Question:
How to install ubuntu 11.10 without changing the MBR?
Jeremy
13 years ago
I would like to install Ubuntu 11.10 onto a partition of an external HD and use it like a pendrive.Previously I used Universal USB installer 1.8.6.9 from pendrivelinux.com to use my external as a pendrive. It worked for a while but for some reason that is beyond me it gets corrupted every now and then and Ubuntu fails to load (It says: waiting for network configuration, waiting up to 60 more seconds for network configuration, Unattended update in progress during shutdown sleeping for 5s - then just never starts). I thought If i actually installed it it would stop doing that. So what i would like is an installation of Ubuntu 11.10 on my external on a primary partition. Then I will install GRUB onto that partition. When I want to boot into linux all I have to do is plug in my external specify it as my boot priority and then load linux from GRUB. The problem is if I use the built in installers for Ubuntu they will edit the MBR to include Ubuntu. So can anyone please tell me how to do this as i am getting very frustrated, if you could provide a simpler solution I would be most gratefull Thanks in advance
Six answers:
Nathan
13 years ago
I installed Linux Mint Debian to a 16GB USB Flash Drive, and it works great.

What I did was to remove the main HDD (I'm using a laptop, so had to remove it to disconnect it), boot from the live DVD with the USB in place, then during the install, I specified the USB as the install destination. This also installed the GRUB to the USB drive. Once the install completed, I shut down, re-installed the HDD, and restarted. My BiOS was set to boot from the USB before the HDD, so it went right into loading Mint from the Flash. Great way to have a go-anywhere system.
?
8 years ago
the latest Ubi launch is a huge unhappiness...even for particularly pro customers. making use of an till now version could be carried out for a on an identical time as, yet help basically maintains for some 3 hundred and sixty 5 days or so. As above mentions, yet another style of Linux could be the better decision. Default set up (on twin boot) places Ubuntu in first; commerce OS could be accessed/run via use of arrow keys> spotlight the OS> then "enter".
Linux Mint 11
13 years ago
Installing Ubuntu as a dual-boot with Windows without partitioning

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Wubi



Linux Mint 11 based on Ubuntu 11.04 has a similar feature called mint4win which is almost identical



Linux Mint 11 Download

http://www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=83



Linux Mint 11 Release Notes/User Guide

http://linuxmint.com/rel_katya.php



You download the ISO. image of Linux Mint 11 then you need to create a Bootable LiveCD

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/BurningIsoHowto



Linux Mint 11 can also be run straight from the LiveCD without touching your Hard drive





LUg.
?
13 years ago
If you pendrive Linux for a while and then failed, it may be that your USB stick is starting to fail.



Your PC starts of looking at the boot order of devices and then decides where it will look for the MBR. This a drive with the "boot" flag set. Normally you can not have two drives connected with the boot flag set.

When you install from CD, the installer sees the current location of the bootloader by checking the boot flag (your internal hard drive) and tries to modify that not realising that you want your install to boot from your external drive.



The way to do this is

1) Set the boot flag on your external HD, using gParted. Set boot order to be CD, then external hard drive and then your internal hard drive. This way most installers will try install linux to the external HD and modify the MBR of this drive, rather than the internal drive

2) A safer method is to disable or disconnect your internal HD during the install; install into your external.



Now you will have two bootable drives, with the MBR of your external specifying Linux, and the MBR of your internal specifying your other OS.



Hope this helps
?
13 years ago
Save your MBR first, there are alot of ways to do this. I use a little program called "Hardisk Hacker", I can save any MBR and/or boot sector to a file and restore it at anytime.
jerry t
13 years ago
When you install ubuntu after the partitions have been decided and the user name etc are decided there is a summary of what the installer is about to perform like in step 8 of 10 in this link. If you click on the advanced button at the bottom of that step you will have the option to put grub on another partition. Depending on the release version of ubuntu tht advanced option might be on another step/page but it will come up when ubuntu displays the summary of what it is about to perform.

Hope this helps.


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