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I'm running Ubuntu off an 8gb USB drive but it's almost full; is there a way to install my applications on a different USB drive. It's been suggested that RAID 1 will work but will that just duplicate my files?

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  • Is this a full install on USB or a persistant Live USB? In any case RAID1 wont't work. RAID0 might, but I have never heard of setting USB drives in any kind of RAID.
    – user68186
    Oct 5, 2012 at 23:27
  • It's a persistent live USB. Oct 5, 2012 at 23:29

1 Answer 1

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Unlike Windows, there is no easy way to choose the installation directory in Ubuntu.

A full install may be easier to manage. For example, you could uninstall the older kernels. the persistent USB works off the CD image and stuff that came in the ISO can't be easily removed even when they are updated.

I suggest backup all the data saved in the USB somewhere else (may be another USB drive) and try full install: How do I install Ubuntu to a USB key? (without using Startup Disk Creator).

On RAID

RAID 1 mirrors one drive to another in real time. So if one fails the other can take over its duties. So adding another drive in RAID 1 formation does not add any disk space.

RAID 0 strips, that is divides up all the data between two drives. This makes reading and writing faster, but if one fails everything is history, as you will have half of each file.

RAID was intended for identical internal drives that don't get moved around. USB drives and flash drives are external and intended to be plugged and unplugged and moved between computers. However, plugging and unplugging them may give them different internal IDs. If that happens one part of RAID0 won't recognize the other part and the system will fail as you will have half of everything, including the OS.

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  • Actually, the only reason I'm using Ubuntu is because my HDD's broken, but I do plan to install it later. Oct 5, 2012 at 23:50
  • Will moving some of the data files to another USB solve your problem?
    – user68186
    Oct 5, 2012 at 23:52
  • Is there a way I could install an application to a different drive(usb2) though the software center? I'm trying to install Limbo but I'm out of space. I tried copying the program files and data(like a noob) but I can't run the launch .sh as an executable. Oct 5, 2012 at 23:55
  • user68186- Possibly, but I can't figure out how to make the programs use them. Oct 6, 2012 at 0:07

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