Re: Install on a usb stick
I don't know why your USB external hard drive (Seagate) would give GRUB Error 2, but certainly you should be able to easily install Ubuntu in it and use it to run your eeepc.
You should be able to install in it in the normal way, as if you were installing to an internal hard drive, but try to install GRUB to the USB drive's MBR and not to MBR in your first internal hard disk. It sounds like you've done that part okay.
I have an eeepc here too and I think it's great! It boots and runs Ubuntu in USB flash memory sticks without any problems. It's a little bit unusual in the way it decides on the drive order sometimes, but other than that no problems.
I found out mine won't boot a USB external 2 1/2" hard disk drive. However, I can use a larger USB external 3 1/2" hard disk.
I think probably it can't boot the 2 1/2" because the 2 1/2" drive relies on power from the USB port, and the eeepc doesn't have enough amps in the USB ports to power the drive. The 3 1/2 " USB enclosure has its own power lead for getting power from a power point, and a USB flash memory stick doesn't draw very much power at all. Could a lack of power from the eeepc have anything to do with your booting problem? Is the external hard drive spinning up properly?
Are you using an older version of GRUB? The GRUB from Ubuntu Hardy and earlier have trouble booting Intrepid and later because of changes in the ext3 file system. That's the only thing I have ever heard of giving an error 2, although there may be other causes of GRUB error 2 that I don't know about yet. There's always something more to learn ...
Last edited by Herman; July 14th, 2009 at 07:47 PM.
Ubuntu user since 2004 (Warty Warthog)
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