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So, I have a 240GB (external)SSD, onto which I'd like to install Ubuntu. Now, after reading a few posts on doing exactly this, I see that one of the common issues people face while doing this is that GRUB gets installed on the internal drive rather than the external one. This makes the the external SSD unbootable on other computers. On top of that, it seems that the internal drive becomes unbootable as well and requires a GRUB reinstall/reconfiguration. So, I was wondering if it were possible to install Ubuntu onto the external drive in the following way:

  1. Create a new VirtualBox VM with no virtual hard disk
  2. Give the VM access to USB ports
  3. Start the VM using an Ubuntu .iso file
  4. Plug in the target external SSD
  5. Install Ubuntu onto the external SSD

Would this work? I really don't want to remove my internal SSD for the installation process. (I've got a MacBook and its quite a pain)

n0pe
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  • You don't need to remove the internal drive but it can be useful in certain circumstances. If it can be disabled in firmware (UEFI) that's as good as removing it. And no, your idea of using Virtualbox is nonsensical. Either create a VM in which case the location of the virtual drive doesn't matter or do a proper install which has nothing to do with virtualization. – ChanganAuto Oct 01 '21 at 15:36
  • See this with several work arounds: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/1396379 and more details: Remove esp flag from Windows before install to second or external drive - Tim Richardson https://askubuntu.com/questions/16988/how-do-i-install-ubuntu-to-a-usb-key-without-using-startup-disk-creator & https://askubuntu.com/questions/1296065/dual-booting-w10-ubuntu-with-2-separate-ssds-in-uefi-mode/1296153#1296153 – oldfred Oct 01 '21 at 16:21
  • No, @mikewhatever . Please read https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch09.html#rawdisk before posting wrong ideas. – N0rbert Oct 01 '21 at 19:08
  • Sudodus has created an Ubuntu 20.04 image file designed for external drives. It runs on both BIOS and UEFI computers. it can be flashed to an external drive using dd, Etcher, UNetbootin, etc. https://askubuntu.com/questions/1300454/easy-full-install-usb-that-boots-both-bios-and-uefi – C.S.Cameron Oct 02 '21 at 02:12

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Well I don't think that this question is too much of nonsens, I am currently trying the same solution. I tried to make bootsticks with the new versions of Ubuntu several times, as I was also interested in trying ROS and using Virtual box which needed new kernel. No flasher worked, neither rufus balenaEchter, the one on an older Ubuntu version, also the modification of the safe loader by specifying the boot destination was unsucessfull. But as I used VirualBox on my Windows machine with limited HDD, Ubuntu was loading and installing fine, but the stick never booted correctly to the install menu. For bad luck there is also no Ubuntu.exe installer so it is also impossible to install the system from the Windows System. Today I wanted to try to create an boot DVD bought the rolins but faced the lack of a DVD burner, thought I would still have one but that was on my even older laptop....

user1657633
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