How to install Ubuntu from USB flash disk
Have no CD/DVD ROM drive on your computer? Do you know that you can still install Ubuntu without using CD/DVD ROM drive? You can use a USB Flash disk to install Ubuntu on your computer instead. There are 2 requirements to be able to do this:
- Your computer supports booting from USB flash disk (most modern computer can do this, if your computer can’t, just upgrade your BIOS first)
- Minimum capacity of your USB flash disk is 1 GB
First,instal syslinux. Syslinux is multiplatform, there are version in Linux and Windows. You can find the files from Syslinux Website. If you use Windows, you have to download the Windows Version, but if you use Linux, you can install it directly since Syslinux is already available on repository.
$ sudo apt-get install syslinux mtools
After the installation complete, mount your usb flash disk (usually it will be mounted automatically). To see the media, execute this command:
$ sudo fdisk -l
To make the USB flash disk bootable, execute command below (eg the usb flash disk was /dev/sdb)
$ sudo syslinux -s /dev/sdb
Now, copy all content of Ubuntu’s CD into USB using command:
$ sudo cp -rp /media/cdrom/* /dev/sdb
Rename the isolinux folder to syslinux, In the syslinux folder rename isolinux.bin and isolinux.cfg into syslinux.bin dan syslinux.cfg.
Your usb flash disk can be used as a boot media, change your boot sequence on BIOS to boot from usb flash disk. then voila, Ubuntu can be installed from USB flash disk.
March 19th, 2008 00:15
I cant get this to work…
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb4 * 1 992 1015792 b W95 FAT32
$ sudo cp -rp /media/cdrom/* /dev/sdb4
cp: target `/dev/sdb4′ is not a directory
I try to type sudo cp -rp /media/cdrom/* /dev/disk as thats what its mounted as,. result is it spins the disk for about 3 minutes and then proceeds as if it worked, but no files are on the flashdisk.
What am I doing wrong ??!
March 19th, 2008 12:59
Maybe you should configure the syslinux from windows, it’s easier.
May 21st, 2008 20:33
open sourcer liunx that bootbale from USB flash disk