Anyone here running Linux from a USB drive?

[Lo Zeno]

Boot times on Linux vary greatly, depending on what you installed and what distro you are using.

I have a very minimal LXDE Fedora 11 installed in a netbook that boots in 12 seconds, and a "bloated" Red Hat Enterprise server which has so much stuff installed inside it that its boot time is around 1 minute and a half.

My main working laptop though, boots Fedora 13 (with GNOME desktop) in 37 seconds.

[jasonfedelem]

Typically on my netbook I'm doing only internet stuff, except for Calibre. I'm looking for faster boot times because I turn it on and off so many times per day (maybe 6 or 7).

I'll look at the Ubuntu Netbook and LXDE Fedora 11 and see which boots faster. Other suggestions are welcome.

[frabjous]

For fast loading linux distros for netbooks, maybe look at xPUD or BrowserLinux which I think are geared towards running Firefox and (almost) nothing else. (gOS may be similar.) I've never tried any of them, however.

There are also several linux distros designed mainly to be run from USB or similar which could probably achieve fast boot times, like Damn Small Linux, Tiny Core Linux, and Puppy (and variants like MacPup), which has already been mentioned. I think the smallest linux distro, which did boot insanely fast when I played around with it, is Slitaz, which does have a working web browser (Midori), but I really can't imagine trying to use for serious work.

[Bremen Cole]

Originally Posted by jasonfedelem

Typically on my netbook I'm doing only internet stuff, except for Calibre. I'm looking for faster boot times because I turn it on and off so many times per day (maybe 6 or 7).

I'll look at the Ubuntu Netbook and LXDE Fedora 11 and see which boots faster. Other suggestions are welcome.

I have a little Gateway netbook with Win 7 Starter, I boot in 25-30 seconds.... Boot times vary greatly on all OS's depending on what all you have installed and other options.....

[Doogman]

If you are starting and stopping your computer many times during the day, have you considered using the hibernate to ram feature?

I do this with my Linux desktop so it starts up within 4 seconds and all my applications are already loaded and exactly as I left them. Another side bonus is that the disk cache is already full so anything else I can be quickly accessed on the HD.

[jasonfedelem]

Well, I'm running XP, and for whatever reason it doesnt give me a hibernate option. No way, no how. Standby only... and I don't like standby because when I'm not using the netbook its in my backpack and just not comfortable with standby in that situation.

[frabjous]

Originally Posted by frabjous

For fast loading linux distros for netbooks, maybe look at xPUD or BrowserLinux which I think are geared towards running Firefox and (almost) nothing else. (gOS may be similar.) I've never tried any of them, however.

There are also several linux distros designed mainly to be run from USB or similar which could probably achieve fast boot times, like Damn Small Linux, Tiny Core Linux, and Puppy (and variants like MacPup), which has already been mentioned. I think the smallest linux distro, which did boot insanely fast when I played around with it, is Slitaz, which does have a working web browser (Midori), but I really can't imagine trying to use for serious work.

I've killed some time today playing around with some lightweight Linux distros. The test is whether or not I could load the thing on to a USB drive, boot from the USB with a short boot time (it needed to be noticeably shorter than my usual Ubuntu load time), and get online with a decent Web Browser, with sound working. Another trick is that I'm using my laptop in the Barnes and Noble cafe, and hence need wireless support out of the box, and can't require access to anything not on the USB. I'm sad to report that many of the above failed the test on my hardware.

The winners so far are xPUD, Puppy Linux, and CrunchBang lite (based on Ubuntu), all of which passed. Using Crunchbang right now in fact.

[=X=]

Originally Posted by jasonfedelem

Well, I'm running XP, and for whatever reason it doesnt give me a hibernate option. No way, no how. Standby only... and I don't like standby because when I'm not using the netbook its in my backpack and just not comfortable with standby in that situation.

It's hidden, you have to enable it before the option is given.

1) Right click on the background. Select the properties menu option.
2) Select the "Screen Saver" tab.
3) Press the <Power> button.
4) Select the "Hibernate Tab"
5) Check the "Enable Hibernation" check box.


At this point you can reprogram your sleep button to hibernate.

To do this Select the "Advance" tab

=X=

[=X=]

Originally Posted by frabjous

I've killed some time today playing around with some lightweight Linux distros. The test is whether or not I could load the thing on to a USB drive, boot from the USB with a short boot time (it needed to be noticeably shorter than my usual Ubuntu load time), and get online with a decent Web Browser, with sound working. Another trick is that I'm using my laptop in the Barnes and Noble cafe, and hence need wireless support out of the box, and can't require access to anything not on the USB. I'm sad to report that many of the above failed the test on my hardware.

The winners so far are xPUD, Puppy Linux, and CrunchBang lite (based on Ubuntu), all of which passed. Using Crunchbang right now in fact.

I have an old Toshiba Tecra 5XX CDT, with a WI-FI PCMCIA card. I'm trying to find a disto that can support that OS. I tried Ubuntu and Xbuntu but both did not work because the BIOS on the Tecra was not supported.

I think it does have a USB, but I don't think it can boot from it.
=X=

[DJHARKAVY]

Ubuntu is running very nicely on my WIND.

It seamlessly recognized when I upgraded the RAM and when I swapped a new wifi card into the machine.

I am a happy camper...

[frabjous]

Originally Posted by =X=

I have an old Toshiba Tecra 5XX CDT, with a WI-FI PCMCIA card. I'm trying to find a disto that can support that OS. I tried Ubuntu and Xbuntu but both did not work because the BIOS on the Tecra was not supported.

I think it does have a USB, but I don't think it can boot from it.
=X=

Googling it turns up one person (here) running that kind of rig with Damn Small Linux and two people running Debian (here) and (here). Good luck trying to get it work, though. Sounds like a challenge.