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I'm trying to install Ubuntu (version 20) on a USB drive using a Dell computer with Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST). The Ubuntu installer complains about a conflict with Intel RST and I'm directed to the following page which suggests how one might resolve this but, from what I can see, with significant risk to the Windows OS already installed:

https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/ubuntu-installation-on-computers-with-intel-r-rst-enabled/15347?_ga=2.46699879.1733397468.1588515427-430611100.1559067266

Given the risks, I do not want to meddle with the BIOS settings as suggested. I am trying to install on a USB drive so theoretically it shouldn't matter about the configuration of the internal SSD. Is there a way to get around this check so I can proceed with the installation onto my USB drive?

cpjen
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  • You can temporarily turn it off, then turn it back on after you install. But see these: Intel Optane - See Intel response that no performance difference between RAID & AHCI. https://communities.intel.com/thread/121155 & https://www.dell.com/community/Laptops-General-Read-Only/Dell-M-2-FAQ-regarding-AHCI-vs-RAID-ON-Storage-Drivers-M-2-Lanes/td-p/5072571 You need to partition in advance and either turn off internal drive or see this work around to get Ubiquity to install to external drive. See comments #23 & #26 https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/1396379 – oldfred May 04 '20 at 22:48
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    RSTe is not designed for Linux.Set the BIOS to use AHCI instead. – K7AAY May 04 '20 at 22:58
  • @oldfred I'm concerned about the risks to the existing Windows installation in turning RST off. Is there any risk in turning the internal hard drive off temporarily? Is the idea that the installer will then proceed past the RST check and allow me to install on my USB drive? – cpjen May 05 '20 at 11:33
  • At most you may have to reinstall a Windows UEFI boot loader. UEFI forgets UEFI boot entries. It always seems to lose Ubuntu entrys, but almost all systems seem to look in ESP and find Windows when a drive is plugged back in. Everyone dual booting with Windows is using AHCI. But as with all major system changes, you need to have good backups, and a Windows repair/recovery flash drive. – oldfred May 05 '20 at 14:41
  • @oldfred Thanks for your help with this. You can tell I'm a bit unsure about a lot of this. I have borrowed a laptop using AHCI and have been able to use it to install Ubuntu on my USB stick. I thought this was progress but while the USB boots up on this borrowed machine, on my machine the USB drive is not shown in the BIOS boot menu. Do you know of a way I can get my machine (using RST) to recognise the USB as bootable? – cpjen May 05 '20 at 21:10
  • I have not seen anyone use RST. That the installer checks for RST first seems to be something new. Before it just did not work until you changed drive to AHCI. I have seen users first change to AHCI, install Ubuntu, but not have updated Windows. So they change back to RST to boot Windows and install AHCI driver. You probably can just turn off, install Ubuntu to external & reset UEFI. But see this, vital to get external bootable. Posted work around to manually unmount & mount correct ESP during install #23 & #26 https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/1396379 – oldfred May 06 '20 at 02:50
  • I have a problem similar to the original poster. I have a computer with MS Windows installed. RST is on. I do not have admin access on MS Windows nor access to the BIOS. However I can use the boot menu to boot an Ubuntu live/install USB drive. I then want to install Ubuntu onto another USB drive. In the future I will connect and boot to this other USB drive when I want to use Linux. This is completely possible because obviously Ubuntu can read/write to USB drives. However the Ubuntu installation software won't proceed because RST is on. How do I get around this? – Frank Sep 06 '21 at 15:18

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I was a bit "scared" by the options detailed above. While I have made back-ups of my data and have a repair/recovery flash drive, it'd be a hassle having to go through this and something I was keen to avoid. My solution in the end was to install Linux as a virtual machine using VirtualBox. This worked a treat without any conflict and is actually better than the dual-boot solution I was pursuing originally because it allows me to run the two operating systems simultaneously.

cpjen
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