Making an up-to-date installer on a pendrive / flash drive?

[Oceanwatcher]

I just got a couple of 4GB pendrives in here and would love to install Kubuntu on one of them. And as I understand, there are a couple of ways to do that, and that has as well changed lately, so I am still looking for the most updated how-to for it.

BUT - what would be REALLY cool would be to be able to make an installation that I can use to install a new PC with a completely updated Kubuntu. So periodically, I would insert the pendrive in a computer, boot on it, and update it. Then shut it down, bring it to a computer that needed a fresh install, insert it and install from it.

Is this at all possible? Can I make an "Updated live-cd" on a pendrive? What if I want to add some programs so I also can use it to rescue problematic PC's? I have heard about a function called "rescue a broken system". Can this be installed on the same pendrive?

I guess I am hoping to create the ultimate install and rescue toolbox. Gotta put those pendrives to good use :-D

[GreyGeek]

Re: Making an up-to-date installer on a pendrive / flash drive?

You can install Linux on a USB stick as either a LiveUSB or as a regular installation. Since you asked about the LiveUSB here's how to make it:

1) download the latest Kubuntu Lucid Lynx daily LivecD Be sure to md5sum check it to make sure the download was good.

2) Insert a 4GB or bigger USB stick into your USB slot

3) KMenu --> System --> Startup disk creator

4) format the USB stick using the button on the dialog

5) navigate to the downloaded ISO and select it.

6) Click the "Create" button (or what ever it is called, I forget)

[Oceanwatcher]

Re: Making an up-to-date installer on a pendrive / flash drive?

Great. I will do that part.

BUT - can I then use this pendrive to install Kubuntu on a new PC? Or is it only for running Kubuntu?

[GreyGeek]

Re: Making an up-to-date installer on a pendrive / flash drive?

Great. I will do that part.

BUT - can I then use this pendrive to install Kubuntu on a new PC? Or is it only for running Kubuntu?

MOST DEFINATELY!

The LiveCD concept was, among other reasons, created to allow booting to a "Live" installation, even though it is running off of the CDROM or the USB stick. Then, IF the operation of the LiveCD pans out OK, the user merely clicks on the desktop icon marked "Install Linux".


To update your LiveUSB stick merely download a fresh Daily LiveCD ISO, md5sum check it, and use the KMenu --> System- Startup disk creator again.

[Oceanwatcher]

Re: Making an up-to-date installer on a pendrive / flash drive?

Sorry for asking questions that must seem utterly stupid to you:

Would it not be easier just to do a normal apt-get update and apt-get upgrade to upgrade the USB stick?

[GreyGeek]

Re: Making an up-to-date installer on a pendrive / flash drive?

As I understand it, not if it were a LiveCD. At least, it didn't work when I tried that.

If you boot up a LiveCD and then plug in a, say, 16GB USB stick, you can install the LiveCD to the USB stick as a regular installation, providing you make the USB stick bootable using GParted during the install. Here is an example using Ubuntu, but it works the same with Kubuntu.

You don't have to disconnect your hard drive, as the article suggests. Just be careful during the install, while you are running GParted, that you choose your USB stick AND make it bootable (set the boot flag).

Then, when you boot this USB stick, it behaves like a regular installation, which you can update and upgrade with.