In that old blog post, I was using VirtualBox to do the actual installation. If you like what you see and want to run the full-blown version of Ubuntu, you can use the USB flash drive to install it onto your computer.I have already blogged about installing Linux on an external USB stick or drive (better if it’s an SSD) to make such an installation portable on any computer.

Keep in mind that any changes you make while running Linux Live will not be saved.

Now you know how to set up your USB flash drive to run Linux. From here, you can configure your Wi-Fi and use the included Firefox browser to access the Internet. You'll see Ubuntu start up and eventually get the Ubuntu desktop. Turn your computer on and watch it boot to the installer boot menu.Īt the installer boot menu, select 'Run Ubuntu from this USB.' Make sure that your computer's BIOS is set to boot from USB devices then insert the USB flash drive into a USB 2.0 port. Make sure persistent file size is set to 0MB, then click the Create button.Ĭonfirm the details of the install then click the Yes button. Select the drive letter of the USB flash drive you want to put Ubuntu onto and check the box to format the USB flash drive. The ISO file is named and the Universal USB installer is named Universal-USB-Installer-1.8.5.6.exe.ĭouble-click on Universal-USB-Installer-1.8.5.6.exe and after accepting the license agreement, select Ubuntu 11.04 from the drop-down list.īrowse and select the Ubuntu 11.04 ISO file you just downloaded. Your USB flash drive should be at least 1GB in size.ĭownload the 32-bit ISO of Ubuntu 11.04 Desktop and the Universal USB Installer.

There are a lot of Linux distros to choose from, but in our example, we are going to install Ubuntu using a Windows machine. In part one of our 'What To Do With Your USB Flash Drive' series, we're going to show you how to run Linux right from your USB flash drive. It's also handy to have around in case Windows won't boot-allowing access to your hard disks-or if you just want to run a system memory test. What do you use your USB flash drive for? Have you considered running Linux from it?Ī Linux Live USB flash drive is a great way to try out Linux without making any changes to your computer.

How to install linux on a flash drive