Three ways to run the Linux operating system from a USB stick

Summary: Three ways to run the Linux operating system from a USB flash drive usb_linux_0 You may have heard of running a 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 the USB plate? This article will introduce three ways to put Linux in your pocket (USB flash drive), pick the one you like the most! Burning an ISO image to a USB stick usb_linux_1 Burning a Live ISO image of a Linux distribution to a USB stick has become extremely easy.

Three Ways to Run Linux
Operating

System from U Disk ? This article will introduce three ways to put Linux in your pocket (USB flash drive), pick the one you like the most!

Burning the ISO image to a USB stick
usb_linux_1
usb_linux_1 Burning

a Live ISO image of a Linux distribution to a USB stick has become extremely easy. From here you can boot your Linux system on any PC that supports booting from a USB stick. However, this approach has a downside: all your "modified" data is lost when you shut down. This is because as a Live environment, all data is kept in RAM rather than on a USB stick. When you shut down, all modified data will be lost.

If you need to modify the Linux system installed to the U disk in daily use (such as installing, updating software, or modifying documents), then this method is obviously not feasible. However, if you plan to use it for secure communication (like online banking or where you need to use TOR) and to ensure that no sensitive information is stored, then this method is definitely the most suitable.

Permanently save data
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usb_linux_2

If you are an Ubuntu user, then you can choose to permanently save the modified ISO image on a USB stick. This allows you to install applications and save newly created or modified documents on the USB stick.

Disadvantage: When the Live system is running, it usually automatically uses the Live account to enter the system. This account has no password, and anyone can log in to the system, making it insecure. Special care is also required when updating software. Because if the Linux kernel is updated, the bootloader may be damaged. Compared to the system installed on the hard disk, this method is less flexible. Because the bootloader needs to be booted with the same version of the kernel as the installed ISO image before it can be booted.

Complete installation to U disk
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usb_linux_3

Finally, you can choose to completely install the system to U disk. You will need a CD or another USB stick to store the ISO image for the installation. This method can completely install the entire system into the U disk, and is as flexible as the system installed on the hard disk.

The advantages are obvious: it is indistinguishable from a system installed on a hard drive, and it is very portable. But this method also has disadvantages: first, your U disk must be large enough - at least 8G or more; secondly, 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 inoperable when you encounter other hardware in the future.

This mostly involves installing private drivers. In order to maintain the maximum compatibility of the system, please do not use this driver. I didn't run into any compatibility-related issues with this system installation without using proprietary drivers.

Summarize
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 stick, it's easy to choose the one that works best for you. Or maybe because you learned about several different installation methods, you became hesitant to choose.

Original release time: 2014-5-25

This article is from Yunqi's partner "linux China"


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