I have a work laptop which is currently running Windows 7. I would like to run Ubuntu on it, but keep Windows installed. I want to know if it's possible to run my Linux completely from a USB & for it to not be a live USB. I.e. I want data that get's wrote to the USB to stay on the USB when the system reboots.
Is it possible, and how do I do it?
It is possible. You could do a Live USB with persistent storage space. This may help you (http://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop/create-a-usb-stick-on-windows). However, I think that the best solution would be to go with a distro that is designed for running on a USB drive, like Puppy Linux (http://puppylinux.org/main/Overview%20and%20Getting%20Started.htm). You should know, however, that using the OS on a thumb drive has it's limitations, even tough it is fine for light stuff (internet browsing, text editing, etc.).
