It was first released in 2000 by German Linux consultant Klaus Knopper,[4] and was one of the first popular live distributions.

[8] Knoppix can be used to copy files easily from hard drives with inaccessible operating systems.

The storage device containing the changes needed to be present whenever Knoppix is started, else only the original data from the disc would be used.

Subsequently, the Live CD paradigm has transformed into portable operating systems that run on external storage.

When using Knoppix as a Live CD, one can use boot options, also known as "cheatcodes", to override a default setting or automatic hardware detection when it fails.

If the user does not enter a cheat code, or does not press any key before the timeout, Knoppix will boot with its default options.

The text interface for UEFI is similar with it for BIOS, one can also press key F2 and F3 to access information on boot options.

(In some cases, manual configuration with codes entered at boot time can overcome problems with automatic detection.

)[citation needed] If a PC does not have enough RAM to run KDE and other included programs, the legacy Knoppix (earlier than 6.0) boots up a very limited Tab Window Manager (twm) session instead.

LXDE was made the default desktop environment, and the edition contains a substantially reduced software collection in order to easily fit on a CD.

[20] The version 8.0.0 has the dual boot, and a choice between three different desktops:LXDE as default option, KDE or GNOME.

Adriane Knoppix is a variation that is intended for blind and visually impaired people, which can be used entirely without vision oriented output devices.

It uses the SUSE Blinux screen reader with a phoneme generator and speech engine for normal output.