Hello

I'd like to find the lightest possible live ISO file, so I can use it as a basis to add some applications my users often need to recover Windows hosts, and then generate a custom ISO file ready to be burned on a USB key.

The requirements are:
- Nice look 'n feel (as a counter-example, I don't like Damn Small Linux, although I know they did this to keep it very small)
- Boots and runs fast, even on older PC's, so that users don't complain of any sluggishness
- As small as possible without sacrificing esthetics + hardware support (display, in particular, so that users aren't stuck in 800x600)

I guess the best bet would be Xubuntu, but would like some feedback from experienced users whether this is indeed my best option considering the above requirements.

Thank you.

if your using 10.04 you can use ubuntu mini remix as a base and edit some scripts i made to remaster it?
http://www.ubuntu-mini-remix.org/

scripts here
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...ml#post4074415

the scripts arent made to just run by themselves, I just copy/paste stuff into term as I'm building it/them

if you need X preinstalled then it matters what distro you want it based off of?

I got stuff to remaster debian,arch,slackware, and derbuntu
and will help if you need it?

Thanks for the infos. I have no preference, although Debian seems like the major distribution these days. I would just like a distribution with good hardware support to minimize calls for support. For instance, I recently tried a Xubuntu 9.10 live ISO, but it would only boot in 800x600 on a two-year old desktop (Nvidia graphic card).

Apparently, Ubuntu is more active than Debian; If that's the case, I guess a Ubuntu-based light distribution would be a good bet?

What about RedHat-based distros like Fedora or CentOS?

There's also Gentoo, which is apparently a thing in itself.

Thank you.

ubuntu vs debian
debian desktops will run lighter than ubuntu's
like debian with xfce will run faster/lighter than xubuntu

but ubuntu has many more "helper" apps for installing drivers,etc
more windows-like

I would use either 10.04 or debian squeeze

fedora is ok, but is bleeding edge and breakable whereas centos is far behind many distros
so I wouldnt use either, my opinion

gentoo would take awhile to build and has dependency loop issues as do most source-based distros

slackware is most stable I ever used but must be configured alot,etc

so whats a good base?

lubuntu 10.04 + remastersys
debian squeeze netinstall + remastersys
slackware current + linux-live (modified)
arch + linux-live (modified)

arch is good cause its pretty fast, has a huge wiki and many 3rd party pkgs via AUR
but must be configured as with slack

debian/ubuntu will be easiest to build/configure

SliTaz is my suggestion. The ISO is about 30mb and it contains fantastic tools (Tazlito, TazUSB) for remastering your own "spin."

Your 800x600 resolution "problem" is due to the Nvidia graphics requiring special drivers. Honestly though, if it is a system recovery tool, who cares about the resolution and eye candy? Frankly everything you need can probably be done from the command line, no GUI necessary (unless you are not telling us the whole story).

Thanks guys for the great input.

The goal of the project is to present users with just a file manager (so they can extract data from their dead Windows disk and copy them on a RW partition on the USB key), and possibly a couple more applications. I won't provide applications to install drivers, since this project is meant for users who don't know a peripheral from a hole in the ground.

That's why good hardware detection/support is important: In that respect, is Ubuntu a better option than Debian, Slackware, Arch?

As for the screen definition: In the absolute, I agree that it doesn't matter if they get stuck in 800x600, but a particular application I tried complains if X is not running in at least 1024x768 (removing the NV driver and adding the Nouveau driver solved the Nvidia-related issue).

I'll read up on "remastersys" and "linux-live" to see what my options are to start building a light ISO as basis for this project.

Thank you.

It seems you've already found a lot of nice suggestions, but I'd like to add puppy linux to the list - it's only around 100-150mb, looks nice, I've never had problem with hardware support, though I would still recommend you burn the .iso and try it out before you hand it off to your clients.
it loads into RAM on most machines so once it's booted it moves very quickly, comes with some handy tools (gparted being the one I use the most on it), and it's pretty newbie-friendly in my experience.

Thanks, I'll also check Puppy Linux.

I'll just throw slax in the mix too