Installing Linux on a USB Flash Drive?

[Justice M]

Hi.

I'd like to install Linux on a USB flash drive. I was wondering if it is possible to run multiple distros and Unix on a USB flash drive as well.

Would I have to install GRUB and WINE on the flash drive as well, or the PC itself?

I want to be able to boot right off of the USB flash drive, so I guess that it's still considered dual-booting?

Also, how do I save program files etc when using the OS on my USB flash drive? Will it be saved to the USB flash drive? If so, what's the recommended memory capacity I should have for my USB flash drive, and should I somehow set partitions with it?

Thanks in advance for your help!!
I'm learning.

[Jordan]

I use an 8gb USB drive but the Linux OS only takes up about 1.5gb. I don't think it is possible to dual boot from the drive but I haven't actually tried either.

You will still be able to save files onto it from Windows and your Linux files and settings will be stored directly on it.

[Justice M]

I thought that it was possible to boot Linux from a USB flash drive?
It says it's possible here:
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/ (thanks void for the link)

I am wondering how to boot it off of the USB flash drive though once installed, and if program files (while using the booted Linuex off of USB flash drive) will be installed on the USB flash drive alongside with the OS, as when you install program files for OS on computers, its installed on the hard drive that the OS is on.

[TotalPenguin]

It is possible to boot, but maybe not to dual boot, although I can't find a reason why it would not.

You can enable persistent mode and it will save any installed software

[Jordan]

You can't dual boot on a USB drive because:

1) Why would you install two OSes on a thumb-drive? You probably don't have enough space anyway.

2) You just copy/paste files to the thumb-drive. There is no boot loader so you can't choose what to boot.

[Justice M]

Originally Posted by Jordan

You can't dual boot on a USB drive because:

1) Why would you install two OSes on a thumb-drive? You probably don't have enough space anyway.

2) You just copy/paste files to the thumb-drive. There is no boot loader so you can't choose what to boot.

I plan on getting a 16GB flash drive so that should definitely be more than enough space for a Linux OS!

If I boot the OS from a flash drive, how does that work, and how do I do it? Surely I'd have to be running another OS in order to access the flash drive to boot it?

Say I am running Windows; how do I boot it, and would it boot just the OS? Would it restart or something so that it doesn't boot up Windows or dual-boot Windows and Linux?

[Rabscuttle]

Puppy Linux. It's stripped and bare, but will work with even a small flash drive.

[Tor]

Is it persistent? Meaning, does it keep you changes?

[Rabscuttle]

Not sure, it was my old assistent who was the big puppy fan... I was looking into it, but it had (at the time) admittedly poor printer support (SOMETHING had to be stripped to fit on small flashes)...

anyone interested really should look at their site
http://www.puppylinux.org/

[Tor]

I'm curious, on my flash installation it kept messing up the partitions and I had to format/reinstall. Did you experience this with Puppy?