Tinycore

Tiny Core Linux is a very small (10 MB) minimal Linux GUI Desktop. It is based on Linux 2.6 kernel, Busybox, Tiny X, and Fltk. The core runs entirely in ram and boots very quickly. Also offered is Micro Core a 6 MB image that is the console based engine of Tiny Core. CLI versions of Tiny Core's program allows the same functionality of Tiny Core's extensions only starting with a console based system.

Tinycore can be used as an emergency bootdisk, and when installed on USB, it is a portable OS in place of LiveCDs. I have installed it on a 1G USB stick as well as on a 4G SDHC SD card for the Asus eeePC.

Everything worked out of the box except for wireless WPA.

Installing to USB with GRUB4DOS

Download the Tiny Core iso image here.

On Linux distros

Create a mount point:

# mkdir -p /mnt/tinycore

Mount the iso image using the loop device:

# mount -o loop tinycore_2.5.iso.iso /mnt/tinycore

List files stored inside an iso image:

# ls -l /mnt/tinycore

Get GRUB4DOS here.

# unzip grub4dos-0.4.4.zip

Go to the grub4dos dir and install GRUB4DOS to the USB stick MBR. Make sure /dev/sda is your USB device! Change it accordingly.

#  cd <grub4dos>
<grub4dos># ./bootlace.com /dev/sda

Mount your USB device:

# mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/usbmnt

Copy files over to the USB:

# cp -vR /mnt/tinycore/* /mnt/usbmnt

Create a file named "menu.lst" in the root dir of the USB device and add the following lines to it:

timeout 10
default 0
title tinycore
find --set-root /boot/tinycore.gz
kernel /boot/bzImage quiet waitusb=5
initrd /boot/tinycore.gz

Reboot from USB and choose tinycore from the menu.

On Windows Machines

Unpack the iso using an archive program like 7-zip.

Get GRUB4DOS here.

Unzip the zip file.