Looking for a lightweight os to transfer files between drives

Liutauriux · April 5, 2020

So, my ssd won't boot and I'm trying to reinstall windows on it, but before doing that I want to move some files to my hdd and I'm looking for a lightweight Linux distro (under 1gb) that I could install on my usb and then boot from it, move the files between drives and that's it. I'd like a simple os because I'm not very experienced with linux. Anything helps!

maxdei · April 5, 2020

if you are able to use it or willing to google then one without gui

Sauron · April 5, 2020

Puppy Linux may suit your needs, no need to sacrifice a GUI if you don't want to. I would recommend the 64bit Ubuntu Bionic compatible version.

MasterGeekMX · April 6, 2020

Linux by itself is lightweight. You can run a basic barebones with maybe 128MB of RAM and 800MHz CPU. The things that makes it not so much lightweigt are the desktop environment and background procesess.

Also, you don't need to installper se a distro on an USB stick. A lot of linux distros offer what is called a LiveCD, meaning that you can boot up the OS from the install media without the need of making a real installation.

I would recommend Xubuntu. It uses the XFCE desktop environment, which is lightweight, but no so barebones.

Dutch_Master · April 6, 2020

I'd recommend SysrescueCD. Get the latest of the 5.x series (5.2.2, IIRC!) as these are smaller, the current 6.x iso's are all over 1GB. Can be booted as desired to a CLI or GUI. Has very dangerous tools for your drives, like wiping them clean irreversibly, so take care what you experiment with!