Need help making usb bootable linux

[gizmosmustang]

ok I was wondering if anyone could tell me how to make a USB bootable with linux that way i can have it just in case of computer hard drive failure.

[theburan]

The easiest way I found to make a bootable usb drive was to download puppy linux (Puppy Linux), make a boot cd with that, and then run the puppy universal installer, and you can then put puppy linux on a flash drive.

I did this a few years ago, and it was really simple, as long as you just booted from a cd first and ran the installer that is on the cd... but puppy linux might not be everyone's cup of tea. It's got an old school, windows 95 style look to it, if I remember right.

Damn Small Linux would be the other option I would look into, but I could never get that to work... although I'd love to see if someone could get a major distro to boot off of a jump drive, since you can get drives with 4gigs of space no problem now.

Also, Linux.com :: Run GNU/Linux from a USB pen drive might be worth a read, here's a link to dsl DSL information,

and oh yeah, this might be really nice https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LiveUsbPendrivePersistent.

[screwballl]

I myself have never had to do this but really if you take a LiveCD ISO, extract it all with something like 7zip, then copy it all directly to a 1GB+ thumb drive, it should work fine on any system that supports booting from USB.

[theburan]

Hmm, I'm gonna have to try that with the ubuntu iso I have handy.

EDIT: Actually, this: USB Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon install | USB Pen Drive Linux, is probalby a better option than just ripping the iso to a jump drive, since doing it that way will actually let you automatically save changes and stuff... so it should run as if you were running off the hard drive, wheras just using the live cd approach will probably not be as cool. (I like having compiz.)

Editx2!:Run Ubuntu 7.10 from Windows without rebooting | USB Pen Drive Linux looks like a fun option too, not so much for what you're looking for, but that could be nifty for me.

[Hitman]

Damn Small Linux is all you need.

Another option not yet mentioned is New Mandriva Flash 2008 - A 3D Desktop in your pocket - Mandriva Store The main problem with this is it cost $70

[theburan]

Make your own portable Mandriva Flash | USB Pen Drive Linux

Any of these options should work, depending on what you want.

[Hitman]

Originally Posted by theburan

Make your own portable Mandriva Flash | USB Pen Drive Linux

Any of these options should work, depending on what you want.

There you go, nice find

[theburan]

I'm trying this:Run Ubuntu 7.10 from Windows without rebooting | USB Pen Drive Linux option now, I'll post back here when I'm done to say if it works good or not (plan it to put it on my portable hard drive, so I can access ubuntu without rebooting, especially for cd burning and stuff like that. And because I'm bored at work.) (mostly because I'm bored at work)

EDIT: Hmm, that was really slow.. took about 10 minutes to boot up in the virtual window thing. Kinda lame... I'm gonna throw it on a jump drive I have and see how it rolls.

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by theburan

so I can access ubuntu without rebooting, especially for cd burning and stuff like that. And because I'm bored at work.) (mostly because I'm bored at work).

This won't help in the event of a borked hard drive, but if you're wanting to mess with Linux without rebooting your machine or interrupting your Windows session, you could run it off of a Virtual Machine. Or download Peggle, which is a more fun way to cope with workplace boredom.

[theburan]

Peggle is a great game! I played that a ton already, lol. Although Sins of a solar empire is the new cool game to play at my work... even though it normally takes too long to finish a match before someone has to leave.

But yeah, I'm trying to put ubuntu onto my jump drive now... but I seem to have misplaced my ubuntu disc, and so I'm using that one way to boot ubuntu off of my external hard drive, inside of windows, so that I can do it without a live cd handy. Fun stuff.

EDIT: That was a bad idea... lol. didn't work at all. And I may have used my only cd-r in a failed attempt to burn a new disc.. stupid coster. Time to find out if the iso enjoys living on a dvd.