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What Live CDs Do You Carry Around?
Posted by
Cliff
on Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:29 PM
from the another-tool-in-the-toolbox dept.
from the another-tool-in-the-toolbox dept.
TPC asks: "I recently acquired a small CD case that fits 12 CDs. I figured that it would be useful to always carry around a few CDs to use when helping others with computer issues, or in case something goes wrong with my own computer. However, I'm having a hard time deciding what CDs to pick, and there are probably many hidden gems out there. I'm sure I'm not the first person with this idea, so I ask you: What 12 live (and otherwise) CDs would you carry around?"
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Knoppix (Score:4, Insightful)
After that's its a disc with common hardware drivers, Java 1.5, Eclipse, Apache, MySql and PHP
Re:Knoppix (Score:5, Informative)
It's got the important bits without the extra. Also can load to RAM, which is very nice for working with backups on systems that only have one optical drive. I'm not sure, but I believe it only requires 128mb or RAM or so.
Parent
Re:Knoppix (Score:4, Funny)
Note to moderators: please do not moderate this post up, unless it falls beneath the default threshhold - unless the parent post falls below as well. I want this information visible and I simply forgot to add it to the parent post, and do not wish moderation points to be wasted. Thanks.
Parent
Slax (Score:4, Interesting)
I went with Slax rather than something like DSL for a number of reasons. But the main one is that of all the really small live distros, it was the only one I could find with a 2.6 kernel, which translates to better hardware support for all of the weird computers I have to work on (they are mostly one or at most two years old).
We are encouraged to carry Knoppix CDs as well, and they are available in the office, but it's really, really nice to be able to have a live USB drive. Plus only a relatively small amount of the total software on a Knoppix CD is for data recovery and so forth, and all of the essential tools in this area are present in most of the small distros like Slax or DSL.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
-nB
Re:Knoppix (Score:4, Insightful)
I just carry around disc#1 of the current Slackware set, which I use to boot from.
SLAX [slax.org]
Parent
my list (Score:2, Informative)
knoppix is a must for linux
keep a fedora boot cd (or other common platforms in your line of work)
windows XP install cd (for recovery- or substitute with appropriate windows server version)
You can probably get away with those and the boot cds for any OS you are likely to work on (Solaris install cd, IRIX insttools, whatever)
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Knoppix CD & DVD
the Insert distro
BartPE {tweaked to include Symantec Ghost and XP keygrabbers}
MemTest x86
the Win95C, 98, 98SE, 2000, XP Home/Pro/OEM/SP2 Cds, with DOS on floppy...
{yes, we STILL get the occasional 286....}
Live? (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
I work in a Windows shop and I use the Gentoo install-x86-minimal-2006.1 [gentoo.org] CD regularly to pull files from old crashed Win2k hard drives. It's nice, for me.
Re: (Score:2, Offtopic)
Re: (Score:2)
With the extra space I carry:
The latest Sabayon DVD (because it looks cool and I can show off XGL/AIGLX to all the people that think Vista is cool and/or unique)
A Gentoo CD because I never took it out when I moved to Sabayon.
WHAX for when I'm going to be close to some kind of restricted hot-spot.
A bootable CD with Ghost on it.
And of course a Knoppix/Ubuntu/Mepis or whatever the cool live CD is for the week.
(not to mention a bootable USB thumb drive. It goes a bit faster and allows me
Ubuntu 6.06 LTS, Damnsmalllinux, UBCD (Score:5, Interesting)
I plan on ordering Ubuntu discs from ShipIt, and handing them out at the Vista launch event on January 9th.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Offline NT Password & Registry Editor (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Offline NT Password & Registry Editor (Score:3, Insightful)
I usually keep a copy of the UBCD [ultimatebootcd.com] around to test out SMART failures, flaky memory, etc. and fix boot problems and other miscellaneous junk.
Apart from those, I also have to give the nod to Knoppix or the STD Knoppix for other types of recovery.
Re:Offline NT Password & Registry Editor (Score:3, Informative)
BART PE, others (Score:4, Informative)
For Mac OS X emergency repairs, a Mac OS X bootable disk
For everything else, a bootable Linux disk with the tools I think I need that day.
For general use, TheOpenCD. This also has a Windows partition so I can show my XP-loving friends the joys of Free-as-in-beer-and-liberty software.
Kill disk (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Kill disk (Score:4, Interesting)
Parent
My CDs (Score:2, Informative)
Knoppix [knoppix.org]
Damn Small Linux [damnsmalllinux.org]
List (Score:4, Interesting)
Knoppix
Never know when you need to pull files from a disk with a FUBAR boot sector
AV Disc
Need your disk with AVAST, Ad-Aware, and other virus removal tools
Windows XP
Sometimes a re-install is just easier
Fedora
Just in case you have an open-minded subject prone to viruses, you can get them using Linux. (Of course, this takes multiple disc spaces.)
MS Office
To fix those pesky Office corruptions
Open Office
Once again, for those open-minded folks who wouldn't really know the difference anyway.
Misc software
Adobe, Quicktime, Firefox, Opera, J2RE, etc. Those pretty much handle any random computer problems most people have.
Re:List (Score:4, Interesting)
Agreed.
Pick your favorite antivirus (I use antivir because it's idiot proof) and put it on a thumb drive. Make sure to have the Win 98 drivers for said drive (they can be on the drive itself, and you can install them using Knoppix)
Agreed, reluctantly. If you're gonna go this way, though, you'll also need to carry an external hard drive for back-up purposes, and an XP disk is pretty much useless without this. Plus, computers ship with one, so chances are someone else has one.
This wouldn't be slashdot if we didn't fight about what distro to carry. I would say the best newbie distro might be Ubuntu, but we could argue about this all day.
Why bother? You can fit the installer on a 1 gig thumb drive, but OOO suits everyones needs (I have yet to run across a home user who actually needed Word), without requiring a keygen.
Thumb drive.
Yes. But add in Foxit (loads faster), Flash, XP SP2 standalone installer, the dot net framework 2.0, an XP password recovery tool, 7-zip, winrar, the Community Compiled Codec Pack and VLC.
I've been using this basic set-up for years, and it works amazingly well.
Parent
6 blank CD-Rs and 6 blank DVD-Rs (Score:2, Informative)
Also, with near-ubiquitous internet access these days, the chances of not having a critical driver is almost zero. And any particularly hard to get drivers I keep on my laptop.
So now I pretty much just keep blank C
Mix of Linux and Windows tools (Score:5, Informative)
Memtest86 [memtest86.com]--because the RAM in the cheap PCs I come across sucks. Some of the other tool CDs have this one as well, I like to get the latest one regularly here. Good for stress testing, and even handy for figuring out things like whether the RAM is running correctly in dual-channel mode.
SystemRescueCD [sysresccd.org]--I particularly like the partition editor and imaging utilities. Been weaning myself off Partition Magic/Drive Image even for Windows work with these two.
Ubuntu [ubuntu.com] live CD and DVD. The CD works in more systems, the DVD version is a completely usable system with a lot of stuff in it. What most impresses me about the Ubuntu live disc is that I can download packages over the network and install them, even thing that run as services, from the live environment. I actually got PostgreSQL installed and some database tests completed, all without a single Postgres file on the media.
Knoppix [knopper.net]--Some days, your first choice in Linux live CDs just doesn't work on a random machine; that's why I still carry around this one as a backup.
Bart PE [nu2.nu]--A bit of a pain to build the first time, but very handy for fixing Windows machines.
Offline NT Password & Registry Editor [eunet.no]--this one has been less useful lately, as I've been running into NTFS partitions it really doesn't want to write to. My fallback position is to use this to generate a new SAM file, then copy it over with a BartPE disc.
RedHat [redhat.com] Enterprise 3 and 4 CDs. While not technically live CDs, you can do a lot with booting into this environment, and I deal with enough people running RedHat versions that they're worth carrying around. I still keep one of the older versions around so I have something running the 2.4 kernel to tests against; occasionally I'll run into some old hardware that 2.6 pukes on, while 2.4 still works great.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
But nice selection, I have a custom built windows XP home edition OEM slipstream too, it loads most major MOBO drivers, has ability to load nvidia and ati offerings too, as well as firefox, spybot, adaware (used with permission), java vm, dotnetfx, about 80 windows updates since sp2 and videolan player. It also has a few 3dmarks, some game demos and sp2 saved in a (not copied at install time) directory. Fits on a 4.2G dvd
Re: (Score:2)
It is also on ubuntu live cds, right there on the boot menu.
Redundant! (in a gay voice) (Score:2)
The rest of it I can see, except for the NT Password thing. BartPE can, I believe, do all that rescue and more, and it actually works on XP SP2.
Depends on what you fix... (Score:3, Informative)
However if you deal with Windows systems, look to keep "The Ultimate Boot CD for Windows" in you list. http://www.ubcd4win.com/ [ubcd4win.com]
LinuxDefender Live is also another good one to have.
Slayer DOA (Score:3, Informative)
Portable Win32 apps (Score:4, Informative)
However, I'm going to my parents' home for the Xmas holidays, so I'll be using their WinXP machine. I happened to have a USB flash drive lying around, so I packed it with portable FOSS Win32 packages from , including FireFox, Thunderbird, GIMP, OpenOffice etc. These packages install everything, including dlls, into an application folder and are executed directly from the USB drive. The added benefit is that you can copy these packages from machine to machine simply by copying the application folders; there is no need to run an installer every time or alter the Registry. [portableapps.com]
1 disk (Score:4, Informative)
Hiren's Boot CD [ntlworld.com]
Re: (Score:2)
I don't carry it around on a CD (Score:4, Informative)
Throwing Copper (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
"Birds of Pray" was a disappointment. "The Distance to Here" is my favorite.
Current Knoppix DVD... (Score:2)
What's a CD? (Score:2)
I carry a bootable 1gb USB drive (which is nearly full... should've gone for at least 2gb, maybe 4gb). I have Damn Small Linux (the embedded version) on it at the moment but I had a working BartPE too at one point.
I don't typically boot off of it though. Usually just launch the many Windows tools I keep on it. Although DSL Embedded comes packaged with qemu for both Windows and Linux along with respective batch files for each OS to launch qemu with the bootable DSL as the guest os... which is really nea
Re:What's a CD? (Score:5, Insightful)
I do not carry diagnostics on a USB flash drive. In an instant they can be silently corrupted without you knowing. They don't have a write protect. That alone makes them unusable to carry from client to client. You need idiot proof diagnostic media so an accidental reboot does not permit the worm on a system from hitching a ride with you to your next client. I only permit write protected media for all my diagnostics. A floppy with the write tab punched out or glued open, a single closed session CDR, or DVD is OK, but a writable USB drive is not OK to use by service people at my site.
Parent
Virus-cleaners need to be on Read-Only (Score:3, Informative)
None (Score:2)
HURD (Score:3, Funny)
No, seriously [superunprivileged.org]... whenever a system crashes, you can pop it in, and BAM - you get the certain knowledge that, no matter how bad things might be, you're at least one step above absolute rock bottom.
Knoppix, UBCD, Ubuntu (Score:4, Interesting)
I most recently booted a multi-terabyte server off the Knoppix thumb drive to run memtest overnight in an attempt to track down some hardware flakiness.
UBCD is a lifesaver for borked Windows machines.
Ubuntu is the best end-user live CD I've seen. It works well on my laptop, even getting wireless right.
--Pat
Finnix (Score:3, Informative)
Oh, and I'm kinda required to carry Finnix, since I'm the author. Oops
DBAN (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't (Score:3, Interesting)
Do your homework first, and you don't need to bring so much with you.
For problems serious enough that I'd want to boot form a live CD, I generally don't do service on site. I take the computer with me where I can hook it up and have access to any and all tools I might need, including a working computer with Internet access. Major reason is that quite often the problem is disk failure. Well in that case I need the data backed up and fast. You do not want ot be trying that off a live CD on a potentially faulty machine. You want that disk in a computer you know is good, with good cooling on it, so you can quickly do a local copy of the important stuff (and the whole disk, if that works).
Unless you are doing work on computers at really remote locations, that's how I'd do it.
If you are just asking what kinds of CDs to have. Well, I dunno, depends on what you have access to, and how much time you are willing to spend. Off the top of my head the recovery CDs that get the most use at work are Windows PE, the Windows XP and 2000 install CDs, Knoppix, Memtest86+, Ghost (few different ones configured for different NICs), Spinrite, the Sysinternals tools, XP SP2/2K SP4/etc, the AV/anti-spyware USB stick (so it can be updated), drivers CDs for various hardware configurations, disk diags for various vendors, and Partition Magic. There's more, I just can't think of them now and those are the ones I probably use the most.
For Windows, spend some money (Score:3, Interesting)
I used to carry BartPE [nu2.nu] and I still recommend it to budget-constrained folks. However, spending some money for Winternals [winternals.com] was one of the best things my employer ever did. It boots faster, comes with more and better tools by default, and gives me the easy network awareness that makes it possible for me to do my job better.
On the free side, when trying to revive the virus-infested home computers of friends, I find Chronomium [antesis.org] to be wonderful. You plug in a USB key with a current Clam AV signature file and boot from the disk. It then runs through the drive and deletes all virus-infected files. For a very quick "either fix it or pronounce it fully broken so we can start over" situation, it's without peer.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
No, it is bootable but the live bit is because you can run a live OS directly from the CD. Not just boot the machine into DOS but have everything from web browsers to office suites.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Pretty much. It's also sometimes more specifically used to describe Linux distros you can download and burn to a CD and then boot off of... sort of a try before you install to the HD dealie. Not that you HAVE to install to the HD. In this case, LiveCDs can be useful for computer recovery.
I have to use a Knoppix LiveCD every time I have to reinstall Windows, which will erase grub, for instance. From there I can reinstall grub and regain my triple-boot-ability.