Why you want a Linux Live CD

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.

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.

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.

See a summary of all my Defensive Computing postings.

[CmdrRickHunter]

I live and die by linux liveCDs.

You mentioned NTFS support. I have actually had a live CD which could read a harddrive that was too corrupted for window's own drivers to read! Saved a lot of data that way.

That being said, don't be a loser like me... BACK YOUR DATA UP!

[Mad_Ivan]

I must respectfully submit that it _is_ possible to run Windows XP (or at least a reasonable subset of it) solely from a CD. Please look at BartPE (http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/); I use it all the time to check out systems that I believe are seriously infected with viruses and other malware. Granted, it takes a bit of sophistication to create a useful BartPE CD (i.e., with anti-virus software), but it _is_ real Windows.

That being said, the author has the right idea - *EVERY* user of even minimal skill should have an ``alternate´´ bootable environment on CD to use in case of emergency.

- JDB

[mhinnewyork]

Ivan - I agree about BartPE, but the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows is based on BartPE and I've had very good experiences with UBCD so I chose to focus on that. Michael Horowitz

[3rdalbum]

Ubuntu actually gave me the means to remove zlob.downloader from my father's computer. It can't be removed from within the running Windows instance as "the file is busy". Yeah, any other operating system with NTFS read/write drivers could have done the same, but Ubuntu was the one I had at hand :-)

[jacko9388]

I wasn't too impressed with the article. Actually I didn't even read the entire thing. I know next to nothing about MS Windows XP / Vista in terms of actual use since I haven't owned a MS Windows computer since 2003- the last I owned ran MS Windows ME. However, I do know (although next to nothing about) MS Windows can run from CD if something like BartPE is used. I take it that CNET is just coming to grips with the fact GNU/Linux exists! Why else bother putting out such an article? Everybody knows this little LiveCD thing exists already. Welcome to the world! Anyway- it is a shame that people don't double check this kind of article with someone in the know before they publish it/blog it.

[mhinnewyork]

I'm not impressed with you either. UBCD is at the end of the article. UBCD for Windows is based on BartPE. And, I don't work for CNET, their bloggers are independent. For better or worse, CNET does not offer any input to what I write. And, I wrote about Linux earlier. It's a shame CNET lets people like you make comments, but without one of George Carlins famous words, they don't delete comments. Michael Horowitz

[danneauxs]

Seriously "everybody"??????? Not even close. Articles like this are not for the FEW in the know; they are for people who come to CNET for advice and to LEARN. I've "known" about liveCD's for years but haven't looked at them since almost their inception. They were trick and buggy and hardware sensititve. Just recently have I tried them again; admittedly as an alternative to getting an older computer set up for a parent to surf with, but the point is that though I've burnt 15+ different ISO's trying to find the one I like the best it never occured to me to give copies of the one I choose to friends and family to *** use as a back up operating system ****. I'd probably take one with me to fix someones problem but if they had their own and booted live to play with it it might save me a trip. It's good advice and it's good updated information for people who only know the BIG 2 - windows and mac platforms. Assuming everyone knows something is just plain ignorant and heck snobbish. There's always someone who could benefit .

[JImmyJungJung]

Linux Live CDs rock. Only way to go man.
www.FireMe.To/udi

[alt117]

I wasn't that impressed by jacko's comment. Actually, I didn't even read the whole thing. After the first line, I figured it was by some know it all, too cool for CNET, but still read and comment to CNET troll.

Can someone tell me if I was right?

[mhinnewyork]

Wow, *great* rebuttal to a heckler. Any standup comic would be jealous. Michael Horowitz

[rdj262]

I didn't mean to switch to Linux....
As an XP power user, I was happy with my exceedingly tweeked and very stable XP box. But a few weeks back, on June 30th (when MS decided to stop selling XP) I ran across an article on easily creating a dual-boot system with both XP and Linux. Since I was not too happy about the idea of having to switch to Vista in the near future, I figured I'd play around with Linux a little - just for future reference in case I still didn't want to use Vista... So I downloaded, burned to CD, and installed Ubuntu. The whole process was done in less than 30 minutes. Linux was SO easy and elegant (yes elegant) I couldn't believe it! Firefox 3 was the same. Open office would open my MS Office docs. Picasa managed my photos. For every bit of software I used in XP, there was a solution (often better) for Linux. The GUI can be made to look better than Vista (much cooler effects, shiny buttons, etc...) with only a few mouse clicks - and without being a strain on the system! (Linux, fully loaded, takes about 250 meg of RAM) Funny thing happened over the next few days: I found myself booting into Linux (Kubuntu) more than XP. As I type this, Linux has been running for four days. XP? What XP? I can't believe I didn't do this sooner!

[bjrosen]

The term LiveCD is dated, these days the best way to do it is to install the LiveCD to a USB stick, this is a much more powerful tool especially if you add an overlay which allows you to add software and data to the USB stick. The advantages of the USB FLASH approach are,

1) It's tiny, you can carry it on your keychain.
2) It's much faster than a CD
3) You can add additional software that is useful for system recovery. On my Fedora USB stick I've added the following,
parted and gparted, these are partition editors. parted is command line, gparted is the GUI version.
Xemacs, this is the best text editor there is.
dd, this allows you do duplicate partitions, even Windows partitions.
sys_basher, this is a hardware exerciser. It's useful for testing the system.

In addition I have my secure shell keys so that I can access any of my systems from anywhere in the world.

Here is the Link to the Fedora on USB Wiki
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FedoraLiveCD/USBHowTo