Installing Ubuntu on PenDrive

[dnyanraj.gopale]

I tried to install Ubuntu on 4GB pen drive.
The installation was successful.
I done this installation from Vista operating system.

However it seems that MBR is been copied in to pen drive,
and therefore i am not able to boot in to vista without
connecting pen drive in my laptop.

Please help me in this,
how can i be able to boot vista again without using pendrive?

If pen drive is inserted i am able to boot in both operating systems.

[oz]

You can find instructions for restoring Vista's bootloader to your MBR on the Microsoft website.

For installing Ubuntu to your pendrive, I'd recommend using UNetbootin:

UNetbootin - Homepage and Downloads

[yancek]

However it seems that MBR is been copied in to pen drive,
and therefore i am not able to boot in to vista without
connecting pen drive in my laptop.

More likely the reverse. Ubuntu stage1 file was copied to the mbr of your vista drive which is why you need to USB attached to boot.

The microsoft web site, as suggested by ozar, will have info or just google repair vista bootloader. You could also download the vista Recovery disk from the site below:

Windows Vista Recovery Disc Download — The NeoSmart Files

[onederer]

First off, I made sure that the flash drive is large enough to hold the entire OS. The installation is for a normal setup that would normally work as in a standard internal hard drive. It is not a "live" version. This installation has persistence, and remembers your activities when you turn off the power.

I made no special setups in the Flash Drive, except to format it to the OS that I want to install. If Linux is to be installed on the Flash Drive, at the end it will ask you if you want to install a boot manager. If you agree, tell it that you want the boot manager (in this case, GRUB) to be installed in the Flash Drive. Make sure that it doesn't get installed into the internal hard drive!

Make sure that your machine can boot up a Flash Drive. Check your BIOS to verify this. When your installation is complete, reboot. Grub will come up, and ask you if you want to run Windows, or Linux. Choose the OS that you want to run, and Grub will boot it up for you. If you want to remove the USB Flash Drive, then Windows will normally boot up without any problems. There will be nothing wrong with the MBR. Your Linux installation will not interfere with Windows, nor change anything in it.

Good Luck!

[Spyderkid]

Ok did you save it to the USB or burn it to the USB with the software given on the ubuntu website

If you just did save to... then that won't work

Also have you changed the boot order so the USB device is booted from first? you need to go into BIOS or press esc at the load up screen.

[Spyderkid]

Also not all computers can boot up from USB it may have to be booted from CD how old is your computer?

[onederer]

Ok did you save it to the USB or burn it to the USB with the software given on the ubuntu website

If you just did save to... then that won't work

Also have you changed the boot order so the USB device is booted from first? you need to go into BIOS or press esc at the load up screen.

I saved the downloaded file to the internal hard drive, then burned the ISO file to a CD, and ran the "live" CD. I used the K3B burning program in Linux to burn the CD. When I ran the installation program, I told the software that I wanted the OS to be installed into the thumb drive. The OS installed itself like it would normally do for an internal hard drive.

I then rebooted the machine. Grub bootloading manager came up, and asked me which OS I wanted to run. I chose Linux. I have the choice of as many OS's that Grub can manage.

I reallize that some older machines cannot boot USB devices. But my laptop machine is around 3 years old. If you care to do your own research, there are some software out there, that would make an older machine capable to boot up a USB device. It won't be easy to find.

I also use a USB "toaster" docking station that can run internal hard drives. I installed several Linux versions in those hard drives. They are all 1 TB each. Again, GRUB is the boot manager. And I can select any OS that I've installed in those hard drives. If I unplug those USB devices, then Windows boots up normally, and not needing any boot manager, and the MBR isn't damaged.

[X-D]

this is the exact reason why i always install from and cd or dvd, it is a waste of a dvd though as they are 4gb and the install is only about 670mb so it would easy fit on a cd and still have a little space lool, anyway google, for vista bootloader repair it will show you very detailed descriptions !

[onederer]

this is the exact reason why i always install from and cd or dvd, it is a waste of a dvd though as they are 4gb and the install is only about 670mb so it would easy fit on a cd and still have a little space lool, anyway google, for vista bootloader repair it will show you very detailed descriptions !

I've installed into pen drives a full DVD distro. The pen drive that I've used is a 32GB version. You don't lose anything because if you should experience a crash, that CD/DVD will serve you right, by being able to quickly re-install the OS. If you do think that it's a waste of a CD/DVD, then you have the option of using a re-writable disk, instead of a write once platter. This way you can erase the re-writable disk, and use it again when you no longer need the current data.

Cheers!