Emergency Kit - save your files from a dead OS

Here my main concern at this time is either having the latest on a VM or turned into the live data recovery stick while I have been more or less glued to 10 lately and haven't even booted back into 7 now for several weeks getting to know the works on the latest version out. Since you are now trying the 17.3 on a VM you might also want to give the Debian flavor a look as well. Since Linux Mint was first out 6yr.s ago I have been staying mostly with the 64bit flavor having seen that replace both Knoppix live and ubuntu since LM was made to draw more Windows users to it by prepackaging more goods as well as making it much easier to see them download and install automatically when selecting the install options.

You still have to sign in for each step however since adding any new program on is making a change in Linux and why the password prompting is a constant. The VMs however set up here are not intended for running as another main OS but to see what is different between releases. The custom install onto the flash drives was to get past the demo and onto seeing that being a main install so when going to boot on any machine where Windows got trashed I still have all of the normal options except for running the other guy's OS!

Yes youtube videos can be frustrating when most of it does not apply to what you really are looking for or too fast
I just need a larger ssd to put Zorin ultimate on is pretty much what my hold up is all I have vacate is a 128gb ssd
Never have enough freaking 250gb ssd's

Unlike a typical Windows install with 10 seeing 88gb used up for the new version there while 7 was quite a bit less you would want 128gb or larger for simply having the room for the basic apps. A good 200-250gb primary on a larger drive then works to see a second backup partition created if not having multiple drives to work with.

Now for Linux on the other hand even for the commercial version you are after there can run on a 32gb VFat primary Ext4 or 5 presently. Unless you are planning to pack a number of programs especially with Wine you can easily see the minimum install under 60gb total.

The reason I say is that Zorin OS is a ubuntu distro which are generally smaller to begin with while not nowhere as small as Gentoo or Mephis. You can hardly work with those for anything like data recovery on a Windows machine to start with.

As for the review on LMDE there that wasn't quite what I was looking for anyways with that guy only skimming through the options for Linux backups and recovery not a review showing the full features of the Debian flavor as well as being able to use that for live data recovery. The Kingston 128gb flash drive was split to see only a 13gb VFat on the back end out of sight from Windows despite having Paragon's ExtFS for Windows app on that allows you to mount linux volumes on Windows. Windows is only able to see the first partition on anything usb it seems. The older 32gb being another Data Travler saw the full drive used for LMDE 14 a few years ago.

Yep I am trying out Ubuntu again as I did like it before and when I made up my little ditty about seeing into drives and that was many moons ago before (I think) the Linux MATE one was written up by Wolfgang.


My Linux SSD install on the Toshiba is ok as I get a full screen view but the same run in the VM ware is a little disappointing as the "viewing" screen is a small one stuck in the middle of a 27" monitor ie it doesn't fill the monitor from edge to edge - whereas the bootable stick does

Yes Mike I use only 250GB SSD's now as the 120's are really not good for anything but a boot drive and I don't like fiddling with a second drive for data storage - ok for an image but that is all.
I agree the YouTubes are really frustratingly quick and they tend to assume one knows what they are talking about.

The other little hassle is getting the bundled software to download ie I tried to get that Bleachbit to download last night but it just got more complicated.

I am just hoping I can get to understand it enough to make it a real competitor for my machines to Windows .

When running the distro from booting the flash live was that simply the iso being written to the drive? I didn't think you went as far as seeing a custom install to the flash drive itself where you then have more display options as well as the full version to work with as far as not simply seeing the little circle in the center of the screen?

Never had that problem here on the 19" lcds while VMs are typically viewed by windows and maxed out to the full screen level in most cases. When using the TeamViewer program to view the second remote mini tower on the other hand you can hit the maximize button or drag the view out to only leave the extended taskbar(no longer on second display) in order to be able to click on the move button if not simply going to close it out.

The custom installs to flash drive while the ubuntu 15:10 was too friendly and simply looked at on VM only the LMDE has been an ease for each of the releases so far over the last 5yrs. time and why I prefer the app filled flavor of Linux seen there as well as seeing a permanent custom install to the large capacity flash drive for dual purpose of having a full OS on a live stick as well as the larger partition ready for recovery and transfer of files. Just having one bit of UEFI problem with the new laptop not allowing anything on usb to boot including Linux or even a 10 media stick!

ICIT2LOL said:

the same run in the VM ware is a little disappointing as the "viewing" screen is a small one stuck in the middle of a 27" monitor ie it doesn't fill the monitor from edge to edge - whereas the bootable stick does.

Try changing the display resolution. If you can't find the resolution you want, you need to install VMWareTools - you should install it anyway.

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/mic...rnalId=1018414

Ok running the Linux from a 120GB and 32GB stick/s went fine installing the Linux MATE to the SSD wentt through eventually and works ok except I could only install it with auto login and not the use r login I wanted but no matter can try again now I know it works.

Colin I downloaded the workstation VM Ware from here https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/downloads and I shall try again using that link of yours to get the res right as I couldn't find any way of setting it when I got it going.
It had been a long day with the Linux install and I thought I would ask before I really mucked up my main laptop.
Plus I find getting used to the terminology such as terminal for the cmd prompt and having to set up using that method right now a little time consuming having to watch those quick YouTubes and then flicking back to the machine to make the changes.

Now I have used the stick method on the Toshiba ok but with the Ubuntu trial I want to use the new machine which has EUFI BIOS whereas I only had to change the boot speed in the old legacy BIOS I am not sure of what in the EUFI settings needs changing if anything at all?

That page is the main page for all downloads. The one you should have found yourself at was the next to last right above the Fusion link but not the actual last at the very bottom of the page to end up with the choice between the 64bit or 32bit Workstation 12 Player. https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/fre...on_player/12_0

Well it seems my LMDE VM on Hyper-V not the one on the 7 VM using the Workstation 12 Player is a password required to log in while the others see the auto logon enabled. The view at the moment due to having a sidebar gadget running on 10 on the far right with the main taskbar on the far left with the dual display set up is why it's not full screen on the secondary there.

Ok mate am having a look now - actually that was the one I used.


By the by the Ubuntu boot went fine from a 8GB stick without any need to change the EUFI settings so I shall put it on a 128GB stick for future use as it is still a much simpler set up as I used all that time ago. If nothing else it is an option

John, if you are serious about your foray into Linux, whatever flavor it may be, the best advice I can give you is to get completely familiar with the CLI (command terminal). Many things in Linux, such as installing VMWARE TOOLS for example, cannot be accomplished without some proficiency in it.

Currently most distros use BASH, so here is a start:
An A-Z Index of the Bash command line | SS64.com