Do you want to carry around all your computer settings and not just portable applications? Do you have a netbook and want to try another operating system? Maybe you don't have a CD or DVD player and would like to use another operating system. Well now you can: by booting it from a USB stick.
Steps
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Step 1. Make sure your PC is recent enough to boot from USB stick
Check the BIOS.
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Step 2. Buy a USB stick with enough space for the new operating system (probably 8GB)
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Step 3. Installing Windows XP on USB requires code changes, and third party programs
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Step 4. Windows users can install the following Linux distributions on a stick via Windows:
- Ubuntu, kubuntu and xubuntu (from version 8.10)
- Fedora (from version 8)
- Knoppix (from version 5.1)
- Slax (from version 6)
- PCLinuxOS MiniMe
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Step 5. Non-Windows users may need to use a PC with a CD drive and then install Linux on the stick
These Linux distributions can be installed on the USB from the CD:
- Ubuntu, kubuntu and xubuntu (from version 8.10)
- Knoppix (from version 5.1)
- OpenSuse