Floppy Disk Linux

codedv · 11-27-2003, 05:13 AM

I am looking for a distrubution of Linux I can fit on less than 3 floppy disks- and have it boot into ram rather than using a hard disk. Does anyone know if they exist?

scott_R · 11-27-2003, 05:40 AM

Yes, they exist. Unfortunately, it can be a pain finding which one is actively maintained. I'd try google, and http://www.distrowatch.com/ for some pointers. Your biggest problem might be deciding which one is best for you. Oh, and don't expect the distro to be all that powerful. Most are for simple jobs like routing or troubleshooting. None will compete with a standard OS, from an "easy to use" point.

Huddlebum · 11-27-2003, 09:36 PM

Distrowatch doesn't list any floppy-based distributions. Look at their FAQ, it says so.

spurious · 11-27-2003, 09:49 PM

See the old ibiblio.org distro list.

The classic linux-on-floppy is Tom's Root Boot.

There's also a floppy distro called 1diskx, which is linux + X11 on one floppy. Download from ftp.berlios.de or see the Freshmeat page.

codedv · 11-28-2003, 08:56 AM

Thanks for the help.

What I need it for I so I can boot and mount a Windows 2000 NTFS drive and backup the password file. This means I can go into the system and make changes to all user accounts without having to ask them to reset their passwords.

It basically just needs to have the ability to run self contained in RAM without writing any files to the hard disk.

P.S - I don't see why not a CD distro would work either

spurious · 11-29-2003, 02:30 AM

Tom's Root Boot has ntfs support -- it was designed for system rescue.

If you can boot from cd, try Knoppix and its variants at http://www.knoppix.net. Knoppix also has ntfs support.

codedv · 11-29-2003, 02:42 AM

Thanks very much for all the help. I'll let you know how I get on.