Run Slax from a Live CD

Slax

Run from a Live CD

Download the Slax iso file. Get the latest version.

Slax may be downloaded from http://www.slax.org/get_slax.php, or ftp://ftp.slax.org/.

Write it to a CD.

Verify Checksum

You can check if your download has been corrupted by verifying the MD5 checksum. To find out what is should be, go to http://www.slax.org/get_slax.php. Click on "md5," and this will take you to the checksum page. The checksum must be exactly the same. If it is different, the download is corrupted, and it needs to be downloaded again.

Run Slax from the CD

To run Slax from the live CD, put the CD in the drive, turn the computer off, and restart.

If the Computer Won't Start from the CD, click here for more information.

Select Mode

When starting Slax from a live CD, you will see a screen where you can select which mode to run it in. If you are using a recent version, the choices will be as follows:

Slax Graphics mode (KDE)

Slax Always Fresh

Slax Copy to RAM

Slax Graphics VESA mode

Slax Text mode

Slax as a PXE server

Run Memtest utility

To run Slax in the "Slax Copy to RAM" mode, the computer needs at least 320 mb of RAM. If the computer has at least 320 mb of RAM, this is the ideal mode to run it in. In this mode it copies the entire operating system to RAM and runs from RAM. It runs faster this way. You can also remove the CD from the drive, and use the drive for other purposes.

If you run Slax in the "Slax Graphics mode (KDE)," the computer will continually access the CD, so you cannot use the drive for other purposes. It runs slower in this mode. However, if the computer has less than 320 mb of RAM, you need to run it this way.

Use the arrow keys to select a mode, and press "Enter."

If you don't do anything, it will automatically start with the top one after ten seconds.

Logged in as Root

When running Slax from the live CD, you will automatically be logged in as root. You will not need the password for most things, but if you do, it is "toor."

Save Files

If you save files in the home directory while running Slax from a live CD, they are only saved in RAM, so when you turn the computer off, they will be lost.

You can create a directory on the hard drive and save them there.

If you have an older computer with an IDE hard drive, you will normally find it at "/mnt/hda1/." If the computer has a drive called "hda1" your computer has an IDE hard drive.

If you have a newer computer with a SATA hard drive, you will normally find it at "/mnt/sda1/." The computer will not have a drive called "hda1." If it has both, "hda1" is the hard drive, and "sda1" is normally the USB drive.

If you create a directory on the hard drive, and save files in this directory, they will still be there when you turn the computer off and restart.

If the hard drive has another operating system on it, saving files in a new directory you have created, should not affect that operating system. Be aware, if you change files within the operating system, it may not work properly.

To save files on USB drive while running Slax from a live CD, connect the USB drive with Slax already running, open it in a new window, and save files to it.

With this method, you can save files, but you cannot save settings.

Save Settings

If you want to save settings, just after starting the computer, when you see the screen where you select a mode, press "Tab."

Near the bottom of the screen you will see the starting instructions. The last one will be "changes=/slax/." Use the "Backspace" key to delete the end of that command, and change it to the hard drive.

If you have an older computer with an IDE hard drive, change it to "changes=/mnt/hda1/"

If you have a newer computer with a SATA hard drive, change it to "changes=/mnt/sda1/"

To save changes to a different drive or partition, enter the details for that drive or partition.

Press "Enter" to start Slax.

With this method, files and setting will be saved on the hard drive.

However, each time you start the computer, you will need to press "Tab," and modify the start command.

If you want to run Slax from a live CD on a regular basis, and save settings, you could edit the "/boot/slax.cfg" file, and make a modified CD so you don't need to type the commands each time you start the computer. Be aware, if you use the CD in another computer, it will also save changes to the hard drive of that computer.

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