Whether you run Knoppix from the CD/DVD or the USB drive, you get a slight sluggishness as the data is read from storage and delivered through the pipeline.

You will find the options to install Knoppix onto a USB drive or hard drive in the Knoppix menu. Running Knoppix from a USB drive requires an additional one-time step from the menu when you run the DVD live session. Just pop the live DVD into the optical drive bay and fire up the computer. Setting up Knoppix to run from a DVD drive is no different than burning an ISO file in any distro. While several portable Linux distros now exist, Klaus Knopper developed this original concept. Once the Debian trappings initiate the boot process, Knoppix takes over with its own portable environment. Knoppix, however, is not a Debian distro per se. Even the developers warn against installing Knoppix to the hard drive with the intention of running it there permanently. You can also run Knoppix from a tricked hard drive installation - either internal or external - if you do not mind a bit of fiddling. Its speed results from its temporary installation into a RAM drive created during the booting process. Knoppix runs from a Live DVD or USB boot that is not designed for permanent hard drive installation. You also can run Knoppix as your primary operating system as if it were installed on a hard drive.

This persistent memory feature, unlike regular live distro sessions, lets you carry a complete Linux desktop with all of your files and special application settings in your pocket to run on any computer. Both save user settings and downloaded software added to the mix. Knoppix, much like Puppy Linux, provides a fully functional Linux distro that boots from a DVD or USB drive. It also could easily replace the portability on a stick I get with Puppy Linux. It equals or exceeds the performance of all the desktop varieties I run in Ubuntu and Linux Mint. Knoppix is a lightweight Linux distro that is anything but light in its features and functions.

Linux mint reviews 2013