Any advice on trying Linux 3.7 "no install" CD

[samp]

Greetings,

NOTE:  Sorry about getting this question in the wrong forum (ie: Windows)....This is only my second post.....
_______________________________________ _________________

I was given a "no install" LINUX disk which runs from the CD.  The CD says says "Powered by Knoppix Linux 3.7".

I have always been curious about using Linux  and would like to experiment with it. (some people I have even heard say that once they learned Linux they preferred it over Windows)

Question: Is it safe to try this in my computer or am I risking problems by letting it boot up the computer from the disc drive?  ( I am running XP Home) Any comments would be appreciated because, as I mentioned before, deliberately inducing nasty problems into my computer results in hair tearing and I need all I got already.

Thanks,
Samp

[patio]

This is what's called a "Live" CD...it will run from the CD itself and not install anything on your machine...
Ubuntu is another one you may want to take a gander at...
Good Luck.

[Dias de verano]

This is a very good way to learn about Linux. Suse Live is another one. The advantage of booting from a CD is that nothing is altered on the hard drive. One disadvantage is that Live Linux CDs tend to be rather slow to boot up and also can be slow to start applications, but even so they are great fun to use.