Installing linux on external USB disk

[thumpbs]

Hello, my friend has the intention to try linux, it has a little scared to partition the hard drive or perhaps not enough space on its internal hard drive, so he asked me if he can install linux on the external drive USB?
Asked if possible install:

1 he starts his pc and that of its external hard drive is not plugged in (where it will install a linux), is there not a risk of crash if grub or lilo is not linux? boot will go directly on windows?

thank you

[Aikonik]

Hi,

Personally, I experienced this today.

I installed Ubuntu Desktop on an external hard drive 500 Gb formatted like this:

Linux - Ext 3 - 19GB
SWAP - swap - 1 GB
next - ntfs - 480 Gb

1) Yes it will crash because it is impossible to boot (even on Windows) if the external dd is not connected because Linux creates a "link" in the MBR of your hard disk that points to the external drive.

2) Normally yes, but here I do not know ...

Personally there were a problem in installing linux would not boot ... Have not installed the Recovery Console I completely reinstalled windows ...

A "specialist" linux say more but I think that there must be a solution (eg install GRUB on the Windows disk).

[thumpbs]

OK, yes I think it is necessary to install the launcher (grub or lilo) on the internal hard drive here is in my opinion a risk less, the only problem is whether it will find nothing on the usb connection, will that happen ?

[Aikonik]

If GRUB or Lilo is installed I think that even if the dd is not there it's good.

[robodude]

Installing on external USB AA is like the installation on a USB key is that the bios can Boott on USB, otherwise you must use a trick such as a bootable CD or floppy disk.

In this case there is not a dual boot or grub or lilo, all done from the BIOS setup, the same way that if you leave the XP CD he will start and not install the OS on SD and of course if the BIOS has been set for starting first on the CD and SD, QED.

That my signature is done with no problem is less greedy than Ubuntu is running practically without command line ........