WOW! A few days ago I came across one of those PC mags on the newstand that I normally ignore. It was PC Utilities from the UK and included inter alia a 700Mb Linux disc that claimed you could run Linux without any copying to your hard drive and hence no interference with other installed (Windows) applications.

To get straight to the bottom line it worked beautifully, has a huge number of free quality programs, office suite, utilities, web servers, graphics etc. I didn't fully appreciate how user friendly Linux can be plus I had the familiar comfort of something that was very close to Windows in terms of operation. There was no nerdy stuff involved in using it at all.

The Linux engine is Knoppix KDE 3.1 and is downloadable at knoppix.net. My recommendation would be to spend the few bucks on a prerecorded disc unless you have broadband to download the 700 Mb - most of which I gather is occupied by the actual applications.

Like other Linux engines it can be permanently installed on your PC, but I haven't progressed that far.

Regards,

John in Brisbane