Can I store my important data on thumb drive with Ubuntu Installation ?

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adity8522

adity8522

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Jan 18, 2013
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Hello,
I am gonna try the newly released Ubuntu 13.04, first time entering Ubuntu from Windows 8. I do not want dual boot. I will be doing the installation of Ubuntu from my thumb flash drive. Windows installation + my important data is stored on the drive. (Windows installation for future roll back to my windows 8).

SO, Is there any way, through which I can install Ubuntu from my flash drive and my data saved on it + windows installation files also saved ?:D

Please help.
Waiting for reply's with help would b appreciated......
 
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markwp

markwp

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Jan 22, 2013
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If you are looking to just try ubuntu, I would NOT try to put it on the same thumb drive as your data. Instead, just download the distro (I prefer mint to ubuntu) and burn the iso to a cd. Run the cd from boot and try it out. Little cost for a cd/dvd, 0% chance of data corruption on your thumb drive.

If you want to save ubuntu data and setup for "reuse", buy a cheap 8gb thumb drive, go HERE and use this thumb drive installer and set a 2-4g persistance file. That way you can "save" your driver setup, data, etc., yet still not do an install on your desktop.

Mark
 
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adity8522

adity8522

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Jan 18, 2013
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Well I was just thinking to do something like this :
- I have a 16GB thumb drive.
- my data will be saved on my hard drive (windows 8 installed)
- I will format my thumb drive.
- Just put the Linux Software on it (Also called Live Disk ........ Something like this)
- So, Ubuntu is ready to boot.
- I will not get any type of dual boot.
- My data will be preserved on my HDD.
- I f I want my PC to just look like Ubuntu installed on it, i.e.- no dual boot selection options,
I will firstly go into the BIOS and set the first boot device as my thumb drive, so Ubuntu will boot first and no need to go to select windows / Ubuntu dual boot options. When I want to use Windows , the same method above, change the boot device (1st) to HDD.

Well Some doubts,
- Will the live thumb drive really work like Ubuntu installed on HDD ,i.e.- no gain or loss in applications or feature / softwares in the installation either Ubuntu is running on live disk or running through installation on HDD
?????

Please clear my doubts, and I will be very helpful to you......
 
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markwp

markwp

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Jan 22, 2013
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That's the nice thing about linux - you can really TRY it without making a hard commitment.

You have the boot concept correct - boot the thumb or boot a cd or boot a hdd.

As far as performance goes, the answer is no, it will not perform as well as a hard install. All the features will be there, you can use any of the software, etc., etc., but because you are using a bus that is not really designed for an o/s, you will notice some lag. However, for just trying it out it works very well - you can install drivers for your gpu, create documents, save and edit data - everything you can do on an hdd, you can do with a live thumb, just a little slower.

Try it out - it will give you an idea of if you like it or not. Do yourself a favor and do NOT make a snap decision - linux is different than windows and will require you to "learn". But, it's a great system with LOTS of software (free). The biggest drawback for most people is the gaming experience - you cannot run windows games directly on linux (but you can through a virtual machine).

The method you are thinking of is exactly how I got started in linux. My responses to you are via my desktop box which dual boots W7 and Linux Mint 14 - I only use W7 for my limited gaming. Everything else is via linux.

Mark
 
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adity8522

adity8522

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Jan 18, 2013
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Well I don't just game b'cause my laptop is just a crap piece.
I just want the OS the run smoothly and according to system requirements, its enough for my pc : celeron cpu 900 + 1gb ram + 160gb hdd + integrated graphics.
So, My Ubuntu download is just about to complete in half an hour.
What should I do ? Which way should I go ?
 
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adity8522

adity8522

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Jan 18, 2013
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My Laptop is running Windows 8 Pro.
My Windows corrupted 3 days ago and fixed it after many tries today.........
The problem was:
I was just merging two unallocated partitions , one of 30gb and one of 351mb into C drive with AOMEI Partition assistant. (I was merging the partition for making space for Ubuntu .

My laptop is Dell Vosto 1015 4years old.
Celeron processor 900 @ 2.2GHz
1gb ram
160gb hdd
Integrated graphics.
 
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markwp

markwp

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Jan 22, 2013
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Sometimes installs of more "modern" versions of windows on older machines can cause headaches. I dual boot both my desktop and my laptop - one with W7/Mint 14 and one with WXP/Mint13. When I set both up, I used THIS link for guidance and it worked very well.

I still think, just to preserve your sanity, that you should give linux a try by running it on a thumb drive with a persistant cache. Give it a few weeks (ignoring any lag/slowdown) and then make your decision. I have a 160g drive in my old Dell D820 and when I finally decided to install for a dual boot, I allocated 40g which has been more than enough for the last year.

Mark
 
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