Ubuntu 9.10 on usb stick?? possible or NOT?

[comda]

alright, i just bought a 16gb lexar jump drive and want to install ubuntu 9.10 on it, making the jump drive a external computer, but having questions like, am i still able to use the jump drive when not using ubuntu and whether i will have tp repartition the drive and how to do it so i dont do any damage to to flash drive and be still able to erase ubuntu and use it as a normal flash drive again if ever needed. I have the live CD of ubuntu so im ready just need instructions on how to do this and with all the questions above answered please.
thanks

[Transfusion]

am i still able to use the jump drive when not using ubuntu

Yes. You can use EASEUS Partition Manager or the Ubuntu installer to partition the flash drive-1 partition for ubuntu, 1 partition for regular Windows use, for example. If you ever want to delete Ubuntu, just remove the partition.

[comda]

*censored*, what i need is to be able to boot ubuntu 9.10 or any other version off my jump drive but when im running of my normal hard drive use the USB as external HDD which happens to have ubuntu on it, so i can access all the files using one partition.

[comda]

what im generally asking from you is if i install ubuntu 11.04 using universal USB installer and i plug my usb into a machine running on its hard drive will i still be able to use it as a jump drive and share the same partition with ubuntu and my personal files from when im not using ubuntu from the jump drive?

[Salmon Trout]

what im generally asking from you is if i install ubuntu 11.04 using universal USB installer and i plug my usb into a machine running on its hard drive will i still be able to use it as a jump drive and share the same partition with ubuntu and my personal files from when im not using ubuntu from the jump drive?

yes, if your other OS can read the file system on the jump drive.

[comda]

alright thats good, but one more thing, when i tried to use the universal USB installer it said it would reinstall the MBR? is that a bad idea?

[Transfusion]

As long as you don't have any other operating systems installed on the flash drive. Installing the MBR makes your PC recognize the flash drive as a boot device. Make sure that you are really installing the MBR to the flash drive, not to another drive...

[comda]

alright so i got ubuntu 10.04 working fully on my 16 gn flash drive but when i plug it in on my macbook when its not using ubuntu its says its not formated same as windows XP. why can i get into the jump drive and us it as a slave drive?

[Geek-9pm]

Hard to figure. Here is what My USB stick looks like with Ubuntu on it. It is only 2 GB.

[comda]

no, you have the ubuntu installer on your usb drive i actaully installed ubuntu like my jump drive is a hard drive, but it wont run as a slave when in using normal hard drive to boot os.

[Geek-9pm]

no, you have the ubuntu installer on your usb drive i actaully installed ubuntu like my jump drive is a hard drive, but it wont run as a slave when in using normal hard drive to boot os.

You said jump drive. Most sources say a jump drive is a flash USB device.Do you mean you have a hard drive on a USB adapter?

[Transfusion]

This problem is getting realllly convoluted-I'll try to simplify it...


1) You can turn your flash drive into a ubuntu live cd with UNETbootin/YUMI.
2) You will then be able to boot to ubuntu Live CD from your flash drive/jump drive/pen drive/thumb drive/zip drive/whatever. I mean portable flash drive(e.g. Sandisk Cruzer), not portable hard drive with a cable.
3) You can make 2 partitions on your usb drive-install ubuntu on the first, and use the second for document/file storage. I do this. You can save files in ubuntu to the second partition and they will be readable in Windows/Mac (provided the 2nd partition is formatted with FAT32.)


EDIT: You can do the full installation on a 4GB+ USB Flash drive,( and USB hard drive). Just tried with a live cd(in a real DVD drive). You can do the same with WUBI too: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/move-wubi-to-a-usb-flash-drive/