has its own subdirectory tree.
Granular – installable live CD based on PCLinuxOS, featuring KDE and Enlightenment
Lightweight Portable Security – developed and publicly distributed by the United States Department of Defense’s Software Protection Initiative to serve as a secure end node
Linux From Scratch Live CD (live CD inactive) – used as a starting point for a Linux From Scratch installation
Nanolinux – 14 MB distro on an installable live CD with BusyBox and Fltk, for desktop computing
paldo GNU/Linux – independently developed, rolling release distribution on installable live CD
PCLinuxOS – installable live CD for desktop computing use
Puppy Linux – installable live CD, very small
SliTaz GNU/Linux – installable live CD, one of the smallest available with good feature set
Tiny Core Linux – based on Linux 2.6 kernel, BusyBox, Tiny X, Fltk, and Flwm, begins at 10 MB
XBMC Live – a self-contained media center suite based on Embedded Linux and XBMC Media Center

OS X-based[edit]

DasBoot by SubRosaSoft.com
OSx86 (x86 only)

Windows-based[edit]

Microsoft representatives have described third-party efforts at producing Windows-based live CDs as 'improperly licensed' uses of Windows, unless used solely to rescue a properly licensed installation. However, Nu2 Productions believes the use of BartPE is legal provided that one Windows license is purchased for each BartPE CD, and the Windows license is used for nothing else.^[5]

BartPE – allows creation of a bootable CD from Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 installation files
WinBuilder – allows the creation of a bootable CD from Windows 2000 and later

OpenSolaris-based[edit]

Linux Centos Live Cd Download

Systems based on the former open source 'OS/net Nevada' or ONNV open source project by Sun Microsystems.

BeleniX – full live CD and live USB distribution (moving to Illumos?)
OpenSolaris – the former official distribution supported by Sun Microsystems based on ONNV and some closed source parts

Illumos-based[edit]

Illumos is a fork of the former OpenSolaris ONNV aiming to further develop the ONNV and replacing the closed source parts while remaining binary compatible. The following products are based upon Illumos:

Nexenta OS – combines the GNU userland with the OpenSolaris kernel.
OpenIndiana – since OpenIndiana 151a based on Illumos

Other operating systems[edit]

AmigaOS 4 – Installable live CD
Arch Hurd – A live CD of Arch Linux with the GNU Hurd as its kernel
AROS – Offers live CD for download on the project page
BeOS – All BeOS discs can be run in live CD mode, although PowerPC versions need to be kickstarted from Mac OS 8 when run on Apple or clone hardware
FreeDOS – the official 'Full CD' 1.0 release includes a live CD portion
Haiku – Haiku is a free and open source operating system compatible with BeOS running on Intel x86 platforms instead of PowerPC.
MorphOS – Installable live CD
OpenVMS – Installable live CD
Plan 9 from Bell Labs – Has a live CD, which is also its install CD (and the installer is a shell script).

References[edit]

Download Puppy Linux Live Cd

^'Open Secure-K OS on GitHib'. LumIT Labs. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
^'liveng'. LumIT Labs. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
^'CGAL LiveCD'. ACG lab, Tel-Aviv University. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
^AVLinux – Install...CreateArchived 2011-12-09 at the Wayback Machine
^'Licensing issues'. Nu2 Productions. Retrieved 2006-12-31.

External links[edit]

Linux: Distributions: Live CD at Curlie

Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_live_CDs&oldid=891609419'

For the most part, on this blog, I try to convince readers to do something defensive on their computers - like a parent nagging a child to eat their vegetables. Only once have I put my foot down, so to speak, saying unequivocally last year that all Windows XP users should employ DropMyRights. Now, another emphatic endorsement - all Windows users should have a Linux Live CD, and, know how to use it.

If you're not familiar with the term 'Live' applied to a CD, that's because it's not something that exists in the Windows world. Linux can do something Windows can't, run (not just install) from a CD. You can run Linux off a Live CD even on a computer that doesn't have an internal hard disk.

There isn't a single Linux Live CD any more than there is a single Linux. Live CDs were initially a great way to kick the tires on various Linux distributions. That still holds, but I suggest them for other reasons.

Have you ever panicked when Windows won't boot and you really need the files on the computer? You can boot from a Linux Live CD and easily copy files to an external hard disk, a USB flash drive or another computer on a Local Area Network. With a little work you should also be able to burn a CD or DVD. In the old days Linux struggled with the NTFS file system, but those days are long gone. Depending on the Linux distribution you chose, the hard disk may default to 'read-only' mode, but this isn't a problem if all you want to do is copy files off the machine.

Speaking of the old days, Linux distributions used to have install CDs and Live CDs. Now, many CDs do both. Ubuntu, for example, introduced the ability to install onto the hard disk from the Live CD in version 6.06.

When Windows won't startup, the first debugging issue is always whether it's a hardware or software problem. Here too, a Live CD can help. If Linux boots and runs fine, and can see and view all the files on the hard disk, then you most likely have a software problem. If a Linux Live CD won't boot, there's a chance that it stumbled on some hardware it can't deal with. Therefore, it's best to boot with your chosen Live CD as you as you get it. If a previously tested Live CD no longer boots, you've probably got a hardware problem. No rocket science here.

If Windows is corrupted or infected with malware, a Linux Live CD can give it a new lease on life. Although running from a CD is much slower than running from an internal hard disk, the Live CD can restore Internet access. This is all but guaranteed for an Ethernet-based broadband connection and may even work for a WiFi connection.

The previously mentioned read-only mode for the hard disk can prove useful too. To some children, the web browser is the computer. You can set them loose on Firefox running off a Live CD and be 100% sure they won't screw up the installed copy of Windows in any way, shape or form.

Tails Linux Live Cd Download

A Live CD can also be used to fix a broken copy of Windows. Yes, Windows has a Recovery Console, but a Live CD has its pluses. For one, the Recovery Console is only an option if you have a Windows CD. Also, at least with XP, you have to provide an Administrator password to use the Recovery Console, not so with a Live CD. And, if the problem with Windows has to do with the part of the registry that stores passwords, you'll never be able to get into the Recovery Console. Plus, it's command line based whereas Live CDs offer a GUI. Finally, a Live CD offers many more options for copying files off the computer than does the Recovery Console.

Windows XP users may also appreciate that Linux Live CDs can be used to re-partition the hard disk, saving the cost of commercial products such as Partition Magic. I have to stress however, that any partitioning operation is dangerous, no matter what software is employed, and you should always backup everything you can think to backup before changing partitions.

As for cost, Linux Live CDs are free. You can download the Live CD for any number of Linux distributions as a single ISO file. Just burn it to a CD and you're done. Ubuntu goes ever further. If you don't have a broadband connection or can't burn your own CDs, Canonical will send you a free CD in the mail. For other ways to get it see here and here (look for the 8.04 LTS Desktop edition).

As with DropMyRights there is no down side to having a Linux Live CD at the ready.

Extras

The Live Ubuntu CD offers a very handy extra, a ram diagnostic program. Below you see the options presented when booting from the CD. The first option 'Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer' runs Ubuntu from the CD. The fourth option 'Test memory' invokes the Memtest86+ ram diagnostic.

When Windows is acting up, a ram diagnostic is always a good thing to try. Memtest86+ will run forever if you let it. I'd run it for about 8 hours. Look at the 'Pass' and the 'Errors' column. Eight hours should be enough time, on most computers, for quite a few passes through the ram. Needless to say, we want zero errors. They'll be hard to miss, Memtest86+ displays details about any errors in bright red.

Bought a new computer? A few hours worth of ram testing is highly recommended.

In researching this, I also tried the Linux Mint Live CD which seems like it provides access to Memtest86+. It didn't. In my virtual machine, the Live CD ISO booted straight to the Linux desktop. Likewise, the 'hybrid' Live CD of Mandriva Linux 2008 Spring One also didn't offer a boot time menu, but instead booted to the desktop after asking some questions about my preferred language and country.

OpenSUSE version 11 has a boot menu that, like Ubuntu, offers a 'Memory Test' (see below). It too invokes Memtest86+, in fact, it runs version 2.01 which is newer than the version included with Ubuntu 8.04.

Ultimate Boot CD for Windows

The Linux user interface isn't all that different from Windows. Still, if you're allergic to Linux, or married to Microsoft, then check out the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows. It's the closest thing I've found to a Linux Live CD, in fact the price is the same: free.

Redhat Linux Live Cd Download

The downside however, is that it requires a Windows XP or Server 2003 CD and support for Vista is far from complete. In a nutshell, its an XP thing. Also, there are a number of steps to creating the CD, it's more involved than simply burning an ISO file.

But, if you spend time with UBCD for Windows you can run assorted anti-malware programs from the CD you create to (hopefully) disinfect a copy of Windows. Even without anti-malware, it comes with a huge list of useful reporting and diagnostic programs. I was introduced to my favorite disk image backup program, Drive Image XML from Runtime Software by UBCD for Windows. If nothing else, it too, can be used to copy files off a computer when Windows won't boot. Highly recommended.