candtalan
December 11th, 2010, 01:29 PM
When considering installing Ubuntu into a (removable) usb stick, as a full install, not live, I realise I do not fully understand the significance of the decision of where to point the installer for the boot stuff when using the advanced install options in the live CD (Ubuntu 10.10)
I am aware that grub2 files get installed into a directory usually in the main root partition, and that usually the mbr is used to point to the grub2 files.
I do not yet understand other, more exotic methods of installing and then using the boot files. For example, the installer advanced options include offering the usb main partition (the one being used for / ) (is /dev/sdc1) and also the drive itself, sdc.
If I chose sdc1, would the pointer which would normally go into the mbr, then be situated actually inside the partition? If so what method would be used to subsequently boot from it?
If I chose just sdc, then I guess if the drive was active (?) it would have an mbr written during the install. Is this correct?
My understanding includes that an mbr is at the start of a drive, but with the exotoc options, can it effectively be situated inside a partition? And further, can it be at the start of say, a removable usb stick when at the same time the existing hard drive in the machine has an active mbr?
I would be grateful for comments to help further my understanding here. tia.
I am aware that grub2 files get installed into a directory usually in the main root partition, and that usually the mbr is used to point to the grub2 files.
I do not yet understand other, more exotic methods of installing and then using the boot files. For example, the installer advanced options include offering the usb main partition (the one being used for / ) (is /dev/sdc1) and also the drive itself, sdc.
If I chose sdc1, would the pointer which would normally go into the mbr, then be situated actually inside the partition? If so what method would be used to subsequently boot from it?
If I chose just sdc, then I guess if the drive was active (?) it would have an mbr written during the install. Is this correct?
My understanding includes that an mbr is at the start of a drive, but with the exotoc options, can it effectively be situated inside a partition? And further, can it be at the start of say, a removable usb stick when at the same time the existing hard drive in the machine has an active mbr?
I would be grateful for comments to help further my understanding here. tia.