Beginning

How do I get started?

Generally you need a running Linux system. You need to install a boot loader which is easiest done from Linux.
In the beginning we copied diskette images from the internet and wrote them to floppy disks.
The disk images are now gone and so are the diskettes. (thankfully)

Now we can copy USB or CD/DVD images from the internet and boot them directly. The images are much larger and we can get quite a good size Linux system on one. This is called a Live system as it runs directly from the CD/DVD/USB without being installed. Gwynux was one of the first live CD systems.

Your first task will be to get a live system running off a CD/DVD. Why not a USB stick? you ask. I was able to do this on a Mac but I expect you will have some trouble on windows. (Macs run UNIX) We will use the live system to produce a custom system on a USB stick.

Download a live distribution and burn it to a dvd. I suggest Debian. Debian live has been a few years in the making but seems very good and stable these days. It has all the tools you need to proceed from here.

Take care burning the image. You must have software that can burn iso images. Check the CD burning link on the side. Here is some suggestions from the Debian site for various platforms.

As an alternative you could use a virtual machine software such as Virtualbox. I have successfully done this on Virtualbox.
Virtualbox will boot the downloaded iso image without burning to a DVD. There is some setup involved but it saves burning. See the Virtualbox tab for instructions on setting it up.