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I'm planning on installing Ubuntu 16.04.6 Desktop (32-bit) on a USB drive, like so, along with a FAT32 partition. (Full installation, not live CD.)
Are there any problems with this? For example:
Note: I am not asking how to do it. I'm asking if there are any problems and whether I should do this.
Will it work in most systems (including 64-bit)?
Yes.
Will the installation contain only the drivers needed for the computer used for the installation?
Ubuntu doesn't install specific drivers for each machine, it' has a full stack of drivers.
You can, and should, during the installation, mark the box "Installing propietary drivers"
I have install Lubuntu 16 and so far it works, on every machine I could try.
You can use the Persistent pendrive to install Ubuntu to another computer.
A Persistent install takes up less space on the pendrive.
You can reset the Persistent pendrive by overwriting the old casper-rw file with a new one.
The Persistent install to pendrive takes less time.
Slightly less wear on the drive.
You can update and upgrade a Full Install.
If you have problems or wish to modify, the solution is the same as with an internal install, (You can ask for help in forums).
No ugly startup / install screen.
Better security, you can encrypt a Full Install.
You can use proprietary drivers.
Hibernation works.
There is no 4GB casper-rw or 4GB home-rw persistence file size limitation.
Generally faster boot than Live or Persistent USBs.
No - You should be able to do this just fine. In fact, so long as you're booting it onto a 64 bit computer, you can use the 64 bit version. And so long as you're doing that, you may as well go ahead and use 18.04, instead.
The drawbacks to this are fairly obvious:
Other than that, go for it. I actually keep an install on a keychain for "emergencies"
It will work fine, I've been doing this for years. I carry a USB drive with a FAT32 partition for file storage and an XUbuntu installation with tools like GParted for helping my family with computer trouble. So far, it booted without problems on every computer I've tried it on.
If you do go this route, I recommend using a high-end USB 3 drive. I've had best experiences with the SanDisk Extreme series. A poor quality drive, like the ones sometimes given away for free at tech events, will make the operating system less responsive and may be worn down by its frequent small writes.
