BleepingComputer.com: Using Linux From A Cd

Could someone please give me step-by-step instructions on how to use Linux from a CD? Every time I put the CD in the D drive it behaves as thought it wants to install on the computer. I don’t want to install it on my computer’s hard drive, maybe someday on an external drive. I’m a novice to computers so baby steps please. And please, no abbreviations because I’m already having a hard time figuring out what they mean on other posts. I am currently using Windows XP. Thanks.

Where have you sourced the disk from? You need to have a Live CD, rather than the installer. If it's downloaded as an iso and burned to CD, get the Live distribution instead.

Thanks for addressing my question. I requested the CD from their website and it was mailed to me. What's the difference between a Live CD and an Installer?

Tanty, on Sep 21 2008, 04:54 PM, said:

Linux LiveCD

LiveCD information

Cryptodan, I do appreciate you stopping by and reading my question but I need more help than just links.
I came here to learn about something I have no knowledge of; just directing me to a link/links without any explanation is not very helpful to me. Looking at those sites I cannot make head or tail because I don't know what I'm doing or looking at. Those links would be beneficial to someone who understand what they are doing know what they are looking for

A live cd simply loads the operating system into your RAM without doing anything to your hard drive. It gives you a chance to play around with it and see if you like it. An alternative to that is to install with something called wubi. It installs the Linux distribution into windows, so it will load like any other program.
I'm not sure what the issue is with the cd you got. When i started it I downloaded the liveCD, messed around with it for a while, then decided to repartition and install it, also off that disk. Should be optons somewhere on what you want to do. You want the one that says something like Don't change the harddrive

The two links I provided gave you all the information you needed to answer your questions. The LiveCD link as well gave you many different flavors to try since each linux distro uses different package management systems.

Live CD: boot from CD into a full linux GUI and start using it. Most Linux distributers offer LiveCD.

Installer CD: boot from CD only to install on a hard disk.

Live + Installer CD: it allows to do both, as you please. Some such linux boot into GUI and there you can install. Others offer to install at boot time.

Thanks guys/gals for your help!
Smurfgod - your explanation was very helpful; don't get me wrong everyone, you were helpful too. But Smurfgod was more simplified and just the kind of help I'm looking for.

Tanty, on Sep 21 2008, 11:46 PM, said:

And you couldn't get that information from the WikiArticle I linked you too?

Not a problem, glad to help. Hope you like Linux

Hello, all

This is my first post-

I noticed nobody mentioning Puppy Linux...it loads in ram - when is is loaded, you can take the CD out and use the CD drive, and when you finish your session you have the option of creating a "pupsave" file up to 1.25GB usually found in C:\ -- You can also use a thumb drive and with a cd and thumb drive you have your customized version available on any computer using either windows or linux. You can save files, music and your own wallpaper without ever having to compromise a windows installation. If windows gets hosed, you can copy the pup files and reinstall them again without losing anything.....

I also use Freespire version 1 (don't like FS2 based on Ubuntu) on a dual boot laptop and am currently using Absolute Linux on an old PIII 500MHz with reasonable success. I have used dozens of distros and treat them like the flavor of the month -- some are better than others, depending on what you want to do...I am by no means a Linux guru but I have played with writing simple shell scripts and configurations as I needed to -- I have read a few books like the Linux Bible and still have a lot to learn

Live CDs are ok but some of them I have problems saving any work I may have done on USB or external drives, maybe it is me, but Puppy seemed to be the easiest to use and save work in. Abiword is the word processor and it is also available for windows -- you can mount the Windows HD and extract files or save there with puppy also

Check it out