How to Install Persistent Ubuntu on a USB Drive

[theoriginalelzincho]

greatings from edmonton buddy

[juiceweaselism]

Thanks for this PERFECT tutorial. Most other videos show just how make a live USB drive, this was the one thing I was looking for, because I wanted a persistent system that I can carry around with me.

One question however: Do I need to disable swap (swapoff -a), because it's a flash drive and therefore not really made for swapfiles?

[lupine73]

I've gotten Ubuntu 11.10 installed on an external USB drive (320 gig) and it will actually boot. The GRUB is on the external drive, so it prompts me of which OS to load, etc.

So it definitely worked at least that far.

However, when I boot from it, it just sorta sits with a blank purple/plum background color that they use but doesn't seem to go any farther.

Is there a problem with the install, or is it just spending time doing something for its first startup in the background?

Thanks!

[lupine73]

I need to revise that a bit...

I get the purple/plum screen for about a minute... Then it just goes to a blank screen with a blinking cursor and that's it.

What did I do wrong?

[ucantbeserious7]

To install Linux Mint or Ubuntu (or any Linux Distro) on an 8GB SDHC card, or 8GB USB, click on this link, it seriously is the easiest thing ever, and it explains it perfectly for noobs (it really helped me).

Check it out by going on Google and typing "install-linux-mint-11-on-an-8­-gb-sdhc-card", click on first link.

For installing on a portable Hard Drive go on Google and type in "install-ubuntu-11-04-on-exter­nal-hard-disk", click on first link.

Note: url not posted, youtube blocks it.

[itchytastyurr]

i use windows generally (but i have found i tend to ruin it when i make a usb install because the system loader still expected to see it attached at startup- and have to keep it in like a key. the only way i did it with this not happening was to install it from an old pc i don't use so don't touch my main hdd) i think the debs should be easier to find so you don't need software centre to start over- its about not needing net access if you want to re-install your software, for me

[Benedictninja]

hi there

am i able to use a 4gb usb?



[jsprowse]

@Benedictninja The install only takes a couple of GB but in my experience a 4GB stick fills up very quickly with software, files, caches, etc. Never had an 8GB stick fill in a semester but almost every student with a 4GB stick hits a point where they have to start deleting files.

[Benedictninja]

@jsprowse thanks i bought a 8gb

[rebelmons]

@unidad085 I did the same thing as you and fixed it after watching osgui video on youtube called " Delete linux Restore Windows 7 disk Partition Boot Loader Tutorial"

Good Luck

[urbanninja388]

one more thing does a phone(memory card) work??

[jsprowse]

@urbanninja388 You can use a memory card if your computer can boot from it, or if you have a USB memory card reader, you could plug it into the USB port and try to install to the card. Not sure how the performance would be?

[lodhiei]

i dont have a ubuntu live cd,,but i have setup files extracted to my usb through universal usb installer,,so can i install it using the above procedure without the cd.?

[urbanninja388]

on question when your done with the install do you need to put the usb drive again to boot or not???

-thanks

[jsprowse]

@urbanninja388 If you follow the instructions above, you should be able to boot your computer normally when the USB is not plugged in.

[itchytastyurr]

So this will not install that grub screen that you get with partitioning, but it still operates like a live usb?

does this mean i can use this as a super-user form start up?

(live session usb, as i have tried, will not let me install certain software like graphic drivers, and blender just wont even respond to a single click!)

so does this fool the computer into thinking the usb is a fully featured intallation with full privillages? (then i can install all my software on my 16gig usb)

[jsprowse]

@itchytastyurr Yes, this makes a fully functional installation, just running off of your USB instead of a hard drive. It works exactly like if you installed to a hard drive, except depending on the quality of the USB, it can be a little bit slower and laggy.

[unidad085]

I followed your instructions step by step with ubuntu 10.10 on windows 7 OS. It was difficult but it works ok!! but I maked a mistake on the process, I guess in the part you warned and when I had to select where to instal the boot loader, that part of the process was missing on my version, Now I cant run windows wothout the flashdrive attached, once attached and rebooted, I can sellect which OS to run. Of course you are not responsible for my mistake, but any help will be highly appreciated.

[rebelmons]

@unidad085 I did the same thing as you and fixed it after watching osgui video on youtube called " Delete linux Restore Windows 7 disk Partition Boot Loader Tutorial" another thing you can do is download a windows 7 restore disc or use the windows 7 instalation disc if you have it.

Good Luck

[ledartagnan]

Tested this with an external HDD, it works as a charm and is much faster than an USB Flash drive.

[ledartagnan]

Finally a well made tutorial. Works also with Linux 10.10

Thanks

[asswipe91]

will this work with 10.10?

[wowspec1]

@asswipe91 nawww man too bad!

[ggrum]

Great video! I wish all tuition videos were so good. I did it with Ubuntu on 8GB and it worked great, so then I tried Peppermint Linux on a 4GB USB using the same method and it worked as well, I would say peppermint was a bit faster than Ubuntu because it is a bit smaller.

[LifeonRice1]

hi, when you mean persistent, this means that if i install ubuntu using these steps, this wont add a grub bootloader to mine because i want only the windows 7 bootloader to pop up, is this true?

[jsprowse]

@LifeonRice1 "Persistent" means that when you shut down your computer, it remembers the state you left it in--the files, the background, etc. Your regular computer is persistent. Ubuntu has an "install to USB" mode that makes your USB into an Ubuntu *installer* that can be used to install Ubuntu onto *other* computers, and it forgets it state between uses (mostly).

And yes, if you install correctly (to the USB and not the HDD), it will not affect the boot process of your host computer at all.

[LifeonRice1]

@jsprowse i just need to follow these steps then it wont effect my booting and keep my win 7 bootloader as default? plz reply

[jsprowse]

@LifeonRice1 Yes. Your hard drive on your computer is completely unaffected. If your USB is not plugged in, your Win7 will boot. If your USB *is* plugged in, then your BIOS boot order will determine which drive will boot. There is probably an option to select the boot device that flashes on the screen briefly when your computer turns on, too. If you don't understand what your BIOS is, or what a boot order is, Google is your friend. Good luck!

[LifeonRice1]

@jsprowse THANKS 5 STARS!!! :)

[LifeonRice1]

@jsprowse THANKS 5 stars one more thing, i can do this too using the ubuntu windows installer? thanks

[Bender1729]

Hi, could you do a similar video for Ubuntu 10.10? I tried to install it the way you did in this video but the installation menu is a bit different and for some reason it won't work.

Ps.: I'm using an external harddisk instead of an USB-Drive. Does that make any difference?

[jsprowse]

@Bender1729:

I am uploading a new video right now (I made one for my class a few weeks back), so check back later and you'll find it in my library.

And yes, you can use any USB storage device, so a hard drive in an enclosure works fine too.

[Bender1729]

@jsprowse

Hi, thanks for the quick answer but the only new video I see on your channel is the exact same video as the one above and it's about Ubuntu 10.04?

... or did I miss something?

[Bender1729]

Sorry I was wrong. It's not the exact same video but it's still about Ubuntu 10.04. The 10.10 Menu is a bit different when it comes to the bootloader part. Can you give me any advice?

[jsprowse]

@Bender1729

You can see it at youtube, the video ID is MSHB8-dBI2w

[8141384]

would this process work for Lubuntu 10.04 also, or just Ubuntu?

[habboretro11]

will this mess with my currect windows os

[sumant28]

Hey! Will it work the same way if we use a usb instead of a live disk....as in I want to install ubuntu on the same usb I'm using as a live disk...The reason I put it on the usb was because my live CD wasn't running...It comes up with an "error reading CD"..so can I do it from the usb or do I really need to have it on a CD? Thanks !! (:

[jsprowse]

@sumant28: That's an interesting question... if you partitioned your Live USB so that there is enough unused space on the drive to create the necessary partitions for a full bootable OS, I suppose you could ask the Live USB to install persistently back to itself. I've never tried it, and it would mean that there would be two bootable partitions on your USB drive, so there might be some complications with how the GRUB boot loader is setup, and if you do it wrong you might wipe out your Live USB?

[1111Davo1]

thanks man, very clear, nice explantion!!!

[MriBackup]

all i didnt do was unmount it, thx man!!!

[Eldarhonos]

Really interesting video! Thanks!

[viksaver]

Thank you a lot for this video tutorial, is nice and well explained  :-)

[evikzzz]

I just bought 16 Gig :)) will try Now :D

[mojagatosxd]

Thank you very much. That is just what you were in need to know.

[dovaje]

can you also do this for a partition on a usb hdd?

[kkjgg112391]

Can't I install this on a 2GB flashdrive???

[jsprowse]

@kkjgg112391 Possibly, but the Ubuntu folks say you should have a minimum of 4GB of free disk space. Even with 4GB, the disk fills up after a couple of software installs and the size becomes a real hassle. There's no harm in trying, but don't expect much.

[jsprowse]

@kkjgg112391 Possibly, but the Ubuntu folks say you should have a minimum of 4GB of free disk space. Even with 4GB, the disk fills up after a couple of software installs and the size becomes a real hassle. There's no harm in trying, but don't expect much.

[kkjgg112391]

@jsprowse Okay, thank you so much.

I'm not planning to install many softies anyway I just want to try it. and possibly have my own pc with me even when i go somewhere when my laptop's not with me... IDK for privacy's sake I guess...

[08jc1263]

would this work with window 7

[jsprowse]

No idea. I haven't used the Windows 7 installer yet. I'm sure Google can help you find out, as there are definitely Windows 7 fans out there who would have tried this.

[08jc1263]

can you make a tutorial and show how you boot it up

[jsprowse]

Turn off your computer. Insert USB drive. Turn on your computer. If you hard drive boots instead of your USB, you need to change the boot order.

Search YouTube for "change boot order" to see how this is done. Good luck!

[08jc1263]

what is you try you save something to the usb will it be gone if you like shutdown it and remove the usb and then reput it in

cause like when i burn just the iso the usb and did not install it and when i boot into and and save somehitng then restart its gone

[jsprowse]

If you follow these steps, anything you save on the USB will be there when you use it the next time. That's what "persistent" means. If you just copy the .iso to the USB, or do the built-in USB install from the install disk's menu, you will have the problem you describe.

[operatingsystemh]

/watch?v=IH40L90Q90Q

better video

[08jc1263]

wouldn't it be even better if you first taken out your harddrive and then boot with the live cd and then put your usb in then unmount and do the rest?

[jsprowse]

Sure, you could even use a computer without a hard drive at all! I didn't include that in the instructions as most people aren't technically comfortable opening their computer and disconnecting a hard drive. As long as you follow the instructions, there is no threat to your hard drive.

[08jc1263]

one thing again hahah even if i scrwe up that last step can't i just like reformat my windows ???

[jsprowse]

Yes, of course, but most people would rather avoid that and the possible data loss a reformat would cause.

[08jc1263]

one more lil question what is a boot loader

[08jc1263]

but you said if you mess that last step up you wont be able to boot your pc

if you can't boot your pc how are you suppose to install that boot loader to the harddrive??

[jsprowse]

If you mess up that step you *may* not be able to boot your pc, depending on how the boot loader was changed.

To fix this, you could boot from a Windows install disk, or just a windows boot disk, and run some programs to fix the boot loader. It's too complicated to get into here, but Google is your friend. Just search for XP boot disk, fix XP boot, etc.

[08jc1263]

what happen if you do that last step wrong is there a way to fix your pc after wards and fix the usb

[jsprowse]

If you mess up that step, you are install the "boot loader" to your hard drive, and not the stick. So when you plug the stick into another computer, you won't be able to boot from it. It will only work on the computer you did the install on. Also, it is possible that changing the boot loader on your hard drive might make it impossible to boot the operating system you installed there (like Vista or XP or whatever).

[jsprowse]

To fix the usb, you would simply need to redo the installation and do that last step correctly. To fix the boot loader on your computer, you would need to google things like "fix mbr on xp" or whatever, and follow those steps.

[jaronmusic]

Thx for the tutorial but can this be done with a 2GB USB Flash Drive?

[simonw1485]

That is really good I'm going to try this right now, can have a silent PC with no hdd.

Is this officially supported or is this just a hack where things might stop working after a while though?

[jsprowse]

I wouldn't call it a hack-- it's just using a removable USB drive instead of a fixed hard disk drive. There's not really any "official" support unless you pay Canonical (the folks who make Ubuntu), but I can't see why they wouldn't support you in this situation.

I have had problems where cheap USB drives have gotten corrupted and I had to reinstall. Use high quality drives, and consider manually partitioning your USB drive and put your /home folder in its own partition to avoid losing data.

[ronaldguinhawa]

hi..can you used the compiz fusion on usb drive?thanks

[jsprowse]

I don't know much about compiz, but I've definitely seen people use the advanced effects with this (cube, fire effects, etc.). I don't think this has anything to do with the media (USB, hard drive, SD, etc.), but rather it depends on the hardware in the computer the media is being used with. If you plug into a computer with great video, you can probably use compiz.

[ronaldguinhawa]

okey thanks again

[jamesw12345]

Hi, nice video.

1 question, can i boot from an SD card in a similar fashion?

if so i can use ubuntu on my work laptop without editing any of their hardware and not have any delicately positioned usbs sticking out of my laptop.

[jsprowse]

@jamesw12345 Check your BIOS to see if you can boot from your SD card (google "change bios settings"), and if your SD card shows up on the desktop in Ubuntu (so that you can "unmount" it), or if it is detected during the install, you should be fine. Good luck and let me know how it goes!

[forrestshrt]

genious!!! thnx

[catolupus]

This is brilliant. I hope this works out