how to install linux on external hard drive

Depending on how full the drive is, you may not be able to back it completely but try at least back up any important files.

I would recommend backing up the USB HD but if you had a second one, you could just install to that one. You will need to shrink the existing partition on your external hard drive first. It's best in your case to create the new partition before doing the install. I would recommend 10 GB as a minimum, plus another 2-4 GB if you want a swap drive. I forget the literal minimum Ubuntu needs to install, but it's roughly 8 GB. If all you need is the basic install, Python 2.7, and the C compiler, you can get away with installing Ubuntu to a fairly small partition.

This depends on the bios.īefore starting, make sure your bios has an option to boot from a USB HD. It's very easy, but success will partly depend on the ability of your computer to boot from an external hard drive. A very detailed answer would be beyond the scope of a single question, but here's the general outline.

How to install linux on external hard drive