Klaus Knopper answers your Linux questions
Ask Klaus
Migrating a Linux OS from DVD to flash.
Klaus: I am a newbie, and I have an XPS Dell laptop in excellent condition (still rather new, about a year old) except for ONE THING – it has "buggy" Windows 8 on it. I'd like to wipe the laptop's hard drive and do a full, non-partition installation of Linux using a CD supplied by Linux Pro Magazine. However, my laptop does not have a CD/DVD drive but rather has two USB 3.0 ports.
I do have a Dell XPS Studio 9100 desktop running Windows 7 Professional, and it does have a CD drive. That having been said, can I simply insert the CD, open a My Computer window, click and drag the contents to an empty flash drive, then transfer the flash drive to my laptop where I can do a clean install of Linux?
There must be a good reason that Linux OS installations in magazines are on CDs rather than on flash drives, but I'd like to know why.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
KDE Unleashes Plasma 6.5
The Plasma 6.5 desktop environment is now available with new features, improvements, and the usual bug fixes.
-
Xubuntu Site Possibly Hacked
It appears that the Xubuntu site was hacked and briefly served up a malicious ZIP file from its download page.
-
LMDE 7 Now Available
Linux Mint Debian Edition, version 7, has been officially released and is based on upstream Debian.
-
Linux Kernel 6.16 Reaches EOL
Linux kernel 6.16 has reached its end of life, which means you'll need to upgrade to the next stable release, Linux kernel 6.17.
-
Amazon Ditches Android for a Linux-Based OS
Amazon has migrated from Android to the Linux-based Vega OS for its Fire TV.
-
Cairo Dock 3.6 Now Available for More Compositors
If you're a fan of third-party desktop docks, then the latest release of Cairo Dock with Wayland support is for you.
-
System76 Unleashes Pop!_OS 24.04 Beta
System76's first beta of Pop!_OS 24.04 is an impressive feat.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.