Linux off a USB Drive

[HellBringer]

Hi All

 

i was wondering if someone knows how to install linux on a USB drive and run the pc off the USB, So i can boot into windows on the SSD when needed and then booting off the USB for the linux " which doesnt touch the windows" basically like a plug and play OS.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Radium_Angel]

4 minutes ago, HellBringer said:

Hi All

 

i was wondering if someone knows how to install linux on a USB drive and run the pc off the USB, So i can boot into windows on the SSD when needed and then booting off the USB for the linux " which doesnt touch the windows" basically like a plug and play OS.

 

Thanks in advance.

LiveUSB .ISO installs exist. Most distros will have a LiveUSB .ISO option.

What's your preferred *nix distro?

[karsnoordhuis]

https://www.tecmint.com/install-linux-os-on-usb-drive/

do keep in mind it can be a little slow

[svmlegacy]

http://puppylinux.com/

[Dutch_Master]

Unetbootin is a great tool for making a bootable USB drive with any Linux distro. Note that it's not a distro by itself, it's just a tool.

[HellBringer]

18 minutes ago, Radium_Angel said:

LiveUSB .ISO installs exist. Most distros will have a LiveUSB .ISO option.

What's your preferred *nix distro?

i was hoping to use elementaryos-5.1-stable.20200501. i have done the live USB with LILI installer but it seems some driver " like the wireless card" is not installed. and holding actual files on the OS doesnt say after a reboot. I was trying to either use a 32 -64gb USB or maybe a 120gb SSD as a plug and play OS for when i do private work on the go.

[Koeshi]

If you want a persistent install on the USB, there are several options.  It is possible to use one of the Live USB solutions and configure it for persistent storage.  However, if you just want to use it on the one system, what you can do is put the installation media on one USB device and boot from it.  From there, install it onto a second USB device.  You can then boot off the second one once installation is complete and make sure that it has the correct drivers for your hardware and also have persistent storage on it.  The only issue with this method is that you may run into some hardware compatibility issues if you try to boot that USB on different PC.

[HellBringer]

8 hours ago, TheJooomes said:

Try Balena Etcher, it's available on the big three OSes and it's dead simple to use.

thanks, will give this a try