Android (Rooted):
Whether you're troubleshooting a problematic PC or you just prefer
working in your own OS with your own tools, keeping a Linux boot CD or
USB key is a great way to take a customized system with you anywhere you
go. With DriveDroid, you don't need to bother with media, and can use the gadget you carry with you all the time anyway: Your Android phone.
DriveDroid
will, once connected to your PC, boot your computer to any ISO file or
IMG disk image that's stored on your Android phone. Whether you just
like working in Linux whenever possible but find yourself using other
systems with other OSes installed already, or you like the idea of
keeping a rescue disc on your smartphone instead of on optical media, this handy app can help.Before
you install, make sure you have plenty of room on your Android
phone—you'll need the space for the Linux distro that you plan to
download, and for any USB drive images you want to create for storage or
for portable tools you'll need while your computer is booted in Linux.
Once you have some space cleared, here's how the app works:
* Connect your phone to your PC via USB
* Open
DriveDroid and Select the Linux distro that you'd like to run. You can
choose from the 35MB SliTaz (which the developer recommends because its
so small), or more popular distros like Arch Linux, Gentoo, Crunchbang,
FreeBSD, and more.
* Once downloaded, select the distro you'd like DriveDroid to host, and enable it.
* Reboot your PC. If you haven't already, make sure your BIOS is set to boot to USB devices before booting from the hard drive.
That's all there is to it. If you have your own ISO or IMG file that you'd like to boot, whether it's Linux or Windows, you can use that image instead as long as it fits on your phone. Just copy the image over to your phone and drop it into the DriveDroid folder so the app can see it. Then select it when you open the app, and reboot your PC.
Similarly, if you boot your system to an image, then customize that image with a blank USB image on your phone, you can turn that into a bootable image file and use that to have a completely customized linux distro that you carry around on your phone, complete with all of the apps and tools you need to get work done. Hit the link below to grab DriveDroid, and then visit the developer's website for more information and tips on getting Windows running using DriveDroid.
