Knoppix is a "live distribution" of Linux which requires no install. No changes are made to the hard disk drive and its therefore quite good for trying Linux. But even that can be troubling to get working without any clues! So, how?
Step 1
Before you download Knoppix, take a look at some more information at the Knoppix Website. If you prefer (or are on dial-up), you can buy a disc from On Disk or other suppliers and skip to step 5.
Step 2
Click on a location (preferably the one nearest to you) from this list (don't worry about FTP or HTTP). Click on an image file (with the extension .iso) to download it.
Step 3
After the download is completed, and if you know what a checksum (md5) is, you might want to check it for errors. Otherwise don't worry.
Step 4
Burn the image file "as an image" (which will contain lot of files on a disc), rather than "a data disc" (which will simply contain an .iso file on a disc). Windows XP allows users to directly burn files through Windows Explorer but does NOT support burning as images. Use something like InfraRecorder or ImgBurn instead.
Step 5
When the disc is done, reboot your computer with the disc left in.
Step 6
If all goes well, you'll be asked if you want to load Knoppix. Press return to start and it will load itself to your system's memory. Be patient, it could take 5 minutes.
Step 7
After it's done, click on the K button at the bottom left to bring up a menu like the Windows start menu. Choose an application and click on it to begin using it.
Step 8
Actually installing Knoppix to your hard disk drive isn't recommended, but to do so, read instructions from the official website or try KanotiX.
Tips
- If you don't have a decent connection, you can use a download manager to resume broken downloads.
- If you have a BitTorrent client you can download Knoppix as a torrent.
- PC still boots to Windows? Reboot then press F10 or F12 as soon as the first messages appear on your screen to enter your BIOS. Change the primary boot location to your optical disc (CD/DVD) drive, save the settings and reboot again.
- To install to hard disk drive which can wipe Windows and all your data, open konsole and type sudo knoppix-installer
- If Knoppix is close, but not quite exactly what you're looking for in a live distribution, check out the other offerings at http://livecdlist.com/ -- there are a tremendous variety listed there, some with specific specializations.
- If you look at the Knoppix website, they should have information on "Knoppix acceleration". You can install parts of Knoppix to a hard drive to speed it up.
- If you want to try or even install a version of Linux within Windows and without rebooting, download and install a virtual machine program.
Warnings
- Be sure that your video card is supported before installing it (this is true of virtually all cards made in the past 6 or 7 years).
