Post Monkeh
August 1st, 2009, 02:46 PM
hi.
i've been playing about these past few weeks with various "small" linux distros (dsl, puppy, that sort of thing) just for fun, installing them on a 128mb usb flash drive - puppy linux is awesome for the size of the little bugger.
but it got me to thinking. i'm by no means a computer expert, but i know way more than most people i know, and i'm usually the one people run to when they've stuffed up their computer. surely there's a way for me to make an ubuntu (or any other linux distro) installation on a ;arger (1 - 2 gb) usb stick that provides me with the tools i could need to easily repair computers.
i'm not talking about things like major system files having been deleted. most of the problems i'm trying to sort are systems having been infected with spyware/viruses, and the main problem in trying to get rid of them is that they prevent avg (my anti virus program of choice for windows) from even starting, let alone getting rid.
i thought it would be great to be able to make a bootable usb installation that means i can totally bypass whatever os (and associated virsues) normally loads, then scan from a virus free environment.
can the linux anti virus programs also pick up viruses in windows? what is the best one? i'm not fussed on having to update the database, ubuntu easily picks up my mobile when its attached via usb, so i could easily download the latest virus database any time i needed to.
what about spyware programs, are there any for linux that can pick up spyware on a windows file system?
what about file/disk recovery programs for windows and linux? if i'm going to have a rescue os, might as well make it able to rescue linux installations as well as windows?
what would everyone recommend as a must-have app for a rescue disk? amd would ubuntu be your os of choice, or is there another distro out there that is better suited (or even designed) for the task?
i've been playing about these past few weeks with various "small" linux distros (dsl, puppy, that sort of thing) just for fun, installing them on a 128mb usb flash drive - puppy linux is awesome for the size of the little bugger.
but it got me to thinking. i'm by no means a computer expert, but i know way more than most people i know, and i'm usually the one people run to when they've stuffed up their computer. surely there's a way for me to make an ubuntu (or any other linux distro) installation on a ;arger (1 - 2 gb) usb stick that provides me with the tools i could need to easily repair computers.
i'm not talking about things like major system files having been deleted. most of the problems i'm trying to sort are systems having been infected with spyware/viruses, and the main problem in trying to get rid of them is that they prevent avg (my anti virus program of choice for windows) from even starting, let alone getting rid.
i thought it would be great to be able to make a bootable usb installation that means i can totally bypass whatever os (and associated virsues) normally loads, then scan from a virus free environment.
can the linux anti virus programs also pick up viruses in windows? what is the best one? i'm not fussed on having to update the database, ubuntu easily picks up my mobile when its attached via usb, so i could easily download the latest virus database any time i needed to.
what about spyware programs, are there any for linux that can pick up spyware on a windows file system?
what about file/disk recovery programs for windows and linux? if i'm going to have a rescue os, might as well make it able to rescue linux installations as well as windows?
what would everyone recommend as a must-have app for a rescue disk? amd would ubuntu be your os of choice, or is there another distro out there that is better suited (or even designed) for the task?