What is LiveCD?

A live CD can be used for a quick demo or test of Ubuntu. Try Ubuntu without any changes to your machine! Windows or whatever you use normally is unaffected after trying this and then rebooting. 

The standard Ubuntu Cd can be used as a LiveCd as well as an installer. Live mode is the default option when booting from CD. Only some of the non-standard downloads (such as the "Alternate Cd") lack this functionality. Windows users might be familiar with the term 'boot CD' or 'bootable CD' or 'Recovery/Restore Media'. A "LiveCD" is more than that because it gives the option of running a normal desktop environment with all the normal programs and some extras. A LiveCD usually finds your wired internet connection and Firefox should be able to surf the internet into here. 

This guide has screen-shots of the 8.04 and 10.04 Desktop Edition of Ubuntu. However, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Kubuntu and even unofficial Ubuntu-based distros as well as other versions all tend to have similar screens & menus. 

Most distributions (versions or "distros" of Linux) have this LiveCd functionality on their installer CD, a few have a separate Cd to download. It is rare to find a distro that has no LiveCd session at all. Ubuntu tries to make their LiveCD the easiest to use. Although a LiveCD session is a good way to demo Ubuntu without making changes to a machine, a LiveCD will always be slower than a proper installation to the hard-drive. Cd-drives & Dvd-drives are physically slower than hard drives. 

You can use a persistent image to keep data & settings safe after shut-down. This does go against many reasons for using a LiveCd session (rather than an installation) but it can be useful for multi-user machines, such as offices or in third world education projects.

Reasons for Using a LiveCD Session

LiveCD sessions are good to:

• give a 'demo' session on a machine before installing or upgrading 
  • checks hardware works as expected 
  • check the look & feel of the distro
• repair or preparation for awkward installations 
  • repair/replace/install grub perhaps after (re)installing Windows
  • fix Windows problems on a machine that doesn't have a dual-boot
  • anti-virus problems on a Windows system 
  • data recovery 
  • resizing partitions to give Ubuntu more (or less) room
  • adding a new partition(s) to your hard-drive for other distros or for a new Windows
• preparing a machine for installing Ubuntu, if you are shy of using default or automatic settings or if the hardware is too unique or awkward
• 'showing off' Ubuntu to people on their own machine
• using on a random computer where access is limited
• a familiar desktop environment on an unfamiliar machine 
• safely using a computer which seems to have poor security or lacks privacy. This is particularly good if you have a Usb stick or something to save your data and settings on (see 'persistent image')