Ubuntu H2 : Bootable USB 3GB Micro Hard Drive with Ubuntu Linux

[Zerocool10482]

Challenging the notion that USB hard drives are just good for portable storage, the Ubuntu H2 is the first USB hard drive with an onboard OS and office software. The device is bootable from any PC with an x86 processor supporting USB boot.

This is cool. And I want one.


http://www.zinside.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=46&zenid=2a14f0cd6e5876311f8836533a67b641

[andrewsawyer]

I have been looking at this also.

You get a 3Gb 'micro-drive' usb disk and a mini-dvd containing a liveCD thing. You insert them both and boot. The computer boots off the liveCD, and then copies files over to the usb drive. You can then just use the USB drive from then on.

Now I read that it partitions 2:1 so 2Gb gets used for the file system and 1Gb gets used for the home partition. This will be much quicker than a liveCD as the liveCD uses a cloop file which is mounts and uncompresses on the fly. This obviously slows things down a little.

On a related topic, there is a thread in the Hoary section where we are trying to reproduce this with the use of a usb stick and a LiveCD. You can also now buy a LaCie Carte Orange 8Gb USB 'micro-drive', which is the same size as a credit card and about 6mm thick.

Hopefully we will soon be able to recreate the H2 on our own and then I'll have an 8Gb LiveUSB disk in my wallet at all times!

Andy

[lerrup]

Very nice, but why is 4.10 and not 5.10?

[andrewsawyer]

As far as I know, it is just down to the fact that it is not a standard install - it has been 'hacked' to be a LiveUSB. I guess the company just isn't too worried about keeping it bang upto date.

However, if you want, you can follow this thread (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=71567) where we are trying to do it ourselves. You can buy an 8Gb LaCie Carte Orange disk for less than the 3Gb H2, and fingers crossed you can do it yourself - once we work out how to!

[cotcot]

Actually it is fairly easy to make a USB stick with Dapper on. The result of the thread mentioned by the previous poster is a howto wiki page : https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LiveUsbPendrivePersistent?highlight=%28liveusb%29