How to install ubuntu on USB drive and carry entire computing system in pocket?

[Pumalite]

Hi Herman:
I was practicing with your instructions. They are great. Only thing is I think the command is 'sudo rm /etc/.X0-lock'(At least in my system)

[Xyem]

I have 8.04 installed onto my Kingston 1GB stick. No swap, just one big ext3 partition..

It's a minimal install with Matchbox for the window manager. It behaves quite well, even though the drive reads at 9mb/s!

Edit: I actually installed it through QEMU

[Herman]

Hi Puma,

I was practicing with your instructions. They are great. Only thing is I think the command is 'sudo rm /etc/.X0-lock'(At least in my system)

Thanks for your input, Pumalite, are you running Hardy Heron?

In my system the only file named .X0-lock is definitely in the /tmp directory, that can be verified with the 'find' command:

herman@amd64hh:~$ sudo find / -name .X0-lock
[sudo] password for herman: 
find: /home/herman/.gvfs: Permission denied
/tmp/.X0-lock
herman@amd64hh:~$

There seems to be something different about your system.
If there's something different about yours then possibly there will be others that are different too, so your post might help someone. I wonder why your is different though?

Regards, Herman

[Pumalite]

Well; it's Hardy amd64 on a Core 2 Duo. Hope it helps.

[vpadro]

Maybe someone could answer this:

I wonder if I can use a 2gb pen drive to install ubuntu 8.04 server in order to use it as a local DNS for my test lab(serving about 11 servers based on Xen), the machine will use Intel D201GLY MoBo which it's mini-itx and a 1Gb DDR2 533Mhx Stick only, no need for graphics or even X.

Could it be possible?

[dewbob]

Just install Hardy Heron in your USB flash memory stick in the regular way the same as any other hard drive...

All we need to do now is just a regular installation, and select 'guided partitioning' and choose the USB as the disk to install in....

Herman,

Thanks for the info. I have tried a few times to install Ubuntu on my 8GB flash drive in this fashion, but I can't get the install to finish.

I get through all the set-up screens, and click install. Ubuntu gets to 'Partition Formatting' (about 5% in) and then stops. I receive the following error:

The attempt to mount a file system with the sawp in SCSI3 (0,0,0), partition #5 (sdb) at none failed.

You may now resume from partitioning menu.

I am then given the option to 'go back' or 'continue' both buttons return me to the partitioning menu.

Any suggestions on what to try to get around this?

Thanks for the help.

DewBob

[Herman]

Maybe try running your Ubuntu Hardy Heron Desktop Live CD and partitioning your USB flash memory with Gnome Partition Editor beforehand yourself.
Then boot the installer and just select the mount points for the file systems with the partitions already made.

[esteckis]

I just happen to be doing a search and came across this site. The program worked on my USB. The only thing I am noticing that when you install to a USB using Pendrivelinux method or this guys program, you cannot update Ubuntu and settings are not persistent because it is logged in as a live session and there is no option to maintain persistence.

http://klik.atekon.de/liveusb/#issues

[Dr.Ninethousand]

in my opinion Wolvix is an excellent OS for pendrives..

[Tyan]

Is it possible to do this with a 8 or 16 Gig SD chip? And can a SD chip even boot?

Cause that would be neat.