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I know versions of this question are out there in the wild, as are some attempts at answers. The only answer I've seen that I think might apply to me (and which isn't out of date) I didn't understand, and I can't ask for clarity because I lost my commenting privileges due to a down-voted answer. :( I'm wondering if someone has a solution and can walk me through the steps.

My Issue:

I have tuned my system to my liking and now its support period is about to end and it's been replaced with a newer OS and software versions. The problem is that, as a musician, the new version of, say, a synth can sound different and leave me unable to replicate my "sound." This is especially a problem if I'm in the middle of an album that needs to have consistent voices. Also, some plugins I use are not packaged with the newer distro.

I would like to do exactly this:

Create a copy of my current install - with root directory and at least some items in my home directory (i.e. custom synth presets) - that I can boot and use from a flash drive on my current or another laptop.

Essentially I want to be able to always use the current versions of the synths, QJackCtl, presets, etc., on whatever laptop I happen to be using. It would be great if there was a method similar to creating a .tar backup, where one can exclude certain folders. I don't care if this USB version is installable (like a typical live USB), but I would like to be able to make backup copies of it.

I don't think I can use Linux Live Kit because, as I understand it, this creates a copy of the entire install in the root directory, which I don't have enough space for. Systemback seems like a possibility, but I don't understand how to use it.

The system in question is Kubuntu 20.04 with Ubuntu Studio wrapper of the same version installed over top of it. (The wrapper is a set of applications as well as the low-latency kernel.) I'm currently triple-booting this with Windows 10 and Ubuntu Studio 22.04.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Royan
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  • Systems installed to a USB stick tend to be fairly slow and sometimes have noticeable lag. The bottleneck becomes your USB throughput, so make really really sure that your hardware is compatible with newer, faster versions of USB (like USB 3.1 or better). Also, USB sticks wear out, and installing a full system will wear it out faster. So an alternative plan might be wise, too. – user535733 Oct 28 '22 at 02:02
  • I think I may have one a little overboard on the answer in your link. I will try to clarify your questions below. However, I see that you now have enough rep to comment everywhere". I have not had problems with speed on a USB install. If you have lots of RAM Ubuntu will run in it. RAM is much faster than a SSD. Using a SSD like a Samsung T7 is another option if you require fast. – C.S.Cameron Oct 28 '22 at 02:03
  • Oh great! It was driving me crazy not being able to ask you directly, C.S. Now you're here and I can also comment everywhere. Nice! To address both of your comments, I do have a lot of RAM (20GB). Question below (to keep everything in order)... – Royan Oct 28 '22 at 05:19
  • see this answer https://askubuntu.com/a/1476122/1698042 – Talaat Etman Jul 10 '23 at 20:19

1 Answers1

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Duplicating a Ubuntu System Image

  • Create the Ubuntu system you wish to duplicate, It can be on Internal drive or external drive. For external drive see: How to Copy Ubuntu Install from Internal Drive to Bootable USB or https://askubuntu.com/a/1217839/43926.
  • Create a Live or Persistent USB using mkusb, Etcher, Rufus, Disks, etc.
  • Confirm drive to be cloned is plugged in.
  • Reboot the computer using the Live/Persistent USB.
  • Open Gnome Disks on the Live/Persistent USB.
  • Click the three dots upper right ans select "Create Disk Image". Indicate a location to store the image, Internal or External.

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When you wish to duplicate the image on another drive. You can use mkusb, Disks, Rufus, Etcher, dd, etc. Most of these will overwrite the the entire disk.

C.S.Cameron
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    As always, great tutorial! – Archisman Panigrahi Oct 28 '22 at 02:57
  • So by "Create a Live or Persistent USB," I take that to mean I can just use any live USB because the point is simply to not have the system I'm cloning mounted? And then, once I have the final USB created (with my cloned system on it), will it also boot just like any other live USB (i.e. I give it boot priority in bios, exit bios, and the USB clone will boot )? – Royan Oct 28 '22 at 05:37
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    Yes, you can use any Persistent or Live USB that will run Gnome-Disks, so that the Source drive is not mounted. Yes, you can boot the external drive just as you describe. I press F9 on my HP to boot external drives and F12 on my wife's GigaByte. You can also mount the Target drive internally, It can be an SSD or HDD. Congrats on your ability to comment. Generally if you delete a downvoted answer, you will get your points back. If this method works for you please click the little green check mark to accept the answer and let others know it works. – C.S.Cameron Oct 28 '22 at 05:49
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    Thanks again, C.S. I haven't abandoned this thread. I just have had a few things get in the way of me trying out your method, but I do plan to get to it soon. I look forward to it! And I will definitely revisit the thread and mark your answer once I do. :) – Royan Nov 04 '22 at 04:03
  • I'm not sure what to do with this question. C.S. provided a great answer to part of it, but the answer to the rest is contained on his other, linked page. So if I keep this here, it will be more or less a duplicate. And because, as I commented on that linked page, what I asked about doesn't seem to be fully possible (the USB copy is device-dependent), I won't be trying the next step which is his solution here, so can't confirm it works. So basically this page will remain incomplete. Should I delete my question but first offer for C.S. to copy his great write-up so he can use it somewhere else? – Royan Nov 12 '22 at 01:51
  • @Ryan: Ubuntu Help mentions duplicate questions but does not mention duplicate answers. Besides this answer is not a duplicate because it is not an exact copy. I have modified this answer to suit your question which is also not an exact copy of anything as far as I can see. The USB copy should only be device-dependent if you have installed proprietary drivers. If you temporarily remove the proprietary drivers before starting the procedure you should be okay. Besides if you are able to delete your question you will lose 50 points of reputation. – C.S.Cameron Nov 12 '22 at 02:37
  • Whew! Thanks for letting me know (about the 50 points)! Also for the tip about the drivers - that makes sense because I could see during boot that it was struggling with something Intel audio-related. – Royan Nov 13 '22 at 20:04
  • #C.S.Cameron. The solution you currently have above looks like it would work, but I have since given up on that and deleted the install I originally wanted to copy. I think my problem with the previous solution of yours that I tried had to do with how old the source laptop was (+10 years old) and how new the destination was. Mainly the graphics and the audio driver seemed to be a problem. The setup for the older computer didn't work on the new one. Anyways, thanks for the tips. I'm glad to see by the upvotes that other people were helped by this. – Royan Feb 06 '24 at 07:33