Creating a live cd ubuntu flash drive. Five Best Linux Live Distributions
Linux is a unique open source operating system that has many unique features and capabilities. What important feature do other operating systems not have? Of course Live mode. Live USB is the operating mode of the distribution from a flash drive; Live CD or Live DVD works from a disk. Data from the media is loaded into the computer's RAM, and the distribution kit works without installation on HDD or SSD.
Today, people are abandoning disks in favor of USB flash drives, so today we will consider the best Live distributions (Live CD, Live DVD and Live USB essentially do not differ in the internal structure of the image, so you can try all the distributions from our list in Live mode on supported types of drives).
This distribution made it onto our list of "Best Live USB Linux Distributions" for at least one reason. Ubuntu at one time already knew how to work in Live mode, when other distributions could only dream of it. In Live mode, Ubuntu clearly demonstrates almost all the capabilities and features of the Linux operating system.
In general, Live mode in Ubuntu is very convenient for beginners, since most people switch to Linux from Windows, and the interface of the Ubuntu distribution is completely different. In Live mode, the user has the opportunity not only to inspect programs, but also to fully get acquainted with the Unity environment.
This distribution includes many pre-installed software(browser, multimedia, office suite, client Email and others), which you can also use in Live mode. The package also includes a driver manager in which you can easily install the drivers you need.
In general, almost everything has already been done for you; if you are a beginner and want to try Linux, then you can safely burn the image to a flash drive and experiment.
2. Netrunner
The Netrunner Linux distribution focuses on the KDE Plasma desktop environment and comes with a huge amount of pre-installed software. In addition to the standard set, you will find programs such as Skype, Wine, Steam, VitrualBox, VLC and GIMP.
Note: Steam and VirtualBox will not work properly in Live mode for obvious reasons.
Why is Netrunner included in our list of the best Live USB Linux distributions? The fact is that the developers of the Netrunner distribution managed to optimize the performance of KWin on low-power machines, which also makes this distribution ideal for working in Live mode.
The KDE desktop environment itself in this distribution, in principle, has not undergone any special changes, but they still exist. Along with the standard KDE panel, Netrunner now has a sidebar for quicker access to media controls. In addition, you will be able to discover many themes and settings that you will not find in other distributions with the KDE environment.
3. BunsenLabs Linux
Remember CrunchBang? Eh... The project, unfortunately, is dead. Fortunately, it has now come to life in the form of the Linux distribution BunsenLabs. What is this distribution? BunsenLabs is based on Debian Jessie and uses the Openbox window manager with the tint2 panel and the Conky system monitor.
As part of BunsenLabs you can find a huge number of themes and configurations for Conky. So making your desktop the way you want will be easier. You can also find tons of customization ideas on the BunsenLabs user forums.
This distribution can run on 32-bit, 64-bit and even ARM computers.
4. Porteus
Porteus is a fairly lightweight Linux distribution (about 300 megabytes). A feature of this distribution is its modular structure. Unlike most Linux distributions, which rely on a package manager, Porteus uses pre-compiled modules that can be quickly integrated into a running system.
Once you are done with the module, you can disable it and the module will be removed from the directory structure. With this system you only use what you need. You can load modules, store and connect them whenever needed.
It's also worth mentioning that Porteus is stored in a compressed form, although decompression occurs very quickly. Porteus has also redesigned its boot scripts, increasing startup and shutdown speeds, so you have the makings of a perfect everyday use Linux in Live mode.
5.AV Linux
This distribution is designed specifically for creating video, audio and graphics, in general, for all kinds of creativity. AV Linux is not a regular distribution, it is based on the Debian Stretch test branch. The developers chose the XFCE 4 shell as the desktop environment. Since this is a distribution for creativity, various programs for creating audio and video are preinstalled. Among the multimedia-oriented programs you will find Ardour, Audacity, Blender, Cinelerra, Handbrake, Hydrogen, Kdenlive, MuseScore, OpenShot and VLC Media Player.
But in addition to all this, this operating system uses a third-party Linux kernel "RT" and Jack Audio Connection Kit for reduced audio latency. So if you want to get creative under operating system Linux, then the AV Linux distribution is perfect for this.
6. Puppy Linux
This distribution is on our list best Linux USB distributions for two reasons. The first of them is the ability to fully work from the drive, and the second is that this distribution is designed for very weak or cheap computers.
There are three versions of the Puppy Linux distribution. One of them is Slacko Puppy, which is based on Slackware, one of the oldest Linux distributions. Although Slackware is not so popular among ordinary users, Slacko Puppy is used by a lot of people, while understanding what this version of the distribution is based on.
The next version is built using the Ubuntu 14.04 LTS package base and is designed for more powerful computers. This edition of the distribution is called TahrPup.
The third version is the main Puppy Linux project, which was originally founded by Barry Kauler. Latest versions under the code name Quirky were developed with the aim of further launching the distribution on a USB drive.
7. GParted Live
Hard drives are divided into parts called partitions. You can have different sections for different purposes. For example, on one partition you have the system installed, on the second partition you store photos, documents, videos and music, and the third partition is swap. In any case, you will someday need to resize them, merge them, or split them.
For the Linux operating system there are very good program for managing partitions - GParted. But what if you need to, for example, resize the partition on which you have the system installed? This cannot be done without unmounting the partition. That is why the GParted Live distribution was created. Just be careful, please. Any wrong action can lead to big problems.
conclusions
So we looked at our small list of Live USB distributions. I will be very interested to read your comments. You can also ask your questions, I will try to answer.
I have written more than once about a variety of them, many of them can record USB drives with Linux, and some are specifically designed only for this OS. Linux Live USB Creator (LiLi USB Creator) is one such program that has features that can be very useful, especially for those who have never tried Linux, but would like to quickly, easily and without changing anything on the computer see what to what in this system.
Perhaps, I’ll start right away with these features: when creating a bootable flash drive in Linux Live USB Creator, the program, if you wish, will download the Linux image (Ubuntu, Mint and others), and after writing it to USB, it will allow you to do so without even booting from this flash drives, try out the recorded system in Windows or work in Live USB mode while saving the settings.
In the standard scenario - when booting from USB is set in the BIOS or UEFI, the created drive works the same as others boot disks with Linux, offering installation or Live mode without installation on the computer.
However, if you go from Windows to the contents of the flash drive, there you will see the VirtualBox folder, and in it - the file Virtualize_this_key.exe. Provided that virtualization is supported and enabled on your computer (usually this is the case), by running this file, you will get a window of the VirtualBox virtual machine loaded from your USB drive, which means you can use Linux in Live mode “within” Windows in the form VirtualBox virtual machine.
You can download Linux Live USB Creator from the official website http://www.linuxliveusb.com/
Note: while I was testing the operation of Linux Live USB Creator, not all Linux distributions successfully launched in Live mode from Windows: in some cases, the loading got stuck in errors. However, for those that launched successfully at the beginning there were similar errors: i.e. When they appear, it is first better to wait for a while. This did not happen when the computer with the drive was booted directly.
This may seem blasphemous, but it's not: Ubuntu Linux can be useful even if you're a Windows user. Because there's no way to boot a full Windows system from a USB flash drive, troubleshooting PCs without Enterprise and Windows Windows To Go - but Anyone can make free Ubuntu on a USB stick, CD or DVD. Ubuntu live disk can be used as a disk to troubleshoot all sorts of problems related to any PC, whether you need to recover files from a faulty computer, diagnose hardware problems, perform a deep scan for viruses on the window side, or even reset a forgotten Windows password.
We'll be working with our hands with some Linux terminal commands here, but don't worry, the Linux terminal doesn't bite. You can even copy-paste most of these commands directly into the terminal.
Create Ubuntu Live media
To get started, you will need a Linux live USB stick, CD or DVD. You can use any Linux distribution for this, but we're focusing on Ubuntu to keep things simple. Visit the Ubuntu website and download Ubuntu Desktop - we used 12.04 LTS for this, but any available versions will do the same. Download the Universal USB Installer tool, then select the USB drive and ISO file, and the utility will create a bootable USB drive. You can also burn an ISO file to a CD or DVD, but spinning disks will be slower than a USB drive.
Just insert the live disc into your computer and reboot. Once you reboot you will boot straight into Ubuntu, if not you will have to change the boot order in your computer's BIOS. Once you boot up, troubleshooting begins.
Recover files from a faulty drive
We've all been in that situation where your computer may not boot into Windows and may show errors and blue screens, or even worse - you may hear the dreaded mechanical shredding of your hard drive. Even if you can't boot into Windows, there's a good chance that that you can read the disk in Linux and recover some files before the hard drive dies completely. Or, if the Windows system is damaged and the disk itself is thin, you can recover all files from outside Windows.
There is no Linux terminal involved here. Just click on the folder icon in Ubuntu launcher to open the file manager. You will see your Windows disk, in the "Devices" section in the sidebar; click on it and you will see yours file system Windows.If you have multiple partitions or hard drives, you will see several devices.
Connect an external drive or USB drive to your computer and it will appear in the Devices list. Copy and paste the files you want to back up your Windows system to an external drive, just like you would in Windows. You can even launch a web browser and upload files directly to Dropbox or another cloud storage service, or open the Brasero disc burning app that comes with Ubuntu to burn them to a disc.
Reset Windows Password
Ubuntu can also edit your Windows User account and password if you have forgotten your Windows password. We tested this on modern Windows 8.1 and it worked perfectly. We'll be changing the administrator account - once you've unlocked and cleared your password, you can log into Windows as an administrator and reset other passwords.
Open a terminal by clicking on the Ubuntu logo in the top left corner of the launcher, typing Terminal and pressing Enter.Run the following commands to install the password change utility that you will need. (If you've already run the first two commands, you don't need to run them again—just run the third.)
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install chntpw
Be sure you open the file manager from your launcher and click on your Windows drive, under Devices, to view its contents if you haven't already. These commands will “Mount” the drive and make it accessible in the terminal .
Now, click on the key Tab twice. You will see an alphanumeric label that corresponds to the hard drive. Enter the first few letters and press Tab again to automatically populate the label. Now enter the type /Windows/System32/config, end up with a command that looks like this, and then finally press Enter:
cd /media/9A72A08872A06AA9/Windows/System32/config
Run the following command and press Enter to begin editing the administrator account. SAM - this is the name of the system Windows file, containing hashed user account passwords.
sudo chntpw SAM
If your administrator account is locked and the default type is set to 4 in the line, press the key Enter to unlock it.Enter the type y in the confirmation window and press Enter to confirm.
You must run sudo chntpwSAM command again to return to the program. Enter the type 1 and press Enter in command line to reset the administrator password and make it empty. Enter the type y in the line and press Enter to confirm again. Important: here Not use the "change password" function as this may cause problems.
Now you can log into Windows with the username "Administrator" and a blank password. There, you can open the Control Panel and reset passwords for user accounts. (Worried about other people doing this to your Windows system? Set a password on the BIOSto make sure they can't boot from removable media and mess with it.)
Scan for malware
Rootkits are a nasty type of malware that burrow deep into the system and run in the background when booted, so they are invisible to antivirus programs and hidden even from the Windows Task Manager. Even if you have bog-standard malware, it is often easier to remove the malware from the window side. Antivirus companies often make antivirus boot disks that you can use to scan your system from the window side, but you can do this all from Ubuntu.
Here we'll use ClamAV because it's open source and easy to install on Ubuntu. It's not the only option though; You may also want to look at commercial antiviruses such as BitDefender for Unix systems.
To install ClamAV, open a terminal and copy and paste or type the following commands into the terminal by pressing Enter after each command. (Again, if you've already run the first two commands while doing other tasks, you won't have to run them again - start right away with the third command .)
sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu $(lsb_release -sc) universe"
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install clamtk
Enter type y and press Enter to confirm the installation.
Now you can run the command clamtk in the terminal or open ClamTk from the list installed applications. Be sure to click on the settings button and check the option “Scan all files and subdirectories in a directory” after you are done.
To scan your Windows drive for malware, click the Scan button in the menu at the top of the ClamAV screen and select Recursive Search. Select the Windows drive in the sidebar and click OK. ClamTk must scan every file on the Windows disk with the ClamAV antivirus engine.
Checking the hard drive
Ubuntu can also check for hardware related issues.SMART hard drive,state systems can identify failing hard drives to alert you before it finally fails. To check the status of a SMART hard drive in Ubuntu, click on the Ubuntu logo icon in the top left corner of the screen, search for "Disk Utility" and press Enter. Select your Windows disk and look SMART Status to see the health status of the drive. You can click the button SMART Data to view more detailed information and perform self-diagnosis tests.
SMART fails the test - the drive could be faulty, and the report you'll get is that everything is fine, even when it grinds. Another drive could pose a serious problem and continue to work fine for months. But, if you see a serious warning, you should get your files off the disk and replace it as soon as possible.
RAM test
Ubuntu comes with the popular built-in testing program memtest86. This utility will write data into the computer's RAM, read it back, and check if it is correct. If your RAM has problems, memtest86+ will notice when the RAM is returning different data. During normal computer use, these problems can lead to application crashes, you may end up with file corruption, and even the dreaded Blue Screen of Death.
This program must be selected upon boot, so you will have to restart your computer if you are already on the Ubuntu desktop. When Ubuntu starts loading, press E again scape and you will see usually hidden boot menus. Here select the option Memory Test to run memtest86+.
Let memtest86+ run on your computer for a while after it starts the test. After one successful set of tests, known as “pass,” you will see the message “Pass complete, no errors, press Esc to exit.” You can exit memtest86+ after the message appears, or let it do a few passes. If you see the error, you probably need to replace one or more RAM in your computer.
But wait, there's more to come!
Even if you didn't install it on your hard drive, the Ubuntu live drive is a full-fledged Linux system, so there's a lot you can do with it. Even if you load it onto a computer that's infected with malware, it will be protected and isolated from any problems with Windows software.
Today's antivirus solutions are quite reliable and can protect you from almost all of the world's most common threats. However, there is no guarantee that you will be completely safe unless you are careful online and keep your antivirus software running at all times.
You simply can't plan for everything, especially when it comes to zero-day threats, but that's not your fault. When you are already infected, there is no time to look for the culprits; you need to get rid of the virus as quickly as possible before it has time to ruin your system. After all, no one wants to deal with the tedious process of a full system restore. If the malware you caught is preventing you from using a tool, then perhaps you should take a look at Ubuntu Live CD
Antivirus on Linux?
Although there are several antivirus solutions available for Linux, they are not designed to combat viruses for Linux. Since there are practically no viruses for Linux, they detect viruses for Windows. In fact, the difference is only in the environment used, in our case it is the environment, instead of Windows.
How it works?
The great thing about the Ubuntu Live CD is that you can do absolutely everything on it, including installing the programs you need, even if it's just running in random access memory your computer. This means you can launch an Ubuntu Live CD, install an antivirus program, and then run a full scan of your Windows files. Antivirus program should detect and remove found threats, even if the Windows operating system is not running in the background. This is an excellent way out of this situation, since the simultaneous operation of Windows OS and Linux antivirus can lead to blocking of the antivirus.
Steps
As I said, the process is quite simple. You will need to first download a copy of Ubuntu from the official website. You will have the choice between downloading via or using a torrent client. Torrent downloads should be faster, but not all networks allow them, as many illegal software downloads are made using this protocol. However, downloading Ubuntu using a torrent is absolutely normal and completely legal. Then, you will need to burn the image to a CD or upload it to .
To burn the image to a CD, you will simply need to right-click on the .iso file you downloaded and burn the .ISO using Windows 7
The application will do all the work for you automatic mode. To burn the ISO file to you can use UNetbootin.
If you want, you can also use the simple instructions right on the official Ubuntu website to burn DVDs or move the image to a USB drive. You should at least look at the recommendations, even if you don't intend to use them.
At the next stage, you need to boot your system from the storage medium you created with the Ubuntu Live CD on board. This can be done by entering your system's BIOS by continuously pressing the F11, Escape or Delete buttons while you have just turned on the computer. After this, you will need to move to the boot tab and select DVD or USB drive as your primary boot device. Then, you need to press F10 to save the settings and restart the computer. You can also follow Ubuntu's instructions again, their website explains everything in detail on how to do this.
Once downloaded, you will need to navigate to the Ubuntu Application Center and find there "clamtk". When this application is found, install it. Clamtk is a graphical user interface for Clam Antivirus software, which is the most popular open source antivirus solution.
Although Clamtk has a mechanism for updating anti-virus databases, it updates them only once a day and cannot be launched manually without using the installation wizard. To go through the installation wizard you need: “Advanced” –> “Rerun antivirus setup wizard”, and then select "Manual" instead of "Automatic". Then click on “Help” –> “Check for Updates” to install the latest updates.
If you've never used Ubuntu before, the menus are located on the top bar, and the antivirus application itself is in focus, which is very similar to the Mac. You can avoid using the installation wizard to update the databases if you simply open a terminal and run the command: sudo freshclam
After the updates are downloaded, click on the buttons “Scan” –> “Recursive Scan” and select the Windows partition to scan. After running the scan, you will have to wait some time for a complete scan and detection of malicious files. Remove all malware found and simply restart your computer with a normal boot, and you will be back to your usual operating system Windows system completely free of viruses. If for some reason you do not want to use this antivirus, then there are other popular options like .
Conclusion
Viruses and other malware can cause a lot of trouble and can sometimes be quite difficult to remove. However, knowing some very useful secrets, you can save a lot of time and nerves when working with a computer.
In case all methods have already been tried, you can always use Ubuntu Live CD to Reserve copy files before a full system restore. By the way, this is a good opportunity to take a look at Linux, maybe after that it will become your new operating system!
All Linux users, starting to get acquainted with this operating system, sooner or later begin to look for a distribution that would suit them to a greater extent. Some people don’t like the package manager, some people have limited settings, some people want pre-installed packages to be only those that the user needs, and not those that the distribution developers have chosen, others want a ready-made Live image or a distribution kit for quick deployment on a fleet of vehicles. Sooner or later, everyone thinks about it - since Linux is so open. Should I try to create the distribution of my dreams myself?
Below I will talk about 8 utilities that will help and facilitate the work of creating your own distribution.
1. Linux Respin
Linux Live Kit is another tool that you can use to create your own distribution or create backup copy OS. Prefers Debian, but fortunately it works great on other distributions if they provide support for kernel modules and squashfs. Linux Live Kit is a very short and convenient wizard for creating a distribution - just follow the instructions step by step and you will be ready.
3. Ubuntu Imager
Ubuntu Imager is a good tool for creating your own distribution based on Ubuntu. This is not the only such application for Ubuntu, but since it is good, it was impossible not to mention it. I will not dwell in detail on its operation, since there is a FAQ for it with instructions for installation and operation.
4. Linux from Scratch
If you want absolute control over what's included in your distribution and have a lot of time on your hands, you might want to take a look at the Linux from Scratch project. LFS has very extensive documentation and is an excellent educational resource about Linux in general, not just how to create your own distribution. Linux from Scratch allows you to create your own Linux system from source codes. LFS isn't quite a tool like the others on this list, but you can still use it for the same purpose - creating your own Linux distribution (and learning a lot about Linux in general).
5. Slax Modules Tool
If you're looking for an easy-to-use tool and you like the lightweight Slax distribution - which is based on Slackware - then you're in luck! Because Slax has an online tool that you can use to select modules that you would like to include in your distribution. I have used this tool many times in the past when I wanted to create a lightweight live system for my friends and it works amazingly. Browse software categories and select the applications you want. Add them to the build. Don't worry if you miss something, as you can always add more applications once the distribution is up and running.
6. Live Magic
Live Magic is another Debian utility for creating a distribution. It can create CD, USB, and network images. It's much easier to use than some of the other apps on this list, such as Remastersys, but it doesn't use your running system as the basis for creating an image. Instead, follow the wizard and select your configuration options. The program will pull packages from your repositories and add them to your image.
7. Instalinux
The highlight of Instalinux is that it allows you to create ISO images online. On the site you can choose which distribution yours will be based on (these are CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Mint, OpenSUSE, Scientific, and Ubuntu), which version of the distribution to use and which packages. Instalinux creates a small bootable ISO (average 30mb) which, once downloaded, will begin installation and fetch all other necessary packages from the Internet. This is the most versatile tool on the list, and the web interface is easy to use. However, it will not provide you with a live image with a ready-made desktop environment and desktop.
8. SUSE Studio
For SUSE users the best choice SUSE Studio. A bit like Instalinux, SUSE studio allows you to create your own SUSE-based distribution using a web interface. Available to create images for CD, DVD, USB, hard drives, VMware, VirtualBox, and Xen. Before use you will need to create an account - this is easy as it uses Single Sign On and you can quickly register using your Google account, Facebook, etc. You can choose which version of SUSE will be used as a base, server edition or not, and which desktop environment will be included in the build.
In custody.
I hope these tools for creating your own Linux distribution will help you. Their level of sophistication (and power) varies, but I've tried to include both easy-to-use apps and apps that give you more options. In addition to these applications, many distros have their own tools that have been mentioned here, so if you're using another distro, it's best to first check what tools are available for that distro in particular, and then if you're not happy with what you find, give it a try universal.
