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I found this very useful tool which allows you to try out Live Linux OS's and much much more very easily. Easy2Boot Introduction Easy2Boot instructions for everything ! I did try to use the instruction for making a E2B usb but I kept on coming up with a fault when I tried to add the " bootlace.com " component. I also could not find " defrags " in the Arch or AUR packages so I defected to Windows to accomplish the task. Easy2Boot Linux instructions The Windows install was a piece of cake, just a couple of clicks and the job was done. The instructions given were very simple to follow. Easy2Boot Windows instructions There is a list of 142 os's and tools that work with E2B here Working os list The reason I am posting here is that I feel that using this tool will be a very good way for folk to try out a whole host of different distros especially now that XP is going to be pushing up the daisy's soon. One of the good aspects is the very easy Windows install of the tool. Also once you have the tool set up on your usb adding or changing from an older version is pretty darn easy too. Add in the fact that you have the ability to add persistence to the relevant os's, and you have a very easy way to show folks just what they have been missing. Did I mention it is free ! Look at it this way. I have a 16 GB usb to which I can add at least 8 or 10 different linux's. I can carry it around with me and if folks ask "what is this linux stuff" I can show them several different linux's and be sure that some of them will work on their set up. Or you could have almost every testing,rescue or penetration tool kept on a single stick as you can now get cheaply sticks as big as 32 GB to 64 GB. Remember you can add new versions very easily which makes this a very attractive tool.Another attraction is that a USB HDD can be used but a USB Removable flash drive will give the most trouble-free results. I did some real life tests using the system in my profile.Here is a refresher list of the main components. My rig only has USB2 and I found E2B pretty slow to load, not surprising with the os's I had loaded.The os's were slower to load I think than from a cd or as a single os on a usb.Once loaded they seemed to run just as a normal live distro.I use a seperate sound card and this may have thrown some of the os's, however several did find the card sucesfully. CPU AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600 2.9Ghz Motherboard Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe Graphics Cards Asus ENGTX 460 TOP Memory Geil Black Dragon 4 GB PC6400 Sound Card Asus Xonar DS I have run the following sucesfully as live distros. I tested for wired connection to the net, playing a video file,sound,browsing to you tube and playing yt video.All tests were done straight out of the box with two exceptions.If a test failed it was noted. absolute-14.05.iso (based on Arch) This took me to a full install selection screen, looks like it will work ok. Porteus-v2.0-i486.iso (based on Slackware) No sound. antiX-13.2_386-full.iso No sound. debian-live-7.4-i386-kde-desktop.iso No flash debian-live-7.4-i386-xfce-desktop.iso No sound and no flash Mageia-4-LiveCD-KDE4-en-i586-CD.iso No flash and I could not find a video player in the menu Simplicity14.1Desktop141Release.iso(based on Slacko Puppy which has great affinity with Slackware) I had to click on the Network icon and then make one further click to gain access to the net after that everything worked otb matelivecd-14.029.2321.iso (Arch with a Mate) No sound MX-14.iso No sound slackel64-openbox-6.0.iso This got me to a point where I could do a full install or drop to a command line to do stuff These next three are rescue and partitioning os's so you would not expect a full set of positive test results. clonezilla-live-2.2.1-25-i686-pae.iso This worked perfectly up to the point I tested and am confident you could use it with perfect results gparted-live-0.17.0-4-i486.iso I had to make two clicks to get internet.No sound.No flash as their browser of choice is Netsurf pmagic_2013_08_01.iso No sound ,no vide player,no flash SimplyMEPIS-1.5G_11.0.12_32.iso Very sweet full pass, neat KNOPPIX_V7.2.0CD-2013-06-16-EN.iso Very sweet full pass, neat linuxmint-16-cinnamon-dvd-32bit.iso Most impressed.Very newcomer friendly.Full pass. zorin-os-6.4-core-32.iso Top of the class and classy with it. The best of the buch for a XP jumper. I was pretty well blown away with the presentation and the nippy response This I found started to set up as a live distro but threw a fault before it would install fully. I think the installer could not find the correct disk or some such.I really wanted it to work as it seems a super easy way to introduce folk to the fearsom Arch. antergos-2013.11.17-i686.iso the fault was, Error: '/dev/mapper/arch-usr-share' device did not show sh: can't access tty: job control turned off This also gave a fault, dsl-4.4.10.iso Can't find knoppix file system .sorry dropping you in to a very limited shell. I have not tried to add persistance to any of the distros as I have been a tad busy an I got fed up of reading. Enjoy

http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2014/02/06/reactos-0-3-16-review/ It ain't windows or linux but I thought it might interest those poor folk who have to use windows programs.

Fix when XP refuses to update - Freedomlist - plodr aka our own zlim/Liz Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 8 for Windows XP (KB2898785) I searched for this on our forums, I was pretty sure that Liz posted this here as well as FreedomList, but maybe I just saw it over there. I just used this on my Windows XP Pro VirtualBox. Windows Updates had successfully installed 5 updates but was stuck at 15% and wouldn't go forward. I went looking for this posting by Liz to get that link. I installed it and after rebooting, within just about 10 min or so, I had a bunch of updates (16 to be exact) ready to be installed. It is now installing them. BTW: The install was also VERY slow since I was in it last time a couple or three months ago, so since I hadn't needed to be in this VirtualBox WinXP Pro, I just didn't go in to do anything. Was painful. I am hoping based on a neowin articles (1,2) that this and the new updates will might also take care of that. Thanks to our own Liz/zlim who is also known as plodr, an Administrator on FreedomList! Thanks again! Will report back the results but wanted to get this out there.

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/155392-international-space-station-switches-from-windows-to-linux-for-improved-reliability From the comments section,

On XP you must manually update the root certificates. The update, KB931125, has been around since 2007. The "latest" update for XP was April 2012. Since Susan Bradley of Windows Secrets said to install this in the past Thursday's newsletter, I jumped through the hoops to do it. First you go here and download something to validate your copy of windows. http://www.microsoft...s.aspx?id=28965 Once you paste the validation code in the box, you can download the exe file. Now the major problem: I click on it and I can't tell if anything has been done. 931125 is not listed in updates as installed (I've checked both history in the MS update page and add/remove programs in my computer). It is not listed in the uninstall "$ part". It is not listed in optional updates on the MS update page. Last, it is not listed in updates I have hidden. I opened IE and looked through certificates trying to find anything helpful. I saw some in there that expired in 2009 which isn't encouraging. Any way to tell if this has actually been installed?