Try Linux without Installation with Linux Live CDs
It’s the 4th Friday of the month and you know it’s time for your favorite A Gentle Introduction to Linux for Non-Geeks again! We’ve been talking about what Linux is and how it is different from Microsoft Windows; now we’re finally going to get our hands dirty and actually start playing with Linux. Throughout the next couple of weeks, we’ll be looking at different ways you can run a Linux system directly on your Windows. Today, we’ll learn the easiest way to have a working Linux system on your PC without any installation using a Live CD.
A Live CD is a CD-ROM carrying a Live Operating System. How is it “Live”? typically, to run an OS (such as Windows), the OS would have to be installed on the hard disc. A Live OS, however, can be booted directly from a Live CD without any installation. You can keep your Windows and still use a Live CD to play with Linux. When you want to go back to your Windows, simply reboot the PC from your hard disc again. You don’t know what I’m talking about? Let’s give it a try already.
You can choose any Live Systems from this list. Today for our example we’ll be using Ubuntu Linux, a popular distro based on Debian Linux (remember our ice cream analogy? Think of the Ubuntu flavored ice cream as Debian flavored ice cream with more milk and extra toppings).
You can order the Ubuntu Live CD completely free of charge here, but the delivery can take up to 10 weeks. This is an alternative if you don’t have a broadband Internet connection and you don’t want to spend any money buying the CD from other vendors. If you have a broadband connection (using a modem dial-up connection, you’ll be spending days downloading the 700MB file), do the following:
1. Go to http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
2. Choose the release you want (if you don’t know, choose the Desktop Edition)
3. Choose the type of computer you use (if you don’t know, choose Standard Personal Computer)
4. Choose a location near you (if you don’t know, you need to stop smoking that funny stuff)
5. Click “start download” and save the .iso file on your hard disc.
6. Now you need to burn the .iso file to an blank CD-ROM. IMPORTANT: make sure you don’t simply copy the .iso file to your CD-ROM, but choose the “burn image” option in your program. Read instructions here if you don’t have a CD burner.
7. Once you’ve finished burning the CD, you’re all set! Reboot (restart) your PC. Make sure you boot the PC from the CD (if the PC boots from the hard disc, it will load the Windows system. How do you boot from the CD? This varies from PC to PC. Try the F2 or F12 key when the computer starts or read the user’s guide that comes with your PC).
8. When your PC successfully boots from the CD, you maybe be first asked to choose your language and be presented with a list of options. Choose “Try Ubuntu without any change to your computer”.
9. After that just play the waiting game. Depending on your PC, it may take some 5 to 10 minutes before you see Ubuntu. Once you do, it’s time to play! The first thing you notice is that the taskbar is on the top (whereas it’s usually at the bottom in a Windows system). Feel free to click around and try everything out (you may not want to click “install Ubuntu” yet at the stage though) as nothing will be written to the hard disc. You might notice the system is slower than your Windows system, and that’s because this is a Live System. An installed Linux system will run a lot faster, most likely faster than your Windows. Note too that some stuff might not be working either (no sound, no printer, etc.) and that is perfectly normal. We will learn how to fix these problems much later; right now, just play around with it and see what works and what not.
10. When you want to shut down or go back to your Windows, go to the taskbar and click “System” and choose “Quit” from the drop down menu. Choose either “restart” or “shutdown”. You’ll be asked to remove the disc. Follow the instructions.
That’s all there is to it. Easy isn’t it? You can play with Linux anytime you want without altering your Windows system from now on. Have fun!
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