Ubuntu

Installing Ubuntu to a USB Drive

Asked by Ian Hutchinson

I got of a bit more complicated question about installing to a USB drive.

Is it possible to get the USB drive to act as a CD, so it can be booted immediately without having to change the boot order. Theres instructions to do this using a Windows 98 boot cd on this website http://ucsu.colorado.edu/~shaher/Bootable_USB.html, but I'm not sure if it'll work with Ubuntu.

I'm going to try to carry out these instructions a little later, but I want to know how I can get Ubuntu to install and boot, having applied the instructions on that link.

Or if possible, is there any other ways that are more linux centric of doing this.

Thanks a bundle :)

-- Ian.

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Tony Mugan (tmugan) said : 		#1

What boot order are you assuming?

1) CD/DVD?
2) USB?
3) Internal drives?

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Ian Hutchinson (ianhutchinson) said : 		#2

The boot order is CD/DVD, then internal drives, then USB.

Its not possible to change the boot order of these drives, especially so on public computers, so I'm hoping that if the USB could work like a bootable CD/DVD, this would allow me to run Ubuntu without editing the boot order.

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Tony Mugan (tmugan) said : 		#3

The link you posted in your original question details how to make a bootable USB flash key but in 2 of the 3 scenarios it requires you to make BIOS changes (which you say you cannot do) and the third is to unplug the internal drives (which I presume is an even more difficult option for you?).

The BIOS will not consider your flash key to be a CD drive as this decision is made PRIOR to any of the contents of the drives being run (be they CD, USB flash or Harddisk).

Unfortunately, I don't see any way of achieving what you are looking for here.

Can you help with this problem?

Provide an answer of your own, or ask Ian Hutchinson for more information if necessary.

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