Three methods to create a lightweight and persistent Xubuntu Linux USB System Disk

Three methods to create a lightweight and persistent Xubuntu Linux USB System Disk
Use Universal USB Install to create a persistent USB XUbuntu System Disk

This tutorial describes how to use Xubuntu Linux to create a lightweight and persistent Linux USB system disk.

Note: Persistent Linux USB drive is installed on the Linux System of the USB flash drive, allowing you to save data to the USB flash drive instead of leaving the modifications in the memory. The data can be restored and reused after the restart, or even started on other machines. Generally, a compressed Linux operating system is installed on the persistent system disk.

Here are five good reasons for doing this:

1. You want to install a lightweight and fully functional Linux version on your computer.
2. If your computer does not have a hard disk, a Linux USB system disk can free the computer from being dumped into the garbage.
3. You want to try Linux, but you don't want to spend too much time preparing for it.
4. You want to create a USB system recovery disk and install some specific applications on the USB flash drive.
5. You want a customized Linux version that can be installed in the rear pocket or in a key ring.

Now, we have a good reason to start some preparation work.

If you are using Windows:

1. Download Xubuntu.
2. Download the Universal USB Installer.
3. Insert an empty USB flash drive.
4. Use the Universal USB Installer to create a boot disk for the resident system.

If you are using Ubuntu:

1. Download Xubuntu.
2. Use Ubuntu Startup Creator.

If you are using another version of Linux:

1. Download Xubuntu.
2. Use UNetbootin.

In other scenarios, it may be more difficult to use the command line, but the three types listed above can already meet most of the requirements.

Download Xubuntu and Universal USB Installer

Visit the Xubuntu website and select a version you like to download.

Currently, two editions are available:

• Trusty Tahr (14.04 LTS)
• Utopic Unicorn (14.10)

Version 14.04 is a long-term maintenance version that lasts for three years. 14.10 is the latest version, but only provides 9 months of maintenance.

After you select the download site, you will be prompted to select a 32-bit or 64-bit version. If your computer is 32-bit, select the 32-bit version. Similarly, if your computer is 64-bit, select the 64-bit version.

Click here to learn whether your computer is 32-bit or 64-bit.

You can download the Universal USB Installer from the Pendrive Linux website and click the download link. The download page will pop up later.

Use Universal USB Installer to create an Xubuntu boot USB flash drive

After downloading the Universal USB Installer and Xubuntu, run the Universal USB Installer. When a security warning is displayed, click "Accept ".

The Universal USB Installer is used to create a persistent Xubuntu boot USB drive.

The first screen is the license agreement. Click "I Agree" to continue.

After the Universal USB Installer main interface appears, select the configuration you want (I. e Xubuntu) from the drop-down list. Step 2, click "Browse" to select the path of the downloaded ISO file.

Insert an empty USB flash drive on your computer and select the "Showing all drives" check box.

Select your drive from the drop-down list (make sure the drive letter is correct ). If the USB flash drive is not empty, select the format check box.

Note: formatting the USB flash drive clears all data on the USB flash drive. First, make sure that you have backed up the data.

In step 4, select the storage space used to save "persistent" system data.

Click "Create" to continue.

If you click "Yes" on the last page, your configuration will be applied directly.

This is the last chance to stop installation. Make sure you have selected the correct USB drive letter and there are no other files to be backed up on the USB drive.

Click "Yes" and wait patiently until the USB flash drive is created.

Note: It takes some time to create a persistent bucket, and the progress bar does not continue to scroll at this time.

After this process is completed, restart the computer. If it is started from the USB flash drive, Xubuntu will be loaded.

Use Startup Disk Creator of Ubuntu to create an Xubuntu boot USB drive

If you have already installed Ubuntu, the easiest way to create a persistent USB Xubuntu system Disk is to use Startup Disk Creator.

Press the super key (Windows key), open Dash, search for "Startup Disk Creator", and click it when the icon appears.

Startup Disk Creator is easy to use.

The interface is divided into two parts. The previous part specifies the path of the downloaded system disk, and the next part specifies the installed USB flash disk.

First, click "Other". Second, select the Xubuntu ISO file you downloaded.

Insert the USB flash drive and click the "Erase" button to clear the USB flash drive data.

Note: click "Erase" to delete all data in the USB flash drive. Remember to back up the data first.

Select "Stored in reserved extra sapce" and drag "How much" to determine the space you want to store "persistent" data.

Click "Make Startup Disk ".

During the creation process, you may need to enter your system password several times. After the USB system disk is created, you can use it to start Xubuntu.

Use UNetbootin to create a persistent Xubuntu System Disk

The last tool I want to introduce is UNetbootin, which can be used in both Windows and Linux.

Personally, I like to use Universal USB Installer on Windows systems, but UNetbootin is more suitable for Linux systems.

Note: UNetbootin is not 100% perfect, not all Linux releases support it.

For Windows, click here to download UNetbootin.

On Linux, you can use package manager to install UNetbootin.

Make sure that your USB flash drive is connected to your computer, that the USB flash drive has been formatted, and that there is no other data on the USB flash drive.

To run UNetbootin on Windows, you only need to double-click the executable program. To run UNetbootin on Linux, you need to increase the permission.

Running on Linux depends on the desktop environment you are using and the Linux release version. Run the following command from the command line:

sudo unetbootin

The UNetbootin interface is divided into two parts. You can select a Linux release in the upper part, and then download it. If you have downloaded a release, you can select the downloaded system disk in the lower part.

Click "Diskimage", and then click the three dots. Find the downloaded Xubuntu ISO file. The path is displayed in the text box next to the button.

Set the value of Space used to preserve files stored SS reboots to specify the size of the Space you want to store persistent data.

Select USB drive as the type, and then select the drive letter of the USB drive.

Click "OK" to create a persistent Xubuntu boot USB drive.

The creation process takes some time. After the creation is complete, you can start the Xubuntu system through the USB flash drive.

If you want to create an Xubuntu boot USB flash drive that supports UEFI, follow this tutorial to replace Ubuntu ISO with Xubuntu ISO.

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