how to install linux on an external hard drive

This will start the partitioner within the installer. When asked how you want to install, choose: Somethine Else. Start the installer from the icon on the desktop or on the launcher. Note down the numbers of the new partitions. You don't need a swap partition, but if want one, shrink the new partition by the size you want (or just make it a little smaller in the first place). Shrinking the partition will leave unallocated space. Be sure you are looking at the correct HD in gparted. In most cases, the internal HD will show up as sda and the external as sdb, but this is not guaranteed.

If you have not already shrunk the partition on the external HD, do it now. This is probably the easier way to do it.Ĭreate the Ubuntu live installation media and use it to boot your computer. Use gparted from the Ubuntu live install media. If you have more than enough available but it still doesn't shrink enough, use a free defrag tool like MyDefrag to defrag and move the files to the start of the partition. If the partition won't shrink by enough, you may need to delete files to make room.

I believe these are available in Home Premium.

Use the Windows partition manager in administrative tools. You have two options to shrink the existing partition: This is just a general warning and precaution since your data should be safe. Depending on how full the drive is, you may not be able to back it completely but try at least back up any important files.

I would recommend backing up the USB HD but if you had a second one, you could just install to that one. You will need to shrink the existing partition on your external hard drive first. It's best in your case to create the new partition before doing the install. I would recommend 10 GB as a minimum, plus another 2-4 GB if you want a swap drive. I forget the literal minimum Ubuntu needs to install, but it's roughly 8 GB. If all you need is the basic install, Python 2.7, and the C compiler, you can get away with installing Ubuntu to a fairly small partition. This depends on the bios.īefore starting, make sure your bios has an option to boot from a USB HD. It's very easy, but success will partly depend on the ability of your computer to boot from an external hard drive. A very detailed answer would be beyond the scope of a single question, but here's the general outline.

How to install linux on an external hard drive