I have Windows XP on machine without CD. I want to test out if Linux will be compabitile with the system. Is there an alternative way to run a Live distro without CD? I talking major distribution, like Ubuntu, Debian, SUSE, or Mandriva.

I could not find a place in this forum for learning about linux. I want to know where I can ask questions about linux. I am getting a new pc built I will receive it in about 4 months. I want to use linux because I do not like windows xp at all. I hate it. My pc is going to be built for gaming. I was wondering how many games are compatible on Linux. A friend of mine told me to use Windows XP media center but I hate XP. I would like to use linux but if it is for gaming I don't know if it is a good idea to switch to linux.

I think you can install Damn Small Linux on one of those USB keys. If your PC will boot from that, you should be able to test it. If that runs, Debian will run.

Note to czahn2001: Start your own thread.

I would be glad to start my own thread but I don't know where to go.

Unfortunately can't get the USB to boot. BIOS is either too old or I just don't know how to configure it properly. Tried fixing this in another thread, trying some way around it, been working on this issue for week now. So hope there is some way to test Linux, like get an EXE file that runs Linux somehow... I have run Floppy-based distros in the past, but these don't use enough hardware, such as X and such to adequately test out the suitability of the system.

Try this link:http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...=newthread&f=8
Hope you best luck getting your question answered.

This site actually installs Debian inside Windows, I think Debian actually winds up being installed as an .exe file. For sure it uses an .exe file for the installation. Haven't tried it, so you should study it a bit first. I have heard of people who did it successfully.

What are the basic specs of this computer? The amount of RAM, in particular, will be important to determine what can run on it.

Is this computer on a network of some sort, and is there another computer with a CD drive? If so, then it's possible to use Knoppix or various Knoppix variants to knoppix-terminalserver (lookup "Knoppix PXE FAQ" for detailed info). On a LAN, it's only really necessary for one computer to have a CD drive in order for any/all of them to run Knoppix.

You need to be able to do PXE network boot on the diskless computer to get it to work. For a newer motherboard with on-board NIC, this is simply a matter of changing a BIOS setting. For an older motherboard with a NIC card, the NIC card usually lacks a PXE boot ROM. The alternative is to use a boot floppy, which includes a small PXE bootloader. This floppy is specific to the NIC's chip. Here's a web site with good directions on how to make such a floppy:

http://overclockix.octeams.com/How_t...lding_Farm.htm

You can format the floppies in Windows; the above instructions assume you're using Linux. If you don't know how to write a floppy image onto a floppy in Windows, just boot up Knoppix and use the Linux instructions.

You asked the specs. I have some stuff picked out but I have to wait to get to the states to get all the specs. So far it has 2 hard drives one 40 gig and another 250 gig and it has 2 dvd burners 1 gig of ram, nvidia gforce 256 tv out. I can't decide on what nvidia gforce I am going to use but When I am there to order the pieces I will know. So I have to wait.

Thanks! Those specs indicate that your computer will be plenty powerful enough to handle any Linux distribution. 1gig of RAM is plenty!

But I'm confused--you indicate that you have 2 dvd burners. Can you not boot from them?

Most likely, your motherboard has on-board ethernet capable of PXE booting. In that case, it's possible to try out Knoppix on a LAN as long as one of the other computers can boot from the CD. It won't be the fastest thing in the world, but you'll be able to see if the hardware is auto-detected.

http://knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.p...5a42269b38c222

Here is a long(very long) thread concerning " run knooppix on a stand alone system without cdrom and without changing the mbr
nor the single ntfs partition".

Never tried it.. but you could look at VmWare and trying to download an appliance of the distro you want to try. This would more or less allow Linux to run in a window, on the Windows desktop.

IGF

Sorry for the confusion, czahn2001 is continuing to hijack this thread... My machine has 256 MB RAM, 800 MHz processor and no CD/DVD drives. Will be slow but will work (I had another computer with identical specs that I ran many liveCDs on). Not connected to a network but has internet connection. I will see if I can network another machine to it though and try out your suggestions.

That machine will probably run most versions of Linux(assuming no oddball hardware etc..).

Have you considered just putting a cheap CDR in the PC?.. They can be had fairly cheap, and it would make this much easier.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...43377&CatId=87

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106980

Good luck..

IGF

I am sorry if I am hijacking. I had no intension. If you don't want me to chat here then I won't I am not trying to cause trouble.

I thought of the pc It is going to cost me 500 dollars for the works. I am getting it built by a close friend.

I am sorry I had no intension of causing trouble.

No trouble at all...I think I now realize source of your confusion, and in part the fault is my own when I selected a username with an unintended homonym.