Score:4

Can I save my 'Try Ubuntu' session?

gb flag

I have a laptop with a faulty hard drive, when plugged into an external SATA cable it registers for a minute then it is invisible. So, I cannot install Ubuntu on it or format it. Is there a way for me to keep a 'Try Ubuntu' session running for weeks, or so, from a bootable pendrive, so my sign in to Google, etc., is remembered? Will it get slow if I keep suspending and running it?

I use my laptop to read PDFs and attend online classes mostly, so I will not be running any heavy programs at all.

My laptop is an Acer entry level Aspire 3, with 4 GB RAM and an Intel Gold 4417U processor.

Until I replace the hard disk, what else can I do to make my laptop somewhat usable for longer periods of time?

user535733 avatar
cn flag
Advice: A "Try Ubuntu" session is not designed for the use you propose. It might work, it might not. You will be very lucky if it works perfectly for more than a few days before you must reboot. Monitor your RAM usage closely -- you barely have enough. Prioritize fixing your hardware.
guiverc avatar
cn flag
I've used *live* systems in many ways... Through a normal *live* system using additional network storage (for saving sessions etc; the network connection is made manually then I run a script to modify session allowing me to use different OSes & releases but continue a session within certain limits) or use of *persistence* and a *live* system (see C.S.Cameron's answer which is easiest). How long it will run depends on how you use it; I've used sessions longer than a week without issue, yet doing different tasks and a reboot maybe necessary twice daily.. it varies depending on what you do..
guiverc avatar
cn flag
I learnt to recognize when a *live* system was going to give me troubles; and just restarted before then. You've provided no release details; but I used to also install to thumb-drive (ie. using a thumb-drive as HDD which for some uses was far better than persistent-live; but it was best when used on the same box all the time being less portable in my experience). I haven't done that in my releases; it was my *favorite* choice though eventually thumb-drives do fail too! (it's more involved to get booting than persistent-live).
ag flag
Would replacing the harddisk be an option? You might get a lot more space too.
sudodus avatar
jp flag
See [this link](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick/pre) about the size and speed of external drives (USB pendrives and SSDs). Of course as soon as you can get a new internal drive, get one. Today small size SSDs are rather cheap, yet big enough for Ubuntu. Please consider also the light-weight flavours of Ubuntu: Lubuntu, Ubuntu MATE and Xubuntu, which make a difference when you boot from an external drive.
Score:4
cn flag

Persistent Install vs Full install

Ubuntu can be installed to a USB in different ways. A Live install does not save between sessions. A Persistent install extracts the OS from a compressed file and saves data to an overlay file or partition each session, and a Full install installs the complete OS to the USB just like an install to internal disk.

Comparison between Persistent and Full install USB

Advantages of a persistent install:

  1. You can use the persistent pendrive to install Ubuntu to another computer.

  2. A persistent install takes up less space on the pendrive.

  3. You can reset the pendrive by overwriting the old casper-rw file with a new one.

  4. The install to pendrive takes less time.

  5. Slightly less wear on the drive.

Advantages of a Full install:

  1. You can update and upgrade.

  2. If you have problems or wish to modify, the solution is the same as with an internal install, (You can ask for help in the forums).

  3. No ugly startup / install screen.

  4. Better security, you can use full encryption

  5. You can use proprietary drivers.

  6. Swapfiles and partitions work and Hibernation can be enabled.

  7. Many persistent installs are limited to a 4GB casper-rw and a 4GB home-rw persistence file, to get more persistence requires persistence partitions. Once casper-rw is full, the drive will not boot.

  8. More efficient usage of disk space. Does not require reserved space for persistence.

  9. Faster boot, no automatic disk checking or Try Ubuntu/Install Ubuntu screen.

  10. You can run VBox and use virtual machines.

  11. Generally faster boot than Live or Persistent USB's.

  12. More stable, better for day to day use. I have run Ubuntu off a flash drive for 5 years making only LTS upgrades.

Note that once booted, both methods run at about the same speed. If the computer has lots of RAM Ubuntu should run mainly in RAM and there will not be a big difference between running off internal HDD and USB3 flash drive f.

Full Install Method

A quick and easy method to flash a Full install to USB can be found here: Easy Full Install USB that Boots both BIOS and UEFI

A more traditional methods for creating a Full install USB from scratch can be found here: How to Create a Full Install of Ubuntu 20.04 to USB Device Step by Step

Persistent Install

I recommend mkusb for making Persistent Ubuntu installs to USB, see: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/mkusb

See also for converting Live USB to Persistent Live USB: How to turn my Live USB to Persistence Live USB?

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