Score:0

Can I unplug a bootable usb after shutting down the computer?

me flag

If i were to boot ubuntu from a usb, could I unplug the usb and go back to my main OS after shutting down the computer?

in flag
Is the USB device a Live USB or a fully-installed installation? If it’s a Live USB, you’re good to remove the USB stick and booting from the internal storage device. If you *installed* Ubuntu onto the USB device, then it depends on how you configured the GRUB boot loader
oldfred avatar
cn flag
Yes, but make sure writing has finished before shutting down. And sometimes it shows a process running when shutting down and I have to wait. My system says safe to remove, but flash drive LED flashes for another 20 sec or more. I wait a bit until after light stops flashing. If not LED, best to wait a minute or two, if normal shutown. If just after large write wait.
Serket avatar
me flag
@matigo what is the grub boot loader? All I’m doing is installing the Ubuntu ISO onto a usb stick and booting it through the BIOS
in flag
Sounds like you’re using a Live USB, then. You’re good to pull the USB stick out after the machine has shut down
Someone avatar
my flag
you need to expand your question with details about what specifically you have tried to avoid proposed solutions which you have already tried unsuccessfully. Please read askubuntu.com/help/how-to-ask then edit accordingly
Score:1
sa flag

An Ubuntu live USB session does not change any of the files on any already installed OS by default including the bootloader, so it is safe to remove the USB drive after shutting down the computer. The next time your computer boots it will boot the main OS that is installed on your computer's hard drive as usual.

If you used the Ubuntu live USB to install Ubuntu on your computer's hard drive, then it also installed the GRUB bootloader on your computer's hard drive so that Ubuntu will be able to boot without the Ubuntu live USB plugged in.

By the way it is also safe to remove an Ubuntu live USB flash drive when restarting the computer after installing Ubuntu. Grip the Ubuntu live USB flash drive and get ready to remove it, then wait until you see the manufacturer's splash screen when the computer is restarting, and remove the flash drive right away before the computer starts to boot from the hard drive. If you know the BIOS/UEFI access key, you can also enter the BIOS by pressing that key, remove the flash drive, and exit the BIOS without changing any of the BIOS settings.

mangohost

Post an answer

Most people don’t grasp that asking a lot of questions unlocks learning and improves interpersonal bonding. In Alison’s studies, for example, though people could accurately recall how many questions had been asked in their conversations, they didn’t intuit the link between questions and liking. Across four studies, in which participants were engaged in conversations themselves or read transcripts of others’ conversations, people tended not to realize that question asking would influence—or had influenced—the level of amity between the conversationalists.