[one.sensei]

Is it okay to run it for 8-12 hours or more?

[saikee]

Don't think it has a time limit at all.

[Wogus]

I've run LiveCD/DVD's for DAYS at a time. Ubuntu, Mint, Debian... Doesn't matter the distro.
It'll run as long as you let it.

[lotuseclat79]

Originally Posted by one.sensei

Is it okay to run it for 8-12 hours or more?

Hi one.sensei,

I cannot help but wonder why you asked this question? I suppose running the computer 24x7 (which consumes electricity) is not a problem?

Normally, any updates to your Live CD session are lost once you power off, or a power outage occurs, or reboot.

If your computer is capable of modifying the BIOS boot order to allow a USB flash drive to boot first before the Live CD and hard drive, then an alternative is a persistent installation of Linux on a USB flash drive. All updates will survive powered down sessions due to the persistent storage feature of the installation.

Visit Boot and run Linux from a USB flash memory stick to learn how to do it.

I'd recommend a 4GB USB flash drive, but 2GB will suffice.

What you end up with is equivalent to booting from a Live CD, but with the added feature of updates to the software surviving between reboots.

-- Tom