Need a free bootable linux that uses a gui

[Melena]

My wife's laptop decided to fail on the Windows 10 update, and was unable to revert. Trying to back up some files before I restore, but the SSD it came with is soldered to the hard drive carriage so it will not fit in my enclosure. Is there a bootable linux/unix with a gui so I could copy files to USB before pulling a factory restore?

[xerodok]

Yumi

[Bardicrune]

Kali Linux is what I've used in the past. Not only good for a bootable gui, also comes with oodles of penetration testing software pre-installed.

As an aside: Just googled kali linux (because their site is down currently) and it looks like they're using it in some of the scenes in the new "Mr. Robot" TV show.

[Niya]

Pretty much any decent desktop linux offers setup/try-out ISO images that boot right into the GUI. Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, they should all work ^^

[Stromgarde]

I would use Ubuntu. It's not without its issues, but it's probably the most user-friendly, and they also make it very easy to make live CD's. Kali Linux is great if you're in the infosec sphere, but its strengths don't really come into play for what you need to do.