LiveUsbPendrivePersistent

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It is possible to have Ubuntu on a USB pendrive with persistent mode. This means that you can boot from a USB pendrive and keep customisations such as keyboard layout, numlock, preferences, additional packages saved on the pendrive.
This can be done using linux or windows. You will need a USB pendrive of 1 GB or more. This page is written after having tested the instructions on a Peak III 1 GB pendrive. The preparation of the pendrive is explained using 'fdisk' because I had errors with 'gparted' and i could not give the partitions a volume name.
It is possible to have Ubuntu or Kubuntu on a USB pendrive with persistent mode. This means that you can boot from a USB pendrive and keep customisations such as keyboard layout, numlock, preferences, additional packages saved on the pendrive.
This can be done using linux or windows. You will need a USB pendrive of 1 GB or more. This page is written after having tested the instructions on a Peak III 1 GB pendrive. The preparation of the pendrive is explained using 'fdisk' because I had errors with 'gparted' and i could not give the partitions a volume name. I used Ubuntu to make the pendrive. In Kubuntu it is more or less the same. Where you see 'ubuntu' replace it by 'kubuntu'. I will mark the other differences.
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   DEFAULT /casper/vmlinuz DEFAULT custom
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GFXBOOT-BACKGROUND 0xB6875A
APPEND boot=casper initrd=/casper/initrd.gz ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw quiet splash --
APPEND preseed/file=preseed/ltsp.seed boot=casper initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw quiet splash --
LABEL custom
  menu label ^Start Ubuntu in persistent mode
  kernel vmlinuz
  append preseed/file=preseed/ltsp.seed boot=casper persistent initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw quiet splash --
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  kernel /casper/vmlinuz
  append boot=casper initrd=/casper/initrd.gz ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw quiet splash --
  kernel vmlinuz
  append preseed/file=preseed/ltsp.seed boot=casper initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw quiet splash --
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  kernel /casper/vmlinuz
  append boot=casper xforcevesa initrd=/casper/initrd.gz ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw quiet splash --
  kernel vmlinuz
  append preseed/file=preseed/ltsp.seed boot=casper xforcevesa initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw quiet splash --
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  kernel /casper/vmlinuz
  append boot=casper integrity-check initrd=/casper/initrd.gz ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw quiet splash --
  kernel vmlinuz
  append boot=casper integrity-check initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw quiet splash --
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  kernel /install/mt86plus   kernel mt86plus
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You can also copy and paste this text as making a new file 'syslinux.cfg'.
Kubuntu difference : text editor 'kwrite' instead of 'gedit'.
Kubuntu difference : replace 'preseed/ltsp.seed' by 'preseed/kubuntu.seed'.

The last thing to do is installing the bootloader.
Check if you have the 'syslinux' package installed. If not install it ('sudo synaptic' and select from the package list or use 'apt-get').
This command will install the bootloader on your pendrive :
{{{
syslinux /dev/sda1
}}}

Reboot on the pendrive, change some settings, reboot again and check if the changes are kept (persistence check).

So that is it.

Do not forget to check if the computer you are going to use the pendrive on if it boots USB devices first (look in BIOS settings).
Enjoy (k)ubuntu whereever you go.


= Installing Ubuntu on USB pendrive using Windows =
 

Page under construction.

Introduction

It is possible to have Ubuntu or Kubuntu on a USB pendrive with persistent mode. This means that you can boot from a USB pendrive and keep customisations such as keyboard layout, numlock, preferences, additional packages saved on the pendrive. This can be done using linux or windows. You will need a USB pendrive of 1 GB or more. This page is written after having tested the instructions on a Peak III 1 GB pendrive. The preparation of the pendrive is explained using 'fdisk' because I had errors with 'gparted' and i could not give the partitions a volume name. I used Ubuntu to make the pendrive. In Kubuntu it is more or less the same. Where you see 'ubuntu' replace it by 'kubuntu'. I will mark the other differences.

Installing Ubuntu on USB pendrive using Linux

Preparing the USB pendrive

Making partitions

The preparation of the pendrive is explained using 'fdisk'. You could use 'gparted' or 'qtparted' as well. However I had errors with 'gparted' and I could not give the partitions a volume name. I tested 'qtparted' as well and it worked fine. You can install 'qtparted' under Ubuntu through synaptic although it is native to Kubuntu. Another issue in my case was that 'fdisk' recognised a fat32 filesystem as linux. So I checked it with gparted and it was OK.

Plug in the pendrive and check its device name :

sudo fdisk -l

We are going to suppose that its name is /dev/sda1. Please replace 'sda1' by 'the name you find for your pen drive'. Double check it !

Now we are going to create 2 partitions : 1 partition of 700 MB with a fat32 filesystem and 1 partition with the rest of the pendrive space with volume name "casper-rw" and ext2 filesystem. The first partition will be made active.

Go in terminal and unmount the drive :

sudo umount /dev/sda

Fire up fdisk for the pendrive :

sudo fdisk /dev/sda1

This will give you the fdisk prompt. Look to what you have on the pendrive. Check if you have to backup the data you have on it. 'p' will print the content of /dev/sda. If you have partitions on it remove them ('d', 'partition number', 'w'). Make partition 1 : 'n' for new partition, 'p' to make it a primary partition, then just press enter to accept the proposed starting cylinder, '+700M' to make its size 700 MB. Then 'a' to make it the active partition. Make partition 2 : 'n' for new partition, 'p' to make it a primary partition, then just press enter to accept the proposed starting cylinder, then press enter to accept the proposed ending cylinder. Save and quit fdisk with 'w' to write the new settings. Check the result : sudo fdisk -l You should see the 2 partitions with the first marked with a * because it is active.

Formatting the partitions

We will now format the partitions by putting a filesystem on and giving them the name 'dapper' (or any other name you want) and 'casper-rw' (this name is MANDATORY, do not change other names and do not use capital letters) :

sudo mkfs.vfat -F 32 -n dapper /dev/sda1
sudo mkfs.ext2 -b 4096 -L casper-rw /dev/sda2

Mount the partitions on the pendrive. Take out the pendrive and put it back. Ubuntu Dapper will mount the pendrive automatically if you have checked this option under System -->Preferences--> Removable media. Otherwise use 'mount' :

sudo mount /dev/sda1 /media/mountpointyouhave1
sudo mount /dev/sda1 /media/mountpointyouhave2

Installing Dapper on the USB pendrive

Download the dapper image (ubuntu-6.06-desktop-i386.iso) or put in the install CD if you have it. If you use the downloaded image you can access it as follows (supposing that the image is in the path you are working in):

mkdir ubuntuCD
sudo mount ubuntu-6.06-desktop-i386.iso ubuntuCD -o loop

Now put in the CD or open the 'ubuntuCD' and make sure that you see the hidden files too. (verify if View-->Show Hidden Files is checked).

Copy the following folders and files to the 1st partition of your USB pendrive :

Folders : 'casper', 'disktree', 'dists', 'install', 'pics', 'pool', 'preseed', 'programs', '.disk'

Files : all files from the folder 'isolinux', 'md5sum.txt', 'README.diskdefines', 'ubuntu.ico'

So you do not copy the folder 'isolinux' on the pendrive but only its contents directly in the root of the first partition of the pendrive.

Copy 'casper/vmlinuz', 'casper/initrd.gz', 'install/md86plus'. So you will have these files double on the pendrive : once in the root '/' of the partition and once in the folder 'casper' or 'install'.

Rename the file 'isolinux.cfg' to 'syslinux.cfg' either by right clicking on it and selecting 'rename' or in terminal :

rename isolinux.cfg syslinux.cfg

Making the pendrivebootable

We are going to install the linux bootloader 'syslinux'. This bootloader needs a configuration file which is 'syslinux.cfg'. This is the file we just made by renaming 'isolinux.cfg' from the installCD. However we have to modify this file. Open the file 'syslinux.cfg' from the pendrive with your favorite texteditor. For instance :

gedit syslinux.cfg

Adapt the content untill you get this :

DEFAULT custom
GFXBOOT bootlogo
APPEND   preseed/file=preseed/ltsp.seed boot=casper initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw quiet splash --
LABEL custom
  menu label ^Start Ubuntu in persistent mode
  kernel vmlinuz
  append  preseed/file=preseed/ltsp.seed boot=casper persistent initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw quiet splash --
LABEL live
  menu label ^Start or install Ubuntu
  kernel vmlinuz
  append  preseed/file=preseed/ltsp.seed boot=casper initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw quiet splash --
LABEL xforcevesa
  menu label Start Ubuntu in safe ^graphics mode
  kernel vmlinuz
  append  preseed/file=preseed/ltsp.seed boot=casper xforcevesa initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw quiet splash --
LABEL check
  menu label ^Check CD for defects
  kernel vmlinuz
  append  boot=casper integrity-check initrd=initrd.gz ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw quiet splash --
LABEL memtest
  menu label ^Memory test
  kernel mt86plus
  append -
LABEL hd
  menu label ^Boot from first hard disk
  localboot 0x80
  append -
DISPLAY isolinux.txt
TIMEOUT 300
PROMPT 1
F1 f1.txt
F2 f2.txt
F3 f3.txt
F4 f4.txt
F5 f5.txt
F6 f6.txt
F7 f7.txt
F8 f8.txt
F9 f9.txt
F0 f10.txt

You can also copy and paste this text as making a new file 'syslinux.cfg'. Kubuntu difference : text editor 'kwrite' instead of 'gedit'. Kubuntu difference : replace 'preseed/ltsp.seed' by 'preseed/kubuntu.seed'.

The last thing to do is installing the bootloader. Check if you have the 'syslinux' package installed. If not install it ('sudo synaptic' and select from the package list or use 'apt-get'). This command will install the bootloader on your pendrive :

syslinux /dev/sda1

Reboot on the pendrive, change some settings, reboot again and check if the changes are kept (persistence check).

So that is it.

Do not forget to check if the computer you are going to use the pendrive on if it boots USB devices first (look in BIOS settings). Enjoy (k)ubuntu whereever you go.

Installing Ubuntu on USB pendrive using Windows

LiveUsbPendrivePersistent (last edited 2017-04-30 18:13:47 by es20490446e)