Tell me more ×
Ask Ubuntu is a question and answer site for Ubuntu users and developers. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote -2 down vote favorite

I used Startup Disk Creator on my Ubuntu (11.10)(this computer) and I found out that when I boot it from my old computer, it's extremely slow. My internet is out right now and I'm looking for ways to move the boot files to the preinstalled Windows 2000 (on the old computer) and boot it off from the HDD instead. I found out that this is because my old computer is using an Intel Pentium 4 and my Office Depot USB has a slow data transfer rate. Does anyone know how to move these boot files to the HDD and boot it off of there? Yes, sadly, there's no internet yet and I'm looking for a dual-boot.

share|improve this question
1  
The question doesn't make any sense. Can you clarify what boot files do you want to move, and what do you want to boot from the hdd. Can you also post the computer specs to verify that it meets the minimal requirements for 11.10. – mikewhatever Nov 3 '11 at 3:55
He is running ubuntu from a usb drive but it is too slow so he would like to transfer the files to his pc's hard drive, like a normal install, without installing it it seems. – Anarci Nov 3 '11 at 4:12
Poorly worded question. If you are asking how to install Ubuntu, then... click install Ubuntu. – psusi Nov 3 '11 at 17:53
Sorry you all are misunderstanding, but I would like to dual-boot and I don't know what files I need to copy to the HDD. This computer has already dual-booted and there is a folder named "ubuntu" on `C:`. Does anybody know what this folder contains? – Francis Lau Nov 3 '11 at 19:53

closed as too localized by Luis Alvarado♦ Mar 14 at 16:57

This question is unlikely to help any future visitors; it is only relevant to a small geographic area, a specific moment in time, or an extraordinarily narrow situation that is not generally applicable to the worldwide audience of the internet. For help making this question more broadly applicable, see the FAQ.

3 Answers

up vote 1 down vote

What USB specification does your machine have? USB 1 has slower transfer speeds than USB 2. On my machine I had slow USB transfer speeds because the USB configuration in the BIOS was set to FULL SPEED and NOT to HIGH SPEED. Once I changed that setting then using a live Ubuntu USB became more acceptable. But Ubuntu live USB/CD will never run as fast as a hard disk install. It is something we have to accept. It is a limitation of the hardware.

share|improve this answer
up vote 0 down vote

You can use the startup usb drive you created to install a dual boot Ubuntu on your pc. It will give you the option to re-size your hard drive and create a partition for Ubuntu. Just select the install Ubuntu option.

If you find the livecd does not work well on your older pc try the alternate install. I know you don't have internet at the moment but obtaining one of those cd's shouldn't be impossible.

Also make sure you backup all important data if you do attempt to dual boot.

share|improve this answer
up vote 0 down vote

For USB stick installs, I would use what would be labeled "Windows Ready Boost Compatible" as those sticks have to be fast enough for swap. A $8 sandisk probibly to slow where as a high performance PNY stick should be faster

share|improve this answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.