Can I install ONTO a flash drive?

Question

Okay, so I recently found out how to install the Xubuntu .iso onto a flash drive. I proceeded to do the live version from the flash drive. I wanted to actually install on the flash drive (where it would be a user and settings and stuff from the flash drive itself). I ended up installing next to Ubuntu... but then I got impatient and shut down, corrupting Ubuntu (I think) so I had to install Xubuntu over it...

Anyway, I want to know if I can install onto the flash drive itself, so it has it's own filesystem files and all.
Is that possible? Or will the live user function do all of that?

Answer 1

A true (practical usable) ubuntu (that's not a live disk) install cannot be made on a flash drive (well it can but it's quite difficult to do properly and fully functional) You can however install ubuntu on an external hard drive (you can buy those for like 25 dollars because the capacity doesn't have to be that big).

First thing you do (optional but it might save you the trouble of having to fix your windows disk if you make a mistake) is disconnect your internal hard drive (it's not that hard, just take out the cable).

Next is just plain installing ubuntu on the external hard drive.

Reconnect your internal hard drive.

Change your boot setting so the usb has boot priority and you're done

Now I do have to note that unless you have usb 3.0 or e-sata it might run a little sluggish but not so much as to make it unusable. I've had some good results with a BM usb port in the past myself.

If you really want to use a flash drive I would just recommend to use a live version and keep about 500mb to a gig of "usable" space available. You can set this "usable" space using Unetbootin by simply increasing the space for user files. Unetbootin is available in the repositories and in the Ubuntu software center.

To install if from the Terminal use

sudo apt-get install unetbootin