How To Install Os On External Usb Harddrive 1 Tb ?

Have a look at this:

and this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZewQ4QJq6w
and this script:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By8MwSVxSaJLWWxaU0d0RGVrZWc/view?pref=2&pli=1
and this ZIP:
flashboot.ru/files/file/418/download/fixed-disk_717/
and this blog:
https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com...eating-bootable-usb-drive-for-uefi-computers/

When you're done you come back and explain what he just did!

From what I can understand, you need to create a fat32 partition to make GPT/UEFI boot work.

Thanks,



Wrenchman

 

The blog link discusses USB boot requirements for Windows based USB drives not Ubuntu based drives. Apparently everything else refers to Windows as well although, I only took a quick look at things and didn't download anything.

BTW, one of the YouTube videos along with the text is either in Spanish, Portuguese or Italian, which unfortunately, I don't comprehend. I don't know if Hedon James or Earthling do either.

 

Oh, what you're telling me is, they don't boot the same way, so the info is useless sorry about that.

I think that if I wait long enough someone will come up with a solution, maybe in a year or two.

Maybe it's still a bit early in the technological stage.

Thanks,



Wrenchman

 

This isn't a technology limitation, this is an existing hardware limitation. Based on earlier information, did you get UEFI "switched on"? With "secure boot" disabled? And it still won't boot?

With the hardware you're working with, it seems you only have 2 options. Enabled UEFI-boot (your preferred solution), or reformat the external drive using MBR partition scheme and reinstall the OS to the MBR-formatted partitions.

 

In addition to what Hedon James said, you said your wife would kill you if the computer didn't boot to Windows so, dual booting would be out of the question. Do the (U)EFI boot with Secure Boot disabled, change boot order/sequence so that USB is ahead of the internal Windows hard drive, restart with the USB drive plugged in and see if it finally boots to Ubuntu like you want it to.

If the USB drive is not connected during startup, the computer should still automatically boot to Windows.

 

The where is easy - you need to interrupt the Windows boot by pressing either Delete or a function key in order to access the UEFI config screens. Your screen will tell you which keys immediately after power on. As each manufacturer implements UEFI their own way I can't tell you how so you will just have to search the UEFI config and look for it.

 

http://paste.ubuntu.com/15303878/
Boot successfully repaired.
You can now reboot your computer.

Let me try that!

 

No luck yet.

 

Unless you reformatted your Windows drive with GPT and re-installed Windows; or you reformatted your external drive with MBR partitions, your boot issue is UEFI-related.

Your RESULTS.txt file appears to reflect your Windows drive is unplugged, so your external drive is now sda and your Live disk is sdf.

This shows your sda drive is still formatted GPT, so I don't think it's going to boot unless UEFI is enabled, as discussed above. Have you successfully enabled UEFI? No mention of it above. The second issue is that sda1 is recognized as a boot partition, but is missing its "boot flag". Look at dev/sdf1 and notice the "*" under "Boot", indicating it is a bootable drive; no such indication for /dev/sda1. Lastly, you have 2 boot partitions /dev/sda1 and /dev/sda6, due to the unusual practice of the extra /boot mount point. I don't know if this is a problem or not; maybe you just have a primary and a backup boot option (smart?!), or maybe your confusing the software and it doesn't know which is which. I've never seen anyone with 2 boot partitions before, so I just don't know how that affects everything. Maybe you're a genius...maybe this is part of the problem. But until you get UEFI enabled, your GPT formatted disk is never going to boot on THIS computer.

 

Even then, (getting UEFI enabled), (and I'm pretty sure the second boot partition will need to be removed because GRUB doesn't "know" which one to choose) he may boot to Ubuntu on the USB drive.

But, if he plugs the USB drive in while running Windows because he wants to do a backup, Windows won't "see" the drive. I'm almost positive now, after reading through both reports, that he's running 32-bit Windows 7. As stated in post #48, Windows 7 32-bit doesn't support GPT. Windows 7 64-bit and later versions of Windows, both 32-bit and 64-bit, do support GPT.

 

C:\systeminfo
System: x64-based PC

I have turned off something called legacy USB, but maybe the double boot grub flag is causing problems.

 

My Dell laptop is an x64-based PC as well but, It came with Windows Vista Business x86 installed. I got rid of x86 Vista and installed x64 Windows 8.1.

 

@Wrenchman

Could you do us all a favor? Right click Computer on your desktop or in your Start Menu and select Properties and post what it says for System Type (see att'd).

 

It is 64bit, btw. why does that matter, I'm installing Ubuntu on a different USB drive, not Windows?

Anyhow I have deleted and formatted the Ubuntu partition, and am now in the process of reinstalling Ubuntu:

22g Root
1g Boot
8g Swap
205g Home

So I did a pre-partition in Gparted, just to get the different partition sizes the way I want to, but in the installation window it will say there is no root, so I choose that particular partition and format as /root

I also noticed a popup warning urging me to create a bios_grub partition, it didn't actually say GPT but I was told I might run into problems if I didn't.

Ready to restart,



Wrenchman

 

Still no luck,

In Bios there is a ton of options, each motherboard have its own particular name for a certain feature.

http://paste.ubuntu.com/15323266/

I think I'll give up and try the MBR instead of GPT

Thanks,



Wrenchman

 

It works now, after a boot repair
http://paste.ubuntu.com/15323895/
freezes a little bit, I hope it's only a one timer.

Basic MBR
931,51gb
1mb unallocated
22gb ext4 /root
8gb other/swap
285gb ext4/home
616,51 NTFS/Backup

GPT would have been more fun, but MBR will do for now.

Thanks,



Wrenchman

 

Is this boot by resetting the UEFI boot order? I have a UEFI Win 10 system with a GPT external attached and if I ever get the time I would like to try putting an OS on it.

 

Actually, it doesn't take that long — about an hour. What takes the longest is "tweaking" everything to your liking.

@Wrenchman,

Glad you got it working on your computer. Now you've got to see if it's truly portable.

 

According to his logfiles, he's booting from MBR, but "secureboot maybe enabled".

WTH? How is that possible? I thought secureboot was an UEFI implementation? Is he using UEFI in Legacy mode with Secureboot enabled? And if that's the case, how the heck is he booting an external OS other than Windows?

Maybe the Boot-Repair logfile is providing a false reading, as most folks install to an internal, rather than external hard drive. This whole experience has been a case study in exceptions to the rule. Regardless, you got it...congrats Wrenchman!

P.S. Your comment that it "freezes a little bit" may be because you have installed version 14.04.3. This is a good choice, as 14.04 is an LTS "long-term-support" release, but I think the most up-to-date version is 14.04.4; even a brand new installation will attempt to update itself immediately. It may also be because you're on an external drive, and possibly using usb 2.0 connection. If it's the former, it will likely get better; if it's the latter, there's not much you can do.

 

Yes, of course he is booting from MBR - he's just changed to it. My question was how is he setting the external as the first boot device? But it must be through the boot settings in UEFI.

 

Sorry for the delay, I haven't been using the Ubuntu for the last month or so, since I last posted.

Not sure I understand the question, but MBR and UEFI does not work in conjunction afaik.

So true, it should be though, I mean it's a matter of being able to boot, that's it, if it boots it will work.

I never found the secureboot button in bios, but since it's MBR now, it's all just the regular standards settings.

Btw... Oh I get it, what you refer to is a live-session, I had to do a live-session in order to repair the Boot, and only after a "live boot repair" was I able to boot from the "actual USB Ubuntu Install"

Simple, I don't! Why, because it's not a permanent drive, so I enter Bios every time I want to open Ubuntu, otherwise it will be unplugged from the PC and the computer will load Windows which is located on another "permanent" hard disk with its own proper MBR.

Thanks,



Wrenchman

 

You can use MBR or GPT in a UEFI system, I'm doing so here.

 

I may be wrong, but I think Wrench is referring to the bare-metal computer software, while you're referring to partition tables. If so, he is correct that BIOS and UEFI are an either/or proposition; they do not reside together. If someone knows differently, I am happy to be educated and corrected.

But you are also correct Earthling! MBR and GPT partitions can both be used on a UEFI-based system; while BIOS-based systems will only recognize MBR partitions.

However, your statement catches my attention...perhaps I don't know what I THINK I know! I was under the impression that UEFI could employ GPT partitions, OR MBR partitions (through selection of Legacy Mode); but it sounds like UEFI can use both, on the same system, at the same time? Am I understanding that correctly? For instance, can UEFI read a GPT partioned hard drive AND a MBR partitioned 2nd drive or external drive? If so, how does that work? Did you do anything special with UEFI to obtain that ability, or is that just a natural implementation within UEFI? Edumicate me!

 

@ Hedon James - I don't want to hijack this thread by going into detail about something unrelated to the OP's issue. I will just say that I can connect a GPT formatted disk to my Win 10 MBR system and all drives on both disks display in File Manager. Disk Management takes a while to figure out what is going on but eventually does load the snap-in and shows all partitions as Simple, Basic, NTFS. It's a UEFI BIOS.

 

I need to withdraw that last statement until I can clear my mind as to exactly what I can and cannot do GPT-wise on a Win 10 MBR system with a UEFI BIOS.

 

I have a GPT harddrive with 8.1 installed. I also have a Toshiba 500gb external that is mbr hooked up most times. I freely backup/copy files either direction to or from either. The mbr doesn't have a OS installed so I don't boot it. But while in 8.1 I can use any external/thumb/cd/dvd. I do have a fatdog64 Linux with keys that boots in secure mode. Had to import the keys. Now when loading that OS in secure mode it says on screen the binary is white listed. And in that OS I can still see (mount) any other device. Not the original OP's question but I see it comes up.