Portable distributions

One of the great things about Linux is that you can carry it with you on a USB thumb drive. Here’s how

Linux can run from a USB drive as well as it does from an SSD. You can test most distributions this way before you commit them to internal storage. But why stop there? Running an operating system entirely from a USB thumb drive makes it uniquely portable. You can carry it with you if you travel and, so long as you aren’t blocked by the host machine’s Secure Boot settings, use it to start any device meeting the distribution’s minimum spec. Whether that’s a friend’s old Intel Mac or your Airbnb’s ageing PC, you won’t risk damaging their setup, nor leaving behind any of your personal data. Many distributions make a virtue of this. Head for Tails The Amnesic Incognito Live System (Tails) is a Debian-based distribution that’s designed to…

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PC Pro (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025

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