Three ways to run the Linux operating system from a USB flash drive

Summary: Three ways to run a Linux operating system from a USB flash drive usb_linux_0 You may have heard of running the live Linux operating system on a USB stick, but do you know that you can permanently save the runtime data, or install Linux directly to a USB flash drive? This article will introduce three ways to put Linux into your pocket (U disk) and pick one of your favorite methods. Burning an ISO image to a USB flash drive usb_linux_1 It has become extremely easy to burn a Linux distribution live ISO image to a USB flash drive.

Three ways to run the Linux operating system from a USB flash drive

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You may have heard of running the live Linux operating system on a USB flash drive, but do you know that you can permanently save the runtime data or install Linux directly to a USB flash drive? This article will introduce three ways to put Linux into your pocket (U disk) and pick one of your favorite methods.

Burn an ISO image to a USB flash drive

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It is extremely easy to burn a Linux distribution live ISO image to a USB flash drive. From here you can start your Linux system on any PC that supports booting from a USB stick. However, this approach has one drawback: when you turn off your computer, all your "modified" data will be lost. This is because as a live environment, all the data is stored in RAM rather than on a USB flash drive. When you turn off the computer, all the modified data will be lost.

This is obviously not possible if you need to modify a Linux system installed on a USB flash drive (such as installing, updating software, or modifying a document) when you are using it on a daily basis. However, this approach is most appropriate if you intend to use it as a secure communication (such as online Banking or Tor) and to ensure that sensitive information is not saved.

Save Data permanently

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If you are an Ubuntu user, you can choose to permanently save the modified ISO image on a USB flash drive. This allows you to install the application on the USB flash drive and save the newly created or modified document.

Cons: The live system usually runs automatically using the live account to enter the system. This account does not have a password, anyone can log into the system, making it unsafe. You also need to be very careful when updating your software. Because if the Linux kernel is updated, bootloader is likely to be corrupted. This method is not flexible compared to a system installed on a hard disk. Because the kernel that bootloader needs to be booted is the same as the kernel version of the ISO image that is installed to boot.

Fully installed to USB flash drive

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Finally, you have the option to completely install the system to a USB flash drive. You need to use a CD-ROM or another USB flash drive to store the installed ISO image. This way, the entire system can be completely installed on a USB flash drive and as flexible as the system installed on the hard disk.

The advantages are obvious: it's no different from the system installed on the hard drive, and it's very portable. But this approach also has drawbacks: first your USB stick is big enough-at least 8G, and second, the system itself will think it is installed on the hard disk, so it will be optimized for the currently running hardware, but this optimization may make the system unavailable when you encounter other hardware in the future.

This primarily involves installing a private driver. To maintain maximum system compatibility, do not use this driver. I did not use the private driver when I used this system installation, so I did not encounter any compatibility-related issues.

Summarize

Are you surprised? You shouldn't be surprised. The--linux system itself is very flexible, so it can meet a variety of different needs. Now that you know the three ways to run a Linux system on a USB flash drive, it's easy to choose the one that best fits your approach. Or maybe because you know a few different ways to install, you become hesitant to choose.

Published date: 2014-5-25

This article is from the cloud partner "Linux China"

Three ways to run the Linux operating system from a USB flash drive