install U. from external hard drive to removable hard drive on IMB t23

Chuck, the easiest way to install Ubuntu is to download an .ISO image and burn a CD, then boot from the CD and install. See https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GraphicalInstall for more info. Browse that link down until you see the "Select a disk" dialog. Your removable drive should hopefully show at that stage when you're installing.

Remember that you can abort the installation if you're unsure the drive you want is available or not, so you won't risk anything with your current Windows partition.

Hope this helps!

How am I to get the install when the cd drive is pulled out of the laptop? The second hard drive is mounted in a tray that allows it to be install and used in the slot normally occupied by the cd drive. The cd drive is out of the machine. The second drive is where I'd like to install Ubuntu. It is mounted in the slot normally occupied by the cd drive. But if it can't be done, I'll have to share the primary hard drive for win xp and Ubuntu. Mull over the options mentioned. If it can';t be done, l will install on the primary hard drive. Thanx

Ah, yes. Sorry about that. Somehow I overlooked that part. :)

Maybe this is more helpful: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromWindows

Browse that page down to the section "Windows NT/2000/XP (using Grub)".

Hope this helps!

Bjorn, thanks for your help. I just completed the installation of Ubuntu 7.0.4 on the second, removal hard drive in my IBM T23 using an extrenal USB cd drive. I will relay what I did with the hope it helps someone else. Some of the things I tried did not work. Probably some of the things I will now mention were not important, but the bottom line is, I installed Ubuntu on the second, removable drive where it will have enough room to run and ramble. I retain the windows xp sp2 system on the primary drive. Here is what I did.

I verified the iso download using winMidsum. It verified with the internet value. I re-burned the iso image onto a new cd. I verified I could see the individual files were visible on the cd when opened. I verified my Bios had USB enabled. I verified cd was the first listed boot device during boot up by pressing F12. ( I did a lot of fumbling around with the boot order as there is a listed boot device I still don't know a thing about, but neither did the guy that tried to help at IBM. I re-booted many times without success trying options out.) My goal was to boot from my external, USB cd drive because my cd drive is out of the machine and the second, removable hard drive occupies that space. During the failed attempts, I had both my wireless card and ethernet cable installed. I removed the wireless card. I removed the second, removable hard drive and installed the cd drive. I put the new Ubuntu cd into the cd drive and it worked. I stopped just at the point of installing Ubuntu and shut down the computer. I replaced the cd drive with the second, removal hard drive and put the Ubuntu boot cd disc into the external USB cd drive. I fired up the T23 and the Ubuntu booted up. I had to guess that I knew the identification name shown for second hard drive. I guessed right. If I'd guessed wrong I probably would have wiped out a brand new win xp installation.

After installation and a restart, I am now updating My Ubuntu. I would rather have Ubuntu on the C: drive and win xp on the D drive, but I'll not push my luck right now.

Thqanks again for your help and patience.

A problem has developed and I don't have a clue. On boot, I get into Ubuntu fine, but win xp gives me a "NTLDR" error that suggest ctrl, alt, del to restart. All has been working well and nothing has been changed. Can you suggest a plan of attack to get win xp booted? Plz give help remembering I do not know as much about Ubuntu as you. Thank you

Well, Chuck, the answer is real simple. You re-install windows xp and life returns to normal. Why this problem happened is unknown. Good luck to ya. Case Closed.