Live CDs (and DVDs) are versatile tools, allowing you to boot into an operating system without installing anything to your hard drives. Let's take a closer look at the five most popular live CDs.

Android (Rooted): Whether you're troubleshooting a problematic PC or you just prefer working in your own OS with your own tools, keeping a Linux boot CD or USB key is a great way to take a customized ...

Even if you have Windows installed, you can still start your PC with all kinds of other systems to fix issues, play games, try out new operating system, back up your data and more. Better yet, all of ...

You've probably heard of Knoppix, the Debian-based distribution that squeezes 2GB of applications on a single standalone CD. It's been used as a Linux demonstration ...

When your PC stops booting, a boot drive is the electronic version of a defibrillator. If you can boot your PC, you can detect bad memory, chase bad sectors, change passwords, and recover data … all ...

Part 1 of this two-part series discusses ways to transition into Linux without leaving Windows behind all at once. Six months ago, I began a self-imposed experiment to see if I couldsurvive leaving ...