lubuntu-desktop team mailing list archive

[Goh Lip <g.lip@xxxxxxx>]

I've come across many instances (mainly Ubuntu) of people installing the 
OS to the usb and they are actually running the livecd OS. There are 
many guides (like penlinux?) and including unetbootin that will install 
the livecd at the usb drives.

There is nothing wrong with that, provided people understand it's the 
livecd that's running and there are ways to help manually installed 
appplications 'stick' like casper-rw and the adding of 'persistent' in 
the kernel line. And puppy linux creates a small partition at the hd to 
aid that.

However, there are obvious disadvantages; the more serious being newer 
kernels will not be able to be installed and several booting issues as well.

I would highly recommend that should you want Lubuntu be installed to a 
usb stick, *and it's perfect for that*, install it like a normal 
installation, just that the partition you install to is the usb partition.

One important thing to watch out is that at the stage where the 
installer ask where you want the grub to be installed, please specify 
the usb drive and never the mbr. Take particular care of the designation 
of that usb drive (sdb, sdc or sdd) before installation and specify that 
when asked where grub is to be installed. Note there may be a warning 
message that installing other to mbr 'is a BAD IDEA'. Nevertheless, 
proceed. (I understand that this message has been removed, but I cannot 
verify this). It is a 'BADDER IDEA' to install grub to mbr when /boot is 
not in the hard drive.

To use Lubuntu at the usb drive after installation, at most computers, 
the keys 'esc', F12', 'F8' will allow you to select the drive to boot 
up. Older computers may require you to go to bios to do that. Keep that 
in mind when you take your portable Lubuntu usb drive to other computers.

And at your own desktop computer, update-grub of the desktop OS while 
the Lubuntu usb drive is mounted will enable the desktop OS grub to 
include your Lubuntu usb drive in the boot menu.

Of course running Lubuntu from a SATA hard drive is faster as usb 
transfer speed is slower. But you may be surprised, as I was, how 
Lubuntu performs. Ubuntu, Kubuntu ,even the netbook remix, crawls due to 
the 'bulk' it must carry. Puppy linux, DSL linux do not have the 
'polish' of good fonts, codecs, graphics and just plain 'usability'.

I brought this up as too many people are installing livecd to the usb 
drives and I think it's good to set this right especially Lubuntu is 
just perfect for this.

Also, I will appreciate any comment, feedback or disagreement.

Regards - Goh Lip

--
Life is a sexually transmitted disease with a 100% mortality rate