Knoppix – Linux on cd

If you need to switch to Linux, but still afraid you can't use it, then try a bootable Linux to get familiar with Linux environment (without touching your hard disk).
Knoppix provides this feature; you can interact with a virtual Linux environment without touching your machine, because you simply run the knoppix OS virtually from a knoppix image cd.
All you have to do:
- Download a knoppix image (choose any version of .iso file in the given link and download it. English versions of Knoppix ends with -EN in the iso file name and the year of edition also included in the name)
- download the appropriate .md5 file according to the .iso version you downloaded
- Check if your knoppix iso image is downloaded perfectly (no data lost), using md5-Summer tool; this simply checks md5 number in your iso image and compare it with the complete md5 number in the file you downloaded in step2.
- you are ready to create an image cd; use write/create image cd option in your cd burner, then choose the iso file to start creating your Knoppix cd
- Now you can restart your machine, boot from cd to run the virtual Linux :)

Special Notes :)
- if your pc hangs when booting from knoppix, you can type the following in the knoppix boot option screen (the first related knoppix screen aftet rebooting): knoppix noscsi
- don't worry about the unpleasant wallpapers of the virtual knoppix, this not the case of other Linux OS versions, most versions have pleasant GUI – much better than windows ;)

Here's My Resources: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1819549,00.asp