I've seen that PortableApps has a Linux build in the works, but I'd like to partition my 16GB USB and install a distro on it right now... But due to a Grub error, as well as the abnormal type of installation I currently have, all I can use on my laptop right now in WinXP; so could someone point me to one that's easy to set up in a persistent state, and that can easily be installed via windows (without having to burn a CD-R)?
New: NAPS2 (Feb 24, 2025), Platform 29.5.3 (Jun 27, 2024)
1,100+ portable packages, 1.1 billion downloads
No Ads!, Please donate today
Visit the Community page
Join our forums
Subscribe to our email newsletter
Subscribe with RSS
Follow us on BlueSky
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on LinkedIn
Follow us on Mastodon
Follow us on Twitter
will do for you.
If you dont want have linux in any kind of virtual machine or emulator or similar, but installed in the stick, then use the installer of any linux distro.
I dont know what you mean to install it from windows, since you want native linux apparently and this is same as someone would need to install windows under linux.
One thing is installing ubuntu with wubi, this will install it into virtual disk, but this is not portable then, it needs to boot into linux and needs then grub4dos for this task.
But try something like puppy linux, this will then boot the linux from the stick if your computer does support booting from usb.
Some distros, have also images of usb installations using syslinux to start it and need therefore vfat formating. Puppy people have such images too, but then you will have to anyway set the partition bootable with some suitable tool (gparted).
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
Thanks Otto, and the issue I'm currently having with my permanent HD involves a wubi install... I'm not getting the menu in Grub, and for the life of me I can't seem to figure out where the kernel is, thus I'm currently unable to boot manually... Would you happen to know how I can manually mount the virtual disk, so I can load the kernel and actually boot into Ubuntu 9.10 installation? I can't find anyone who knows how to do this, much less any documentation of the process...
depends on how far you came in the installation.
Problem is, that wubi need to install the ubuntu virtual disks on the hadrdrive and not on usb stick. It will change the boot ini of windows and then the grub4dos will try to find the kernel. You can operate the grub4dos manually, but for that you will need to read the manual of it. Contact the ubuntu forum, say you have problems with wubi install of 9.10 (there are problems with that one) and you will be pointed to howtos regarding broken grub. The kernel is in the first virtual disk if you have more then one.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
If you are able to boot from a flash drive, you can set up a bootable linux on a flash drive easily with this program:
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/
Running it persistently depends on the distro, I know Puppy Linux does this. I know some Ubuntu versions can be setup this way, but I think each uses their own installer. This site has a few tutorials:
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/
I used a file from pendrivelinux.com to install ubuntu 9.10 to a usb drive, from within windows. The usb drive (flash) can now be used to boot up to ubuntu, without changing anything on the local hard drive at all. It uses a casper loop for persistance so any changes you make while puttering around in it are saved to take with you. There's also a way to resize the casper loop, which it asks you how big you want to make when using the batch file to do the initial install.
Seems to work pretty well, I tested out ubuntu, kubuntu, slax, xubuntu. There's also one on that site that will allow you to use grub as a bootloader and have multiple distros installed on the usb drive (presumably flash or hdd).
I just wish my laptop could boot from the SD card slot that's built into the front of it. I'd like to be able to boot from the sd slot, then have a hard drive in the computer with no os on it at all, have the hd completely for data files in an encrypted hidden partition.
I tried the pendrivelinux.com installer, and though it seemed to have set Ubuntu 9.10 up correctly, it simply won't run it persistently; which means I have to manually install the necessary proprietary drivers via an ethernet connection every time I boot, just so I can actually use my wireless adapter, not to mention everything else. Can somebody please tell me what the problem is here, and how I can fix it?