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View Full Version : [ubuntu] Installing Ubuntu on a external HDD?



EitherPlanet
November 30th, 2012, 11:21 PM
I always like to wipe my hard drive after a year or so of me having windows because i find myself downloading so many different programs and files to fix other issues. So i just wipe my hard drive and start out with a clean slate, which usually means that ubuntu disappears alongside windows. I will admit that i"m not the most responsible person around, so i usually lose the disk or usb very quickly. Another thing i notice about my self is that I have an external HDD always plugged up to my computer. So to cut to the chase, i was wondering if i could install Ubuntu to the external hard drive instead of the one built in to my computer then just boot from usb in the BIOS and use linux.

darkod
November 30th, 2012, 11:25 PM
It will work much slower from usb hdd. If the only problem is the one you described, there is no need to wipe the whole hdd just to make a clean windows install.

You simply format the windows partition (you can do that with the windows installer, or previously with Gparted for example), and install windows on the formatted partition. The formatting will delete everything so you start with a lcean partition. Wiping the whole disk is not necessary.