Distros : Puppy - Download

Puppy Linux is a fun way to try out Linux without having to install it onto your PC, instead you download an image from the puppy web site and burn it onto a CD or USB key and boot you PC from that instead of your hard drive.

Burning an image to a CD or USB key and tweaking a PC to boot from something else other than it's main operating system, requires a bit of trial and error, but nothing too complicated, so start by visiting the Puppy Linux Home Page, there you will find the Download Section with a choice of ISO image's, older PC's are 32 bit, newer ones are 64 bit. To make sure that the image you download will work for both, choose the 32 bit version.

Check out the screenshots link at the bottom of the Home Page, this will give you some idea of what Puppy Linux can offer, and help you decide which version to download.

Also on the home page is a link to DistoWatch Rankings to see how Puppy Linux compares to other Linux Distributions.

Puppy Web Site

Puppy Download Section

Choose a ISO to download and Right Click its Main Link or Mirror Link in the Download Link Section and choose where to save the Link, normally in your Download folder.

The Checksum Link - a simple text file - is important in that it provides a means of ensuring that the downloaded ISO is OK and has not become corrupted while making its way through the network, so Right Click that and save to your Download Folder.

This is how to use Linux to play with these checksum files, check out this link on Microsoft Community to see how the certutil command is used to work with checksums.

First time to try Linux, take a chance and assume that everything is OK, burn that Image, later on you can play with those checksum files!!!

If your PC has a CD burner then let it burn, go to the Folder where you downloaded the Puppy ISO, and double click it.

Burning an ISO to a DVD/CD Disc

Windows Disc Image Burner should pop up, put in a Blank CD into the drive and click Burn and let it rip.

Easy PC, but what if you don't have a functioning CD/DVD burner, have you a cheap USB key greater than 300MB, great, burn the image on that instead.

Rufus

Although the Puppy Web Site suggest you use dd a UNIX/Linux command line utility to Convert and Copy files, (would have been called cc but that was already in use), to burn that image, and offers a link to a version of dd that runs on Windows, there are easier and safer alternatives to use such as Rufus and Etcher, safer in that you will not run the risk of burning the puppy ISO onto your hard drive rather than a usb stick, think total disaster!!!!

Besides when you get to run Linux you can have plenty of fun doing all that Command Line Stuff for real!!!

Running Windows 7 or higher, then go to the Rufus Web Site and download the application, the latest file is rufus-3.11.exe and is only 1.1MB in size, save the file to your Download Folder and then Double Click to run the Application, easy PC.

Rufus like the Windows Disk Burner utility is a simple no-nonsense application.

Rufus created in Donegal, Ireland.

Pop in a USB stick that you want to install puppy Linux on, this should appear in the Device Box, use Windows Explorer to verify that yes that F: is a USB key rather than your hard drive C:

In the Boot Selection, click the down arrow and go to the puppy ISO and click select.

Write a ISO Hybrid Image so you can use the drive afterwards.

You want to use the USB key normally as well as been able to boot into puppy so leave the Write in ISO Image Mode radio button selected!!

Are you absolutely sure that you are going to burn that image onto a USB key and not your Windows Partitions.

Warning: All Data on device will be DESTROYED.

Go on take a chance and click OK to proceed.

Rufus burning the image to the USB Key.

A third of the way into burning this image to the USB key and Windows already recognises it as a drive that it can navigate to and play with.

Windows can also save to the USB key.

OK its a miserable 1GB USB key with 254MB used for Puppy Linux and yes Windows see it as Drive F: so you can save/rename/delete files on this key to your hearts content.

Etcher works on Windows, Linux and Apple. I installed it on Debian, I had to tweak it but once up and running Etcher was very easy and safe to use.

Now for the fun part!! To Boot from a CD or a USB stick.

Here are some terms that maybe completely new to you BIOS Basic In Out System and UEFI Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, read on...