Help Linux/Windows on a stick?

[Scouse]

Lo all

A mates laptop has gone pop. I'm looking for a cool CD-bootable (or USB-bootable) OS that'll let me rip the files he wants off his hard drive before I blat the fekker and start again.

I used to have a copy of a nice linux bootdisk with all sorts of programs that ran from it but for the life of me I can't remember the name of it

It seems that not working since December has reduced my already paltry level of IT skill to numbskull level. I can't believe they used to pay me for my, ahem, "expertise".

Bail me out chaps! Pur-leeeeeeese

 

[nath]

Ubuntu Home Page | Ubuntu

Get yourself a live cd from there, it's off the hook yo!

 

[Kryten]

Failing that:

Bart PE
XPLite
Ultimate Boot CD
Hirens

 

[kirennia]

Was just going to say after reading the title, Ubuntu is absolutely legendary for that. Seriously, putting in the disk, having to boot up in less then two minutes and having it be on the internet without hesitation, you can't make up that stuff.

From a boot disk, it'll laugh at windows problems, even for someone who has very little knowledge of linux, you'll be able to instantly access a prior non-loading partition with it, unless it is of course, corrupt.

 

[Scouse]

Danke all! Ubuntu on its way down.

Remembered Knoppix as well. Always found that very handy...

 

[PLightstar]

Knoppix is brill for that kind of thing, its managed to bail me out on quite a few occasions when XP won't load and the HD is beginning to fail.