boot linux through flash drive..???

maxy69 · 25-06-2008, 07:28 PM

hey guys i just want to know that if it is possible to burn my ubuntu 8.4 iso on usb flash drive and use it to boot my pc and work on it. or if it can be installed on flash drive through live cd and don't even touch my orignal mbr i.e if i want to use linux i just simply put in pendrive ant boot from it and when i want to use vista jst remove the pendrive and boot normally no change to bootloader at all. tell me tried and tested method coz i cant afford to curropt windows.
thanx

Pat · 25-06-2008, 07:34 PM

^^Here you go buddy
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/2008/05...a-the-live-cd/

maxy69 · 25-06-2008, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pat

^^Here you go buddy
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/2008/05...a-the-live-cd/

ok its good but tell me trully that if u have tried it and if yes then after doing all this will i be able to use orignal bootloader as i mentioned i don't want any change in it.

**MetalheadGautham** · 25-06-2008, 07:50 PM

1. Go to Pat's link.
2. You don't need to corrupt windows to use ubuntu. GRUB on MBR is very useful.
3. Even if you install Ubuntu, choose not to install it in MBR.
4. Instead, make a GRUB Boot Disc, as directed here: http://manual.sidux.com/en/sys-admin...ot-grub-floppy

If you follow those instructions, it will mean that Ubuntu is on a single partition, and does not leave footprint anywhere else. To run ubuntu, you need to boot via a floppy which makes the system boot from the ubuntu partition.

To uninstall ubuntu, you just need to delete that partition from windows' partition manager and format it as FAT32 or NTFS.

besides, you can also boot ubuntu from VISTA bootloader.

this has the exact same implication: to uninstall ubuntu just get rid of its partition and format it.

Pat · 25-06-2008, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxy69

ok its good but tell me trully that if u have tried it and if yes then after doing all this will i be able to use orignal bootloader as i mentioned i don't want any change in it.

The method in that link does not touch your MBR. It will make your USB Flash drive bootable..So if your computer is capable to boot off USB, you should be good to go using that technique!

maxy69 · 25-06-2008, 08:05 PM

ok i got it thanx a lot and illl try....but before that i want to ask 1 more thing.

1. from the same guide i have installed opensuse on my external 40gb hard drive and jst want to know that if it is possible to install ubuntu on same drive and use both side by side , i mean choose the linux at grub. i.e opensuse 10.3 or ubuntu 8.04 . u getting my point. as it is not given in there guide that we can put two linux on same external drive. so i can make fresh instalation of both of them if needed or jst install ubuntu now.....
thanx

**MetalheadGautham** · 25-06-2008, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxy69

ok i got it thanx a lot and illl try....but before that i want to ask 1 more thing.

1. from the same guide i have installed opensuse on my external 40gb hard drive and jst want to know that if it is possible to install ubuntu on same drive and use both side by side , i mean choose the linux at grub. i.e opensuse 10.3 or ubuntu 8.04 . u getting my point. as it is not given in there guide that we can put two linux on same external drive. so i can make fresh instalation of both of them if needed or jst install ubuntu now.....
thanx

You CAN do such a thing easily, but only IF you are able to create an extra partition by resizing the OpenSuSE 10.3 partition.

PS: I guess you wouldn't even need to resize, since you must be soon installing opensuse 11.0, for which you might want to format the hdd. Then ensure that you create

two 10 GB partitions each for ubuntu and SuSE

and one 20GB partition formatted as FAT32 which can be used as portable storage and later resized to make room for another distro

Pat · 25-06-2008, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxy69

ok i got it thanx a lot and illl try....but before that i want to ask 1 more thing.

1. from the same guide i have installed opensuse on my external 40gb hard drive and jst want to know that if it is possible to install ubuntu on same drive and use both side by side , i mean choose the linux at grub. i.e opensuse 10.3 or ubuntu 8.04 . u getting my point. as it is not given in there guide that we can put two linux on same external drive. so i can make fresh instalation of both of them if needed or jst install ubuntu now.....
thanx

The link that I gave will not do that. However, it is possible to do it by installing Grub on the MBR of your external drive. However, you will have to manually edit menu.lst (config file used by grub for booting) to make both your OS bootable. I reckon its not too difficult.

However, you can also try something called as Super Grub Disk.

From the site:

Quote:

Super Grub Disk is simply a Grub Disk with a lot of useful menus. It can activate partitions, boot partitions, boot MBRs, boot your former OS (Linux or another one) by loading menu.lst from your hard disk, automatically restore Grub on your MBR, swap hard disks in the BIOS, and boot from any available disk device

So you might want to try it out as an alternative as well!

http://www.supergrubdisk.org/

maxy69 · 25-06-2008, 08:28 PM

cool thanx for quick reply ill try it tonite only and just one mor quest.......
i have ubuntu8.4 iso and i want to burn it on my flash drive instead of cd. is it possible to burn it on usb drive through any software like nero or smthing else coz in nero it just shows my dvd drive to write an image.....thanx

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetalheadGautham

You CAN do such a thing easily, but only IF you are able to create an extra partition by resizing the OpenSuSE 10.3 partition.

PS: I guess you wouldn't even need to resize, since you must be soon installing opensuse 11.0, for which you might want to format the hdd. Then ensure that you create

two 10 GB partitions each for ubuntu and SuSE

and one 20GB partition formatted as FAT32 which can be used as portable storage and later resized to make room for another distro

ok i can do that but to tell u again it is for usb hard drive so i hope u have written according to dat and second if opensuse 11 is stable coz i herard it is not..???

Pat · 25-06-2008, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxy69

cool thanx for quick reply ill try it tonite only and just one mor quest.......
i have ubuntu8.4 iso and i want to burn it on my flash drive instead of cd. is it possible to burn it on usb drive through any software like nero or smthing else coz in nero it just shows my dvd drive to write an image.....thanx

ok i can do that but to tell u again it is for usb hard drive so i hope u have written according to dat and second if opensuse 11 is stable coz i herard it is not..???

I dont think its possible to directly burn an iso to your flash drive. Coz the booting mechanism of cds and flash are different.

I guess you want to make a live version of Ubuntu on your flash drive.Basically that is what the first link I posted does.

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxy69

ok i can do that but to tell u again it is for usb hard drive so i hope u have written according to dat and second if opensuse 11 is stable coz i herard it is not..???

Not stable for me..but YMMV!

**MetalheadGautham** · 25-06-2008, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxy69

cool thanx for quick reply ill try it tonite only and just one mor quest.......
i have ubuntu8.4 iso and i want to burn it on my flash drive instead of cd. is it possible to burn it on usb drive through any software like nero or smthing else coz in nero it just shows my dvd drive to write an image.....thanx

ok i can do that but to tell u again it is for usb hard drive so i hope u have written according to dat and second if opensuse 11 is stable coz i herard it is not..???

Yes it works for USB drive. You need to install, not burn.

OpenSuSE 11 is supposed to be MUCH more faster than OpenSuSE 10.3

Its stable enough.