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.

Eleven Fun Games on Steam for Linux Users

Lately, I've been playing several games on Steam; thus, I'll write about eleven that have caught my attention, in no particular order:

1.  Meow-jong
     As one can guess from its title, this one is a Mah-Jong version with lots of cats, levels, and butterflies.

2.  Druid
  

I found this one very fun.  Still, if you are not patient, you should stay away from this game.  You are a Druid wanderer (yes; you DO have to wander a lot in the forest, without minimaps and aiding tools) who looks for his master and helps animals along the way.  He can transform into several animals, too.

3.   Lethal League
   

This is a post apocaliptic version of the classic "Pong."  My description does little justice to this game: You can play by yourself, in teams locally, over the Web, and more.  Play with Candyman for extra fun!

4.   Mind's Snares: Alice's Journey
   

This point and click adventure with lots of minigames will keep you busy for quite a while.  You play as Alice, an overworked employee who gets trapped by a spooky man in a spookier world.

5.   Motorbike
   

This is not the usual motorcycle stunt game.  You get really cruel and painful obstacles.  It also has a level editor.  BEWARE: Tracks have no save points; you either complete them or fail doing it.

6.   Fear of Traffic
   

This is for casual gamers who want to spend some time driving a car around a city with little pressure.  You collect some tokens and avoid accidents.  It's very relaxing and also quite fun!

7.   Cartoony Cars 2
    

This game is reminiscent of "The Incredible Machine" and it's FREE.  If you like it, I suggest you pay something to the developer because it's worth paying for it: I am still trying to beat the last level.  By the way, when I downloaded it over Steam, I got an empty folder.  Weird! Fortunately, you can get the game over the Web and it comes with an editor, too, although  I haven't really tried it. 

8.  SnakEscape 
  

In this game, which is a twist of the classic "Snake" game, you do not play with the snake but with the apple.  You must escape from the snakes, that want to eat you. It's very fun!  Unfortunately, the level editor did not work.

9.  A Snake's Tale
  

You will have lots of mind challenging puzzles with this game.  By the way, there is a level that is almost unbeatable.  I say "almost" because I've read that some have beaten it... not in my case, though.

10.  Clockwork Tales of Glass and Ink
   

This one is a point and click adventure with lots of riddles and mini-games, all in a steampunk world! (you guessed that from the title, right?) It's very challenging and addictive, especially if you like steampunk themes.

11.  Audiosurf 2

In this game, you can either choose your own music or use the one from the game to play.  How do you play?  There are many different ways.  It's better to watch the video.

      

Most of these games are quite inexpensive.  Of course, some may contain bugs and issues, but at least I haven't experienced anything that I consider a serious show stopper.  Indeed, I think some of their low prices do not do real justice to the games.