Is it possible to install Lubuntu on a USB hard disk without data loss?

[matthew-wai]

https://lubuntu.me/downloads/ I have created a bootable SD card with Lubuntu 17.10.1 Desktop 64-bit.
I have an HP Pavilion v7078hk motherboard with an Intel Core2 CPU 4300 and 3GB of RAM.
I have a USB hard disk with two partitions. The first one contains backups.
Is it possible to install Lubuntu on the second partition without data loss on the first one?
I just tried but failed to install it. See the screenshots below.
dev/sda1 was the partition containing backups, and I wanted to install Lubuntu on dev/sda2.
An error arose and the installation could not be finished. It stuck at "Detecting file systems".
At the moment, dev/sda2 is still in NTFS. Does it mean Lubuntu failed to format it?

[T.J.]

Yes, it is possible, but you should be warned in advance that regardless of what OS you try to install - Windows, Linux, and so on (doesn't matter) that installing it on a drive used for backups is a very bad idea. You run the risk of corrupting your entire backup, either due to human error or a software flaw.

That said, if you chose to press on, it can be done, but it would have to be done manually to make certain you do not damage your backup partition. Booting it will depend on your specific hardware.

[yancek]

If you made the selections showing in the first image, selecting sda2 and clicking the check box to format, it should format and install. If it fails, you might try formatting using GParted before trying the install. Not sure if GParted is on the Lubuntu install disk although it is on most other UBuntus. Is the machine you are going to be using the install on a Legacy/mbr machine? Make sure you install grub to the mbr, which is what is showing in the image. Make sure you check the device name (/dev/sda, /dev/sdb, etc.) as that can change.

I would agree that it is not a good idea to be modifying partitions and installing an OS on a drive used for backups, too much can go wrong. No reason what you want cannot be done if everything works right.

[mastablasta]

you need enough disk space at the start of the drive to acomodate the GRUB.

You can do what you want to do. I suggest manual formatting. and you need to be sure the disk doesn't have osme strange formatting type done (e.g. some weird preformated thing).

[sudodus]

@matthew-wai,

The answer is yes to your question in the title: 'Is it possible to install Lubuntu on a USB hard disk without data loss?'

But I agree with the other people who warn about installing an operating system on a drive, where you have your backup, because things can go wrong.

Instead I suggest that you get another external drive and install Lubuntu into that drive. A fast SSD in an external box (USB3) is a good alternative. I am running a few such systems. You can install them according to the following link and links from it,

Boot Ubuntu from external drive (https://askubuntu.com/questions/786986/boot-ubuntu-from-external-drive/942312#942312)


@yancek,

GParted is on the Lubuntu desktop install disk, and you can use it, if you 'Try Lubuntu'. But you cannot use it with the Lubuntu alternate installer.

[matthew-wai]

I unmounted all partitions, and then I could install Lubuntu successfully. However, I could not set up a PPPoE connection. See below:

matthew@matthew-pc:~$ pppoeconf
The program 'pppoeconf' is currently not installed. You can install it by typing:
sudo apt install pppoeconf
matthew@matthew-pc:~$ sudo apt install pppoeconf
[sudo] password for matthew:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package pppoeconf

So I gave up and went to install Mint instead. I am now running Mint on the USB hard disk.
I have successfully set up a PPPoE connection via pppoeconf on Mint.

[ubfan1]

@sudodus,
Last time I tried an SSD in a USB3 box, I couldn't TRIM the drive. I can TRIM an SSD in a box which connects via eSATA. Are your SSD self-TRIMing or do you periodically remove the drive, put it into a SATA slot and TRIM it?

[sudodus]

@ubfan1,

I have both self-trimming external drives, and SSD drives in USB3 boxes, that cannot be trimmed via USB. I do have an USB & eSATA box (and such a plug-in adapter), so I can trim it that way, when connected to a computer with an eSATA connector.

@everybody,

There is also a problem with new SSDs with 4096 bytes physical sector size and some adapters/boxes. See the following link,

USB boxes/adapters for SATA drives with 4096 B physical sectors (https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2386278)

[matthew-wai]

Why is "pppoeconf" absent from Lubuntu as it is essential for a PPPoE connection?
Does that mean a user has to download "pppoeconf" via a different operating system that has an Internet connection?

[sudodus]

I have checked and pppoeconf is in the repository main in 16.04 LTS as well as in 17.10.1, so it should be available in both versions of Lubuntu.

You can check with



apt-cache policy pppoeconf

and install with


sudo apt update
sudo apt install pppoeconf


if you system is installed and set up correctly.

[matthew-wai]

make certain you do not damage your backup partition. Booting it will depend on your specific hardware.
Fortunately, the backup partition remains safe and sound, and the USB hard disk is bootable.

[matthew-wai]

I have checked and pppoeconf is in the repository main in 16.04 LTS as well as in 17.10.1
My version was Lubuntu 17.10.1 Desktop 64-bit.
Was it normal to get the messages (in red) in my post #6 above?
Was my system installed and set up correctly?

[sudodus]

I tested in an installed Ubuntu 17.10.1 Desktop 64-bit and an installed Lubuntu 16.04 LTS and


apt-cache policy pppoeconf

showed the same result, that pppoeconf is available via the repository main, which is there in standard Ubuntu and all Ubuntu community flavours (including Lubuntu).

I would say that your message is not normal (I do not get it). I don't know how you installed your system, so I don't know if it was installed and set up correctly, but I suspect that some setting is wrong. Maybe it helps to run


sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade

Check that these commands finish without errors, and then try again to install pppoeconf


sudo apt install pppoeconf

Edit:

What is the output, when you run


apt-cache policy pppoeconf

Please post the output between code tags like this



output


to get output like this



output

[matthew-wai]

I have already subscribed to this thread, but I have still received no notification of your reply. I wonder why.

[sudodus]

You can specify email notification separately. Did you do that?

[matthew-wai]

I just found that I have to select "Instantly, using email".

[matthew-wai]

I would say that your message is not normal (I do not get it). I don't know how you installed your system, so I don't know if it was installed and set up correctly, but I suspect that some setting is wrong.
I did not check the box marked "Install third-party software for graphics and Wifi-hardware, Flash, MP3 and other media". Was I wrong?

[sudodus]

Can the computer connect to the internet?

- If yes, I don't think it should make a difference concerning pppoeconf.

- If no, I suggest that you try to connect via wire (ethernet) or install a proprietary driver for WiFi.

If you need WiFi but cannot make it work, and if your system is new, then you re-install with the option "Install third-party software for graphics and Wifi-hardware, Flash, MP3 and other media".

-o-

I am no expert on WiFi. If still no luck, I suggest that you start a new thread with a title about your WiFi problem.

[matthew-wai]

I booted it from the Lubuntu 17.10.1 Live SD card and ran the following:


lubuntu@lubuntu:~$ pppoeconf
The program 'pppoeconf' is currently not installed. You can install it by typing:
sudo apt install pppoeconf
lubuntu@lubuntu:~$ sudo apt install pppoeconf
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following additional packages will be installed:
ifupdown
Suggested packages:
rdnssd xdialog
The following NEW packages will be installed:
ifupdown pppoeconf
0 upgraded, 2 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 70.0 kB of archives.
After this operation, 356 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y
Err:1 <http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu artful/main> amd64 ifupdown amd64 0.8.16ubuntu2
Temporary failure resolving 'archive.ubuntu.com'
Err:2 <http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu artful/main> amd64 pppoeconf all 1.21ubuntu1
Temporary failure resolving 'archive.ubuntu.com'
E: Failed to fetch http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/i/ifupdown/ifupdown_0.8.16ubuntu2_amd64.deb Temporary failure resolving 'archive.ubuntu.com'
E: Failed to fetch http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/p/pppoeconf/pppoeconf_1.21ubuntu1_all.deb Temporary failure resolving 'archive.ubuntu.com'
E: Unable to fetch some archives, maybe run apt-get update or try with --fix-missing?
lubuntu@lubuntu:~$ apt-cache policy pppoeconf
pppoeconf:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 1.21ubuntu1
Version table:
1.21ubuntu1 500
500 <http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu artful/main> amd64 Packages
lubuntu@lubuntu:~$ sudo apt update
Ign:1 cdrom://Lubuntu 17.10 _Artful Aardvark_ - Release amd64 (20180105) artful InRelease
Hit:2 cdrom://Lubuntu 17.10 _Artful Aardvark_ - Release amd64 (20180105) artful Release
Err:3 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu artful InRelease
Temporary failure resolving 'archive.ubuntu.com'
Err:4 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu artful-updates InRelease
Temporary failure resolving 'archive.ubuntu.com'
Err:5 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu artful-security InRelease
Temporary failure resolving 'security.ubuntu.com'
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
All packages are up to date.
W: Failed to fetch http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/artful/InRelease Temporary failure resolving 'archive.ubuntu.com'
W: Failed to fetch http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/artful-security/InRelease Temporary failure resolving 'security.ubuntu.com'
W: Failed to fetch http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/artful-updates/InRelease Temporary failure resolving 'archive.ubuntu.com'
W: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead.

[sudodus]

Temporary failure resolving 'archive.ubuntu.com'

indicates a temporary failure. In other words, it might work better if you wait a while and try again.

But you need a working connection to the internet. Please check, that you can reach to some web site, that we know well, for example



$ ping ubuntu.com
PING ubuntu.com (91.189.94.40) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from ovinnik.canonical.com (91.189.94.40): icmp_seq=1 ttl=49 time=47.9 ms
64 bytes from ovinnik.canonical.com (91.189.94.40): icmp_seq=2 ttl=49 time=48.9 ms
64 bytes from ovinnik.canonical.com (91.189.94.40): icmp_seq=3 ttl=49 time=48.7 ms
64 bytes from ovinnik.canonical.com (91.189.94.40): icmp_seq=4 ttl=49 time=48.6 ms
^C
--- ubuntu.com ping statistics ---
4 packets transmitted, 4 received, 0% packet loss, time 3004ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 47.970/48.574/48.904/0.390 ms

and after that try


$ ping archive.ubuntu.com
PING archive.ubuntu.com (91.189.88.152) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from steelix.canonical.com (91.189.88.152): icmp_seq=1 ttl=50 time=48.5 ms
64 bytes from steelix.canonical.com (91.189.88.152): icmp_seq=2 ttl=50 time=47.5 ms
64 bytes from steelix.canonical.com (91.189.88.152): icmp_seq=3 ttl=50 time=48.4 ms
64 bytes from steelix.canonical.com (91.189.88.152): icmp_seq=4 ttl=50 time=48.4 ms
^C
--- archive.ubuntu.com ping statistics ---
4 packets transmitted, 4 received, 0% packet loss, time 3004ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 47.501/48.238/48.552/0.481 ms


Response from ping is still no guarantee that 'everything works' at archive.ubuntu.com, but it is a good start.

[matthew-wai]

But you need a working connection to the internet.
The program "pppoeconf" is absent from Lubuntu.
Internet connection is necessary for downloading "pppoeconf".
"pppoeconf" is necessary for setting up a PPPoE connection.
So, Internet connection is necessary for setting up a PPPoE connection on Lubuntu.
Thus it is impossible to set up a PPPoE connection without Internet connection.

Is it correct to say the above?

[sudodus]

The program "pppoeconf" is absent from Lubuntu.
Internet connection is necessary for downloading "pppoeconf".
"pppoeconf" is necessary for setting up a PPPoE connection.
So, Internet connection is necessary for setting up a PPPoE connection on Lubuntu.
Thus it is impossible to set up a PPPoE connection without Internet connection.

Is it correct to say the above?

Maybe in your case, it is correct to say the above.

But in my case, it is possible to connect via wired internet (ethernet), and install pppoeconf (also in a fresh install of Lubuntu Bionic).


sudo apt install pppoeconf

[matthew-wai]

https://debian.pkgs.org/9/debian-main-amd64/pppoeconf_1.21_all.deb.html
Does the above pppoeconf_1.21_all.deb apply to Lubuntu 17.10.1 Desktop 64-bit?
If yes, where should it be put on Lubuntu? Or should I simply double-click to install it?

[sudodus]

That version, 1.21 is what you can install via Ubuntu's main repository both in 16.04 LTS and Bionic. So it should be the correct version. In the file browser it should be possible to 'click on the deb file'.

But that way you will not get automatic updates (which is different from when installed via Ubuntu's repositories).

[matthew-wai]

Do you mean 1.21 is not the latest version? Where can the latest one be downloaded via Windows, which I am now running?

[sudodus]

I mean that it is probably compatible with 16.04 LTS and Bionic (18.04 LTS). 'Probably' because the Ubuntu developer might have modified it slightly before adding it to the Ubuntu repository.

(I have not checked for the latest version, and if there is one, it might cause problems, so 1.21 is probably a good choice.)

[matthew-wai]

What do you think about the ones below?
https://www.ubuntuupdates.org/package/core/artful/main/base/pppoeconf
https://packages.ubuntu.com/en/trusty/all/pppoeconf/download

[sudodus]

I cannot say that one of them should be better, except that the developers had a reason to improve something from the previous version to the next version. And that the same version as in the Ubuntu repository is tested with Ubuntu.

You can try both if you wish, I would still suggest version 1.21 first if you are running Ubuntu 16.04 LTS or newer , and if it works, fine (and you need not try the older one).

[matthew-wai]

What is the difference between the following?
pppoeconf_1.21ubuntu1_all.deb (15 KB)
pppoeconf_1.21_all.deb (40 KB)

[sudodus]

I don't know the details. The one with Ubuntu in the file name should be tested with Ubuntu.

[matthew-wai]

I have checked and pppoeconf is in the repository main in 16.04 LTS as well as in 17.10.1, so it should be available in both versions of Lubuntu.

You can check with

apt-cache policy pppoeconf
Today I installed Lubuntu 16.04.5 LTS downloaded from this link (http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/16.04/release/lubuntu-16.04.5-desktop-amd64.iso) and then ran "apt-cache policy pppoeconf".

matthew_wai@matthew-pc:~$ apt-cache policy pppoeconf
N: Unable to locate package pppoeconf

Maybe it helps to run

sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgradeSee the results below:

matthew_wai@matthew-pc:~$ sudo apt update
[sudo] password for matthew_wai:
Err:1 http://hk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial InRelease
Temporary failure resolving 'hk.archive.ubuntu.com'
Err:2 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-security InRelease
Temporary failure resolving 'security.ubuntu.com'
Err:3 http://hk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates InRelease
Temporary failure resolving 'hk.archive.ubuntu.com'
Err:4 http://hk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-backports InRelease
Temporary failure resolving 'hk.archive.ubuntu.com'
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
All packages are up to date.
W: Failed to fetch http://hk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/xenial/InRelease Temporary failure resolving 'hk.archive.ubuntu.com'
W: Failed to fetch http://hk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/xenial-updates/InRelease Temporary failure resolving 'hk.archive.ubuntu.com'
W: Failed to fetch http://hk.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/xenial-backports/InRelease Temporary failure resolving 'hk.archive.ubuntu.com'
W: Failed to fetch http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/xenial-security/InRelease Temporary failure resolving 'security.ubuntu.com'
W: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead.
matthew_wai@matthew-pc:~$ sudo apt full-upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Calculating upgrade... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
matthew_wai@matthew-pc:~$ sudo apt install pppoeconf
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package pppoeconf
It was impossible to update/upgrade anything because Internet connection was unavailable due to the absence of "pppoeconf", which is present in Ubuntu but absent from Lubuntu.

[sudodus]

Try the 'first' point releases, Lubuntu 16.04.1 LTS (http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/16.04.1/release/) and 18.04.1 LTS (cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/18.04.1/release) (instead of 16.04.5 LTS).

[matthew-wai]

Today I installed Lubuntu 16.04.5 LTS downloaded from this link (http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/16.04/release/lubuntu-16.04.5-desktop-amd64.iso)

Try the 'first' point releases, Lubuntu 16.04.1 LTS (http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/lubuntu/releases/16.04.1/release/)
The two links actually provide the same version "lubuntu-16.04.5-desktop-amd64", which includes no "pppoeconf". Today I installed "pppoeconf_1.20ubuntu1_all.deb" downloaded from this link (https://packages.ubuntu.com/en/trusty/all/pppoeconf/download), and I have successfully set up a PPPoE connection. The said .deb file is only 17KB. I wonder why the .iso file does not include it.

[sudodus]

1. My link does provide Lubuntu 16.04.1 LTS (but also 16.04.5 LTS, if you scroll further down).

2. I'm glad that you found a working pppoeconf deb file, that solves your problem :-)

[matthew-wai]

Today I failed to access the Internet.

matthew@matthew-pc:~$ sudo pppoeconf
[sudo] password for matthew:
Plugin rp-pppoe.so loaded.
matthew@matthew-pc:~$ plog
Oct 11 23:48:59 matthew-pc pppd[4471]: Plugin rp-pppoe.so loaded.
Oct 11 23:48:59 matthew-pc pppd[4472]: pppd 2.4.7 started by root, uid 0
Oct 11 23:49:05 matthew-pc pppd[3235]: No response to PAP authenticate-requests
Oct 11 23:49:05 matthew-pc pppd[3235]: Connection terminated.
matthew@matthew-pc:~$ ifconfig ppp0
ppp0 Link encap:Point-to-Point Protocol
POINTOPOINT NOARP MULTICAST MTU:1492 Metric:1
RX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:0 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:3
RX bytes:0 (0.0 B) TX bytes:0 (0.0 B)
Is "System Files" missing from "Home Folder" in the screenshot below?
I cannot find "/etc/ppp/peers/dsl-provider".