Score:1

Want to make a custom Ubuntu bootable USB with a specific kernel

pt flag

I have a Surface Pro 4 and want to try Ubuntu on it. I made a bootable USB using the website's instructions, and tried it on my Surface but I couldn't get the touchscreen or WiFi working, two things I need to have working on my Surface. I then found https://github.com/linux-surface/linux-surface which I can use to make those things function on my laptop, but I don't know how to make those load onto the bootable USB. I also don't currently have enough space on my Surface to try installing Linux and then installing the kernel via USB. I tried looking at other questions for my problem, but they didn't make sense and I didn't want to necrobump those questions. Any help would be appreciated!

Nmath avatar
ng flag
This sounds very much like an [XY Problem](https://meta.stackexchange.com/a/66378) in that your proposed solution doesn't seem like the best way to solve your actual problem. What you're asking how to do is also not a task for a novice and if you were confused by similar questions, that's not going to change here either. Do you plan on replacing Windows with Ubuntu? That might not be a good idea either if you have never used Ubuntu before. Dual-boot is generally a better option if you are trying to transition. You can also run Ubuntu in a VM like VirtualBox if you just want to try it.
sudodus avatar
jp flag
You can install Ubuntu into the USB drive. Make an installed system like into an internal drive, but into the USB drive. See [this link](https://askubuntu.com/questions/1217832/how-to-create-a-full-install-of-ubuntu-20-04-to-usb-device-step-by-step) and [this link](https://askubuntu.com/questions/16988/how-do-i-install-ubuntu-to-a-usb-key-without-using-startup-disk-creator/942312#942312). (In the installed system you can install and use new kernels.)
chimps123 avatar
pt flag
@Nmath I'm not planning to replace Windows with Ubuntu, I'm trying to learn Ubuntu in the hopes of switching down the line. I want to start using it on my laptop first but I don't have enough space to dual boot, and so I wanted to use a bootable USB to practice using Ubuntu and switch later. However the bootable USB doesn't have the specific kernel I need to make WiFi and touchscreeen work on my laptop, which are two features I need desperately on my laptop to do any work on it. Hope that makes sense!
chimps123 avatar
pt flag
@sudodus Are you saying that I can use a bootable USB to use Ubuntu on my laptop, and then install the kernel onto my bootable USB from my laptop?
Nmath avatar
ng flag
I would recommend running Ubuntu in VirtualBox.
sudodus avatar
jp flag
Use a cheap and slow USB pendrive, where you clone the iso file. For installation you boot from this USB pendrive. Use also a more expensive, bigger and faster USB3 pendrive or even better an SSD via a USB3 to SATA adapter, where you install the Ubuntu system. This system will be as flexible as any installed system, and you can install the kernel that you need. See [this link](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick/pre)
Score:0
ua flag

you can use Cubic, or Custom Ubuntu ISO Creator, which is a GUI that can be used to create a custom bootable Ubuntu Live CD (ISO). More info here.

chimps123 avatar
pt flag
I'm not sure if I'm not looking in the right place so I couldn't tell, but can I use Cubic on Windows? Or would I need to use a computer with Ubuntu to use this software?
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.