Windows and Apple opened up the world of computers to the average person. It's an amazing and lovely thing. Unix then later Linux did not have a friendly user interface. In order to use their software there was a huge learning curve. One had to learn how to use the command line, how to read documentation... in other words there was no "plug and play." Windows and Apple gave the world clickability, which is all most people want when they turn on their computers. I mean sheesh, look around any forum see the same question pop up again and again and you know that most people don't understand how powerful a search engine is or don't know how to get through the information to get the answer they want. People want easy. PC and Mac give easy. Nothing wrong with that, it's a great thing.
It is difficult to find system without one of those two operating systems already installed. Rarely are you given the Windows software disc when you buy a computer. This means that if you wipe your system and install Unix, you can't just reinstall windows if it doesn't work out. It's a scary thing. I know because I went through it.
This is why when I hear people say they would like to use Linux but don't know if they can, I recommend Knoppix. You don't have to overwrite or wipe windows off your computer. You just put the Knoppix cd or dvd into the player and reboot your computer. Your computer will then boot the Knoppix linux distribution on your computer and you can play with it all you want. When you are done and want to go back to using Windows, just pop out the disc and reboot... you'll be right back into Windows (or mac).
The first thing you do is download the Knoppix .iso file onto your computer. Make a file on your desktop and download it there. From that file you will burn the .iso onto a cd or dvd... you cannot drag and drop the file... here are instructions from Knoppix found here:
http://www.knoppix.net/wiki/Downloading_FAQ#Q:_I_have_downloaded_the_ISO_file._How_do_I_burn_the_ISO.3F_How_is_the_ISO_supposed_to_be_burned.3F
"
Q: I have downloaded the ISO file. How do I burn the ISO? How is the ISO supposed to be burned?
A: First check to see if the ISO that was downloaded is perfect & not corrupt. See the above FAQ labeled #Q: What are these strange MD5 files that accompany the ISO CD images?. If it passes the MD5 checksum then you must burn the ISO as an image.
If you have a cd-rw (re-writable) drive, you should opt to use cd-rw disks, saving you from wasting disks and allowing flexability. If you have a cd-r (recordable) drive you will need to use cd-r disks. You will need one 700MB/80min blank CD-RW or CDR disk.
* Windows
o Quick answer: Use a program such as Nero Burning Rom or Roxio CD Creator. You can get a free trial of Nero from their site . In most cases you will want to skip the burning wizard and choose File -> Burn Image or File -> Open. Select the KNOPPIX_Vxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.iso file, then -> Burn.
o Long answer: Of course the answer depends on the individual program you are using to burn CDs, but all common CD-Writing programs should support the option of burning the ISO as an image, you probably just have to find the right menu option. In the burning program, do not drag & drop the ISO into the burning screen. In the windows explorer, do not attempt to decompress the ISO with something like WinRAR or WinZip. You must CHOOSE to burn it as an image. Do not burn it at a fast speed greater than 16X. You must burn it at a very slow speed preferably 4X or 8X. Burn your CDR as a "Single Session CD" or select finalize. The Mode "Disk at once" or "Track at once" should not matter (have a look at the Online-Help of your burning software).
* Windows XP/2003 / Vista only
o Install the ISO Recorder plug-in for Windows Explorer. Once installed you merely right-click on the ISO image and choose "Copy image to CD".
A common mistake made when burning ISOs: "I downloaded & burned the ISO to CDR as a bootable data disc. Now it boots to a A:\\ Caldera DR-DOS prompt." You are probably seeing something like:
Caldera DR-DOS 7.03
Copyright (c) 1976, 1998 Caldera, Inc. All rights reserved.
[DR-DOS] A:\\]
This means that the ISO was burned as a bootable CD or bootable data disc. A Knoppix ISO already includes the boot instructions so it is not necessary to burn it as as a bootable data CD. Burning the ISO file as an image will automatically take care of the bootable details.
It is also possible to burn a bootable Knoppix CD using a Mac. After you have downloaded and verified the .iso file, open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder. Choose Burn from the Images menu and select the .iso. The resulting disk will be bootable on most PCs, the same as if you had used another iso-burning tools. "
I haven't used Knoppix in a while, but my sons took their Knoppix CD everywhere they went so they could always use Linux. They started a whole Linux cool factor among their friends... it was most awesome.
If you need more help, you can PM me if you need to.
