The Beauty of Customized Live USB Systems

Yesterday, I upgraded the kernel of my Linux laptop (MX Linux 18.3) to an antiX kernel 5.1.2.  The upgrade went well and the laptop now boots very fast.

Encouraged by that, I tried the same with my HP laptop, which runs antiX 17.3.1.  That laptop seems designed to discourage anyone from running Linux on it.  It gave me all sort of problems and, apparently, I'm not the only one who has had headaches thanks to such laptop.

Fortunately, when I finally got my system up and running, I made a snapshot and put the system into a live USB. That way, if something went wrong, I could run the live system with all my tweaks already applied and install it easily.

Well, the kernel upgrade did not work. I lost my wireless connection and there was no way to get it back.  In addition, my wireless stopped working on the old kernel, the one that previously worked without problems.

It was time to run the customized live USB.  It worked flawlessly.  After seeing the wi-fi back on, I installed the system from the USB stick.

Right now, I am posting this from the HP laptop.  Customized live USB systems are simply amazing!

NomadBSD Is Here!

Well, well, I managed to install NomadBSD into a flashdrive.  Back in time, I wanted to test FreeBSD, but I knew nothing of Linux and the installation process of any BSD version was beyond my capabilities.

Apparently, my time with Tux has taught me more than I thought.  I could install  NomadBSD although the process was a bit different from my regular Linux installations.  My biggest problem was to find a pendrive with enough space to store the OS (a 4 GB one was not enough).

After that, I booted NomadBSD on my ZaReason Alto laptop, which came with Linux preinstalled.

OK, the setup process was a bit long.  Some of the screens were beyond my understanding, but the default choice was suggested.  I went for that in those cases.

At the end, I got a beautiful BSD system that somehow reminded me of a combination of MacOS and antiX.

Enabling the WiFi was not that hard, and everything seemed to work fine.

My only problem was that the system ran slowly.  Very slowly.  I wonder if that's because of the pendrive, but live Linux distros run really fast on that machine...

I guess I need to try NomadBSD on other laptops and, if the issue persists, I'll have to investigate what happened.

And then It Booted...

I've migrated my main operating systems to MX-18.  I'd have kept with MX-15 on my desktop, but Firefox started acting up. After several partial solutions, I decided to use the secondary system, which was MX-17, but then MX-18 was released.

I made a bootable USB flashdrive to install the new system on my desktop... only to remember that the old PC uses CDs or DVDs because flashdrives never booted.

I then made a live DVD and installed MX-18 as the main OS.  After that, I tweaked it to my liking (installed Plasma and other things), loaded the backed up files, and completed my migration.

One of the features of antiX / MX Linux that I've found incredibly handy is the snapshot app.  With it, you can make .iso images of your system.  Using other tools, you can turn that image into a persistence-enabled live USB drive. That has worked very well for my laptops.

In the past, I tried that feature on the old box to no avail.  The poor machine would turn off itself upon reaching 11% of the process.  At some point I cleaned its inner components and installed more memory, which improved its performance quite a bit.  Thus, this time I decided to try making the snapshot of my desktop system.

To my surprise, this time the process finished without issues.  I then made a live USB drive that would boot that system.

It was right after finishing the live USB that I remembered what I mentioned earlier: the machine did not boot via USB...

Or so I thought.  In fact, this time the copy of my system booted seamlessly from the flashdrive.  I was greatly pleased to see MX-18, configured the way I like it, working from the thumbdrive.

What happened?  I've no idea. Anyway, I'm glad I can use now USB to boot.

MX-14: Playing with Snapshots

At last I ventured into the land of snapshots on my MX-14.3 install, thanks to its MX-Snapshot tool.  This one is so user-friendly that I was able to actually produce a live copy of my system the first time I tried.

The good part is that the snapshot is also installable.  You can make one with your accounts preserved (this one keeps all your configuration) or one with the default accounts (if you want to give copies of the snapshot to other people)

Thus, I decided to experiment a little.  Since XFCE is not precisely my favorite DE, I installed KDE.  After all, a little eye candy won't kill me!

I also installed LXDE.  Pushing my luck a bit more, I installed Compiz and configured it on that DE...

MX's native XFCE gave me more trouble to run Compiz, but I finally got it working...

(And then I realized that I could configure Compiz to use Kwin on XFCE!)  :P

Anyway, I was able to have a copy of my entire system, fully configured, running on a USB thumb drive that I can also use to store data. 

Let's see what else I can learn...

Doing Your Work...on a Broken PC!!

Lately, I have been too busy with work and life, so I haven't been able to explore or experiment my Linux systems. On top of that, they keep working as expected, so I haven't posted much these days, either.

An interesting experience for keeping here, though, is the one a respected colleague is currently going through.

About a month ago, he got hit by a nasty virus and his PC went dead as a brick. It would not start at all and the technician advised him to format and reinstall his Windows XP system.

This colleague also happened to have with him a Mepis Linux 8.0 Live CD. Using it, he has been able to go online and do all his work without a problem. Since he is not much into tech stuff, he runs everything off the live session, with no installation.

So it turns out that my colleague has been using what most people know as "a broken PC" and has been able to do his work. For the world, his PC is dead, but it still walks, moves, and does whatever it is told without hesitation.

It seems that the idea of "ZOMBIE" can be quite rewarding in the world of Linux.

A Weekend with Kongoni 2011

I'm thinking seriously about installing Kongoni 2011. I had tried its release candidate a few months ago and was very pleased with it.

Thus, as soon as I learned that the final version was out, I downloaded it and burned my Kongoni 2011 Live CD. Yes, I am of those who still burn CDs, hehe!

My experience with this new CD was a bit worrisome at the beginning. I inserted it and let its automatic boot go...but got the unpleasant error message that the live CD was not found. Since I had nothing else to do, I rebooted the computer and pressed "enter" before the 10 seconds for the automatic boot were over.

This time I did get the Grub menu. I chose the default option and quickly enough I saw Kongoni's default desktop! Maybe the previous problem was due to a bad burn...I'll check later.







My experience with Kongoni was somehow the same than the previous time with the release candidate. However, I did notice something different: this time neither Amarok nor Dragon Player gave me any sound. In fact, Dragon Player crashed several times. Contrastingly, system sounds were OK and Youtube videos played perfectly. Again, was it a bad burn?

I'll see after I check and install. That will be my next project for this weekend.

How to Create a Live USB Key Using Syslinux

I learned this trick from Anticapitalista at the MEPIS Forums. It lets you create a bootable USB key quite easily by means of iso hybridization.

You'll need:

1. To download and install Syslinux. You'll find information about it here.

2. To have an iso of your distro and a spare USB key with enough room available. Well, this one was to be expected...

3. To lose your fear of the CLI/terminal/Console. You will have to type in two commands as root. :P

4. To test your patience. The process may take some time, especially the part of copying the files to the USB Key. During that time you either wait or do something else while you let the terminal be.

PREPARATION

1. Place a copy of your iso into a folder and note its location. Also, insert your USB key and note how it shows on your system. You'll need that information. I placed my MEPIS 11 iso on the desktop, in a folder I named "Distro." Thus, the location is:


/home/myName/Desktop/Distro/

My USB shows as sdb1, so I must remember "sdb" (without the 1.)

2. Open a terminal and make sure you are located into that folder. In my case, the prompt looks like this:

MyName@NakBlack:~/Desktop/Distro$


3. Become root. In my case, I did it by typing "su" and then my root password when prompted. Now, my prompt looks like this:

root@NakBlack:/home/myName/Desktop/Distro#


HOW TO DO THE TRICK

1. WARNING: this step will turn your original iso into a hybrid one. If you want to keep your original iso, then work with a copy. Making sure you are root, type "isohybrid" (without the quotation marks) and add the name of your iso. In my case, it was this:

isohybrid MEPIS11.iso

The conversion was fast! However, I got this warning:

"Warning: more than 1024 cylinders (1336).
Not all BIOSes will be able to boot this device."

2. WARNING: this step will delete all the contents of your USB key and will render it unusable as a storage device. As root, copy the contents of the now hybrid iso to the USB key by following this model:

dd if=/path-to-iso-file/nameofdistro.iso of=/dev/sdx

In this model, "if=" means input file and "of=" means output file. Likewise, "sdx" represents the name of your USB key.

Again, in my case, it was like this:

dd if=/home/myName/Desktop/Distro/MEPIS11.iso of=/dev/sdb

This step will take a while. Wait until your terminal finishes. If everything goes well, it will give you some technical details. This is what I got:

"2736128+0 records in
2736128+0 records out
1400897536 bytes (1.4 GB) copied, 1248.62 s, 1.1 MB/s"

That's it! As you can see, my live USB creation took 20 minutes (1248 seconds.)

Please note that this trick does not guarantee success. So far, I've tested it with MEPIS 11, antiX M-11, and Mandriva 2011 alpha. All of them worked, but I cannot be certain that it will work with any distro. I'll keep experimenting with other distros, though.

Good luck!

Mandriva Linux 2011 Alpha 1: A Quick Peek

Well, I downloaded the first alpha release of Mandriva Linux 2011. As with all alphas, it is not intended for production use, but for testing. That said, this is what I this live DVD looks like:


1. Mandriva 2011's future desktop:



Hey! Did you notice the penguins? I like them! The black and blue pattern is reminiscent of my Mepis 8.0 wallpaper (my favorite). For some, such color choice may be too dark, but I couldn't possibly like it any better.


2. The application launcher:



There you have it. It's the new one! Mandriva boasts KDE 4 SC 4.6.0. As with all Mandriva releases, you may change your language and locale at start the DVD.

3. Applications:



Concerning applications, it comes with Firefox 4 Beta 11 and OpenOffice. Interesting...they didn't pick LibreOffice. Also, this release comes with useful tools for images, movies, and audio. There weren't any issues related to sound or my wired connection. I did miss K3b. Apparently, it is not included.

4. Issues I encountered:



At first, the window display was a bit buggy, but then it stabilized. Interestingly enough, this time Mandriva was unable to activate desktop effects. Again, no big deal being this an alpha. I wonder if I could make them work the same way I did it with Mepis 11 Beta 1.

To sum up, this alpha looks robust enough to say that Mandriva devs have been working hard. We can expect Mandriva 2011 to be as solid and powerful as it has always been.

Linux CDs Vs. Linux DVDs...

I downloaded and installed the final version of Pardus 2011 I awaited so much. It didn't let me down.

My only complaints are that it is 1.1 Gb. and that Pardus repository is not as varied as those of Debian-based distros or Mandriva are. However, I can do without some packages...they are not vital...just minor things I like. In exchange, Pardus does have its unique features.

Now, concerning this distro's size...I've seen some Linux fans upset because distros are becoming bigger and bigger...some of these distributions no longer fit into a CD (my favorite one took that path already! T__T). I am with CD advocates in part; I don't know why, but I favor CDs over DVDs.

For example, my Pardus download took about 4-5 hours...I'm not sure. According to CD advocates, how can Linux developers expect that a Windows-only individual will stay for several hours downloading a distro to test it? We might add here that for Windows people, Linux is kind of a "shady, unknown, and unreliable" OS, too. Seriously, they don't test a distro even if you give them the CDs away!

OK...let's consider a couple of details that speak in favor of these "monster-sized Linux distros":

1. The DVDs contain office, multimedia, and other utilities.
Some, probably thinking that Linux is suffering the same mutations that the most widespread OS has suffered over the years, believe that including lots of software with a distro is highly negative. "Linux is a penguin, not a turkey to be stuffed for thanksgiving," they seem to say. They think that a good distro should be nothing but the core because "users will then download what they need." Well, I'm not sure about that. Actually, I came to Linux because it had everything I needed and I could test it right off the CD. Had I downloaded a distro lacking office or multimedia utilities, I'm pretty sure I'd have stayed where I was...at least for longer.


2. Many people actually download pirated copies of another OS.
Let's compare a Linux DVD download with one of an illegal copy of Redmond's warhorse. How big is the latter? Not 1.1 Gbs, I'm sure. I think it is around 3 Gb. What does that one have? Motherboard drivers? No. Video/audio codecs? No. Multimedia tools? No. Office tools? Not in this life! That means people who are not willing to pay for an OS are willing to wait days and weeks to get an illegal copy that can send their PC to LimboLand plus they are willing to start more downloads to get that illegal OS functional.
Sure. This does not mean they will come running to download Linux, but it does mean they have the means--and the patience--to start a long download. Linux DVDs are then not so outrageous as others might think.

3. Where there is no connectivity, minimalistic distros do little for the user.
Again, there are different social and economic contexts. Countries vary, so judging everything according to our narrow perspective (thinking globally, all of us will end up having narrow perspectives, however open-minded we think we are) is not a good idea. Give someone a Linux version with no office suite, no multimedia tools, no games (yes! there are people who still think a computer is just for playing! I talked to one of them last week) and tell them how great that distro is. How can they believe you? You are not showing anything new to them, you know? Tell them then that they can download whatever is needed afterwards...Oh, but they don't have access to the Web. What did you give them? A pretty useless CD. Add several points more under the "pretty useless" label if the CD only speaks one language. Yes! Not everyone speaks English and the ones who cannot pay for English classes cannot pay for Windows, either. They could benefit greatly from Linux...if only they could understand its menus!

Oh, but how come a person who has a DVD drive won't have access to the Web? Check again...DVD drives are not so expensive currently...how about a fast Internet connection? That then proves that minimalistic CDs are the solution, right? If there's no access to the Web, DVD downloads are impossible. Think again. How much time will they need to spend on a telephone connection to download a word processor or their localization package? They'd rather have a DVD with everything included given to them by someone who does have a fast connection: YOU! :P

Of course, the greatest idea would be to keep Linux distros so small that they may fit into a CD, but if you want to add localization, an office suite, and a video player, the task becomes a bit hard to achieve, especially if you want this distro to look somewhat modern, too. Please, understand that some people would rather have a DVD that will give them all that and will speak their language than a CD that will tell them to download everything...in a language they cannot understand!

Linux in a University Workshop

Yesterday, Mechatotoro and I were in charge of a workshop on technology and education for a congress at our university. The basic idea was to apply Freire's philosophy that education needs to be eye-opening and mind-freeing while the current approach to technology is somehow acting conversely in the classrooms.

We conducted several experiments showing how both teachers and students take technology for granted and generally view it as a positive, monolithic and inclusive force while in reality it hinders meta-cognition and favors linear, algorithmic mental processes (not to mention it also excludes individuals.)

As part of the workshop, we exposed our audience to two Linux distributions: Mandriva and Mepis.

The sole concept of Live CDs helped the participants observe that the symbiotic relationship between hardware and software (in this case, Windows) responds to economic and political factors. Why is it that nobody told them before that you can use a CD, DVD, USB or even a memory card to boot a computer with an alternative OS when Windows fails? Of course, in Windows culture, someone gets the benefit when "computers" crash. Again, are the computers (hardware) to blame or is it an OS failure? Very few had actually thought about that before.

Interestingly enough, the teachers who initially had problems locating Microsoft Word on Windows XP had no problem finding and using OpenOffice Writer. They didn't have any problem locating and using some basic software tools for teachers like the calculator, the drawing program, or the spreadsheet, either. Again, if all those tools are there and are free, why is it that nobody had told them before they could use them?

Needless to say, the neat appearance of Mandriva and the eye-candy of KDE helped debunk the stereotype that Linux is only a black screen with cryptic commands. The concept of virtual desktops and the desktop cube seemed to attract their attention quite a bit, too.

Then, we discussed viruses and malware. While Windows didn't see them and the lab antivirus failed to detect four viruses stored in my USB pendrive, Mepis Live CD put them in the spot. I showed the participants how to get rid of USB viruses with Mepis in two clicks (literally). I also showed them how to rescue files stored on Windows using Mepis Live CD.

At the end, we had several issues to reflect upon: Was Linux hard to use? Was it useless and undependable? Why aren't teachers being empowered with this knowledge and conversely, they are kept in a technological paradigm that directly contradicts new cognitive and pedagogical tendencies? (Freire, Vygotsky, and even Gardner come to mind)

I hope our workshop may have contributed to a new technological paradigm in education...at least the participants seemed quite satisfied and motivated. I am thankful they attended the workshop.

Avances en esta semana...

Hoy simplemente pienso reportar mis últimos avances para evitar olvidarlos en caso de que los necesite más adelante...

1. Enseñándole al egoísta Windows 7 (Vista/7, para llamarlo por su nombre) a compartir:

Logré instalar Mepis Linux 8.5 en la netbook HP Mini de mi colega. Claro, tuve que descargar e instalar EASEUS FREE PARTITION MANAGER para particionar ya que Seven no acepta los métodos convencionales y Starter no posee utilidades funcionales en esta área (¿las poseerá en alguna otra?).

Después de particionar, me encontré con una interesante "casualidad": el disco duro ya poseía cuatro particiones primarias, el máximo que la tabla permitía. Por supuesto, dudo que un disco duro todo picoteado de fábrica tenga algo que ver con un deseo oculto de dificultar a los usuarios inexpertos la instalación otros sistemas operativos en la netbook. Después de todo, ¿quién querría instalar otro sistema operativo (léase LINUX) si la netbook ya viene con el "poderoso y robusto" Windows 7 Starter?

Por supuesto, me vi forzado a borrar una de las útiles particiones de la netbook para poder activar la partición de Linux donde instalaría Mepis. Hice un respaldo en caso de la partición enviada al olvido resultase en verdad útil, aunque personalmente lo dudo.

Luego, por medio de mi unidad de DVD externa (que está a punto de morir, por cierto), instalé en la netbook Mepis Linux. No hubo problema. La instalación desde el Live CD no tardó más de 10 minutos. GRUB funcionó sin problema, de manera que ahora el egoísta Windows 7 Starter no solamente debe compartir la netbook con Linux; también se volvió el sistema operativo secundario (mi colega me pidió que la netbook iniciara con Linux ya que ella no está muy complacida con Starter). :P


2. Winks en Amsn: nada útil, pero valioso para algunos :P

Para los que gustan del chat de Microsoft, Amsn es una alternativa relativamente atractiva. Los que lo han descargado y usado (funciona tanto en Linux como en Windows), se habrán dado cuenta de que los winks (guiños) no funcionan en este programa.
Pues bien, Vijamaro, un usuario de Ubuntu/Kubuntu colocó en su blog Vijamaro y Linux el siguiente tutorial para activar los guiños en Amsn. Personalmente lo probé y aparentemente funciona. ¡Bien por Vijamaro!

SOS! Windows Betrayed ME!!!

Yesterday, as I was inspecting the netbook of a colleague who wants to migrate to Linux (one more customer disappointed by Seven Starter), another colleague told me that she was doomed: the office desktop computer had refused to start and, even though a technician had installed the old hard drive on a new computer for back up purposes, her important files were gone. Those files accounted for a year's work and now they had simply vanished! The biggest problem was that she needed that information for a meeting soon and there was no trace whatsoever of her files.
After hearing her story, I decided to give her a hand. I searched for her files from Windows. Right, Windows was final: there were no files anywhere nor folders with the names my colleague mentioned.
However, I've learned that whenever Windows says "impossible", Linux says "Yessir! Let's do it!"
I inserted my USB stick into the PC and booted SimplyMepis 8.5 from it. My colleague was astonished when I explained to her that the whole system---applications included---were booting from my USB stick and not from the hard drive.
Once on Mepis desktop, I started browsing the PC. Again, she was amazed and asked questions like "But if you are using Linux from your USB, how can you see Windows on the hard drive?"
After some searching, I opened one of the folders Windows refused to open and showed as "empty." All her files were there!
Then, she said "But there is no way you can take them from Windows to Linux, right? After all, those are different systems..."
I thus showed her the complicated way Linux has to copy files from Windows: "Select, copy, paste." Presto, she then had her files on her USB stick in less than a minute!

Now she wants to use Linux, too.

As Mechatotoro stated two months ago, "Nobody takes Linux seriously until..."

People just don't seem to realize that their OS must work for them, not against them!

Usuarios de Windows: ¡¡¡Zeus va tras su dinero!!!

¡Estos dos últimos meses han sido un período bastante duro para los usuarios de Windows! El mes pasado, la amenaza del gusano W32.Stuxnet, que se propaga por medio de aparatos USB, se descubrió atacando plantas industriales...
Ahora, el recién llegado este mes es la nueva versión de Zeus, un troyano y keylogger que aparentemente contiene tecnología anti-piratería al estilo Windows (??!!) y ha vaciado ya $1 millón de cuentas bancarias en el Reino Unido! ¡Wow! ¡Parece que ahora hasta los dioses griegos quieren competir con Microsoft para obtener el dinero que posean los usuarios de Windows!
Este troyano Zeus (tan paradójico como pueda sonar...¡¡¿¿el dios griego como un troyano??!! ¡Bueno!) se puede obtener, de acuerdo con el artículo, ya sea visitando un sitio Web legítimo que alberga secretamente el malware, o un sitio diseñado para albergarlo, o un sitio legítimo que albergue el malware en los anuncios. También menciona que el ataque primario vino por medio de anuncios infectados, incluyendo anuncios enviados por Yieldmanager.com, de Yahoo. ¡Esa es de hecho mala publicidad! Luego, Zeus actúa como keylogger y como ladrón de contraseñas, pero hace más que eso: prueba todas las debilidades que conoce en la máquina víctima para lograr una infección exitosa.
Ah, pero hay más: "cuando el usuario accesa el sitio Web de su banco, el troyano transfiere la identificación de acceso, la fecha de nacimiento y el número de seguridad al servidor de control y manejo. Una vez que el usuario accesa la sección de transacciones del sitio Web del banco, el troyano recibe un nuevo código JavaScript del servidor remoto para reemplazar el JavaScript original del banco usado para la forma de la transacción.

Cuando el usuario interactúa con la forma para realizar una transacción legítima, el troyano trabaja oculto para manipular la transacción. Primero revisa el balance de la cuenta y si sobrepasa cierta cantidad, determina cuánto sustraer dentro de un límite para no activar las alarmas automáticas de detección de fraudes".

Queridos usuarios de Windows: es hora de que consideren seriamente realizar sus actividades bancarias en línea de manera segura. ¿Temen que si instalan GNU/Linux en sus PCs les acarreará la ira de Microsoft a ustedes y a sus familias por tres generaciones? ¿Qué tal usar un buen Live CD de Linux, entonces? GNU/Linux no muerde, ¿saben? Aún si lo hiciera, no se puede comparar a darse cuenta algún día que uno fue víctima del crimen por Internet. ¿Están dispuestos a esperar que alguien les vacíe sus cuentas para actuar?

Windows Users: Zeus Is after Your Money!!!!

These two months have been such a tough period of time for Windows users! Last month, the menace of W32.Stuxnet worm, which spreads through USB devices, was discovered targeting industrial manufacturing plants...
Now, the newcomer this month is the newest version of Zeus, a trojan and keylogger which apparently contains Windows-like anti-piracy technology (??!!) and has already emptied $1 million from bank accounts in the United Kingdom! Wow! It seems that now even Greek gods want to compete with Microsoft for the money that Windows users may have!
This Zeus trojan (as paradoxical it may sound...The Greek God being a Trojan??!! Oh, well!) can be obtained, according to the article, by either visiting a legitimate Web site that is secretly hosting the malware, or a site designed to host the malware, or a legitimate site hosting the malware in an advertisement. It also mentions that the primary attack came through malicious advertisements, including ads delivered by Yahoo's Yieldmanager.com. That's bad advertising indeed! Then, Zeus acts as a keylogger and a password stealer, but it also does more than that: it tests the victim machine for each exploit it knows in order to get a successful infection.
Ah, but there's more: "When the user accesses his or her bank Web site, the Trojan transfers the log-in ID, date of birth, and a security number to the command-and-control server. Once the user accesses the transactional section of the bank Web site, the Trojan receives new JavaScript code from the outside server to replace the original bank JavaScript used for the transaction form.

When the user interacts with the transaction form for legitimate business, the Trojan works behind the scenes to manipulate the transaction. First it checks the account balance and if it is over a certain amount it will determine how much to steal within a limit so as not to trigger automatic fraud detection alarms."

Dear Windows user: it's time you seriously consider doing your online banking safely. Are you afraid installing GNU/Linux on your PC will bring Microsoft's wrath on you and your family for three generations? How about a nice Linux Live CD, then? GNU/Linux doesn't bite, you know? Even if it did, it can't be compared to realizing someday you were a victim of Internet criminals. Are you willing to wait until someone empties your account to act?

Creating a MEPIS USB Bootable Key

Why would you want to load your MEPIS LIVE CD into a USB key?

Believe me, it is great as a RESCUE/BACK UP TOOL...it will let you:

a- recover your Windows files if Windows refuses to start (that's a life-saver!!)

b- clean viruses you cannot normally reach from Windows

c- browse the web securely without worrying about spyware being installed

d- burn your back-ups from Linux or Windows partitions (MEPIS comes with a CD-DVD burning tool!)

e- view and create all kinds of office documents from a computer that doesn't run Windows

f- use MEPIS on a PC that does not come with it

g- install MEPIS on that computer if you want to

h- make or modify partitions on the hard drive

i- lend your computer to your cat without worrying about possible consequences in your system
(well..to be honest, I must say that this one has to be tested further. NOTHING is cat-proof yet! :P )

So, how you do it? (I mean installing MEPIS on your USB stick, not cat-testing your system)

First, you need a MEPIS Live CD. I personally favor Mepis 8.0.15 but others are more comfortable with Mepis 8.5

Boot your computer with the Live CD. Once you have reached Mepis desktop, go to System/Mepis settings/MEPIS System assistant. It should look like this:


Plug your USB stick and follow these images...they pretty much cover the process...

Mepis portátil

Los Live CDs y DVDs son un formato de Linux muy conveniente que, desafortunadamente muchos fuera de la comunidad Linux ignoran.

Este formato no es sólo conveniente, sino también seguro...en especial si tenemos que llevar a cabo actividades importantes, como efectuar una transacción bancaria de emergencia en línea en computadoras que no son de nuestra entera confianza, como una pública, por mencionar un ejemplo.

Los Live CDs inician, cargan un sistema operativo completo con sus aplicaciones y trabajan perfectamente sin tocar el disco duro de la computadora en la mayoría de los casos, aunque a veces pueden guardar información en el disco duro si escogemos hacerlo. ¿Qué puede ser más conveniente que algo así?

Por supuesto, algunos trataron de copiar la misma idea para favorecer a Windows XP, Vista, y Seven. Si se lo están preguntando, los intentos de Live-CD para Windows no son gratuitos y conseguirlos gratis significa infringir los derechos de autor. Dichos sistemas también están inhabilitados parcialmente y funcionan bien sólo como CDs de rescate: no incluyen aplicaciones reales de oficina...solamente Wordpad, MS-paint y un antivirus (¡qué sorpresa!)

Por lo tanto, Los Live CDs/DVDs de Linux poseían una clara ventaja. Sin embargo, ¡qué pena, las netbooks aparecieron en escena! Estas minúsculas computadoras no pueden usar Live CDs porque no poseen unidades de CD/DVD-ROM...

Por fortuna, Linux puede adaptarse al los cambios tecnológicos de nuestra era: los Live CDs se pueden convertir en llaves Live USB y hasta en tarjetas SD Live. ¡Yo mismo las he probado con MEPIS y SÍ funciona! Puedo iniciar mi sistema desde un CD, un DVD, una llave USB, y hasta desde una tarjeta de memoria SD...Sin embargo, aún tengo que intentar iniciarlo desde un reproductor de MP4.

Recuerden: En Linux, estos pequeños amigos proveen TODO el sistema operativo con sus aplicaciones...Es como llevar con nosotros a cualquier lugar el propio espíritu de nuestra computadora. Además, en Mepis, se puede usar el resto de la llave USB o de la tarjeta SD para almacenar información.

En el momento que lo necesite, puedo ejecutar Mepis en cualquier computadora sin preocuparme de causar inestabilidad en el sistema, de no encontrar mis aplicaciones, o, más importante aún, de volverme una víctima de los virus o de dejar información importante en la computadora anfitriona.

A diferencia de las herramientas de inicio USB de Win7, no necesito instalar nada en la computadora anfitriona para ejecutar MEPIS. Windows 7 ejecutable desde USB no puede hacer eso, ni lo hará de seguro Windows 8 tampoco. ¿Tal vez lo harán Windows 9 o 10?

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Si les interesa, sientánse en la libertad de visitar la comunidad de Mepis. También pueden descargar Mepis aquí

Portable Mepis

Live CDs and DVDs are a very convenient Linux format that, unfortunately, is still ignored by many individuals outside the Linux community.

This format is not only convenient, but also safe...especially if we need to carry out important activities, like doing an emergency bank transaction on computers we don't really trust. Say, a public computer, for instance.

Live CDs boot, load a complete operating system with its applications, and work perfectly without touching the computer's hard drive in most of the cases, although sometimes they can save on the hard drive if you choose to do so. What's more convenient than that?

Of course, some people tried to copy the same on behalf of Windows XP, Vista, and Seven. If you are wondering, Windows Live-CD attempts are not for free and getting them freely means copyright infringement. Those systems are also crippled and good only as rescue CDs: they include no real office applications...just Wordpad, MS-paint and an antivirus (no surprise!)

So, Linux Live CDs/DVDs had a clear advantage. But Alas, netbooks came into scene! These tiny computers cannot use Live CDs because they don't have a CD/DVD-ROM drive...

Luckily, Linux can adapt to the technological changes of our era: Live CDs can be burned into Live USB pendrives and even SD cards. I have tested that myself with MEPIS and it DOES work! I can boot my system from a CD, DVD, USB pendrive, and even from an SD card...I have to try booting from an MP4 player, though.

Remember: On Linux, these little fellows provide the whole OS with all its applications...It is like carrying anywhere with you the very spirit of your computer. Besides, on Mepis, you can use the rest of the pendrive or card to store information.

Whenever I need it, I can run Mepis on any computer without worrying about causing system crashes, missing my applications or, more important, becoming a victim of a virus or leaving important information in the host computer.

Unlike Win7 bootable USB tools, I don't have to install anything on the host computer to run MEPIS. Windows 7 bootable does not do that, nor Windows 8 will, for sure. Perhaps Windows 9 or 10 will?

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If you are interested, feel free to visit the Mepis community. You can also download Mepis here