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A person has a computer with no HDD but 8GB RAM and USB3 port.

Also has 8GB USB3 pendrive with Ubuntu Live on it (non-persistent).

The computer is then started with the pendrive, with the toram option. " toram" is typed after pressing F6 or tab at startup. may need to press tab first.

Is the O/S that is running in RAM able to do a Persistent install to the original pendrive using the program mkusb so that there are persistent partitions

I am pretty sure this is not a Duplicate of: Can Ubuntu be installed to the pendrive it was booted from?

Edit: Note to remove and reinsert pendrive removed as it is unnecessary.

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C.S.Cameron
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    no because the iso file is still missing, which is used to create the pendrive – d1bro Dec 01 '16 at 11:15
  • @db but if you have enough RAM, you can always download a fresh ISO – muru Dec 01 '16 at 11:17
  • Hint: Both the iso file and mkusb need to be downloaded. Forgot to mention the guy has fiber optics. – C.S.Cameron Dec 01 '16 at 11:18
  • Better way is, if you have a second pen-drive to install it to this instead. You can do so extremely precise with debootstrap. You can check my answer i have given here for details – Videonauth Dec 01 '16 at 11:19
  • @Videonauth, I have a problem following the details of that procedure, do you think it can be done while running in RAM rather than on a second USB? – C.S.Cameron Dec 01 '16 at 11:53
  • I'm not sure if it can run in RAM. Would be nice to know if it does, but I have not the ability to fiddle around for testing sadly. I have a little more comprehensive version of that procedure posted on my BLOG, check my profile for the link. – Videonauth Dec 01 '16 at 11:57
  • @Videonauth, You mention in the debootstrap post that the procedure makes a Full install, The question is academic I want a Persistent Live install using persistent casper-rw partitions. There is already a similar question asking for a Full install, that has been answered. - http://askubuntu.com/questions/855039/can-ubuntu-be-installed-to-the-pendrive-it-was-booted-from – C.S.Cameron Dec 01 '16 at 13:22
  • @C.S.Cameron The single edit done by muru was formatting only. You are the only one who is actually changing content. We typically format commands as codeformatting if it's command line code/program names, and we do the same for 'boot options' and other things where plain or preformatted text makes more sense than 'rich text' formatting. Case-by-case analysis can be done, however I don't see anything wrong with the edits done by muru. – Thomas Ward Dec 01 '16 at 14:21
  • Muru changed items to code that were not intended as code, as I explained above. or was previously explained above before the comment was deleted. If you normally do this with boot options Muru should have included a space before " toram" as this is required for Ubuntu to boot to RAM, toram can not follow the three dashes directly as in ---toram. I was also referring to mkusb as a program not code, I have not seen programs with code tags around them, I just did a search for UNetbootin and usb-creator and did not see one result with code tags. – C.S.Cameron Dec 01 '16 at 14:43
  • Thomas, so what is up with the downmark, does the question break some Ask rule? if it has a duplicate question please specify, I am pretty sure there no swear words in it and I have not insulted any body, or is it OK to give downmarks in Ask just because you don't like someone. I have a few to spare if this is so. – C.S.Cameron Dec 01 '16 at 14:52
  • @C.S.Cameron This meta post is of relevance to answer your comment-question. It's not a case of a "don't like you" downvote, and unless whomever downvoted you left a comment, there's no way to figure out why they downvoted. It's also not a huge problem to get a downvote every now and then - we all get them at some point, at least once. – Thomas Ward Dec 01 '16 at 15:06
  • @C.S.Cameron Also, downvoting just because you don't like someone is against the rules. So don't do it. (These comments will be deleted and cleaned up in a while, maybe in a couple hours from now) – Thomas Ward Dec 01 '16 at 15:12
  • There have been two down votes since I have been watching, there must have been one upvote. I now see the reason for the downvote, not showing any research effort. I have spent many hours testing the solution to this question and the one in the referenced question, If it takes no effort ,why do I know the answer while no one following this post seems to. – C.S.Cameron Dec 01 '16 at 15:21
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    mkusb is mentioned in this discussion. It can probably do the job, but it would be better to use it in the first place. When converting from Windows, there must be a two step procedure, and this question is relevant. Would an answer be welcome here, if it works? By the way, earlier today I made a drive by installing into a drive with a persistent live system (that it booted from), and the result was a USB pendrive with a persistent live system alongside an installed system (in this case with Lubuntu), https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1958073&page=24&p=13577414#post13577414 – sudodus Dec 01 '16 at 15:29
  • Sudodus, please edit my answer if you wish, at least I trust that you know what you are doing. I agree that mkusb or dus would have been the best choice for making the original pendrive, the guy must have been a real nube. I figured you would probably beat me to testing this procedure with mkusb. – C.S.Cameron Dec 01 '16 at 16:17
  • @db429 How do you manage to snag a upmark by being wrong? – C.S.Cameron Dec 02 '16 at 04:00

1 Answers1

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Use Ubuntu Running in RAM to make a Persistent Install

Yes you can use Ubuntu running in RAM to make a Persistent install to the USB drive it was booted from, with or without a hard drive and only one USB stick.

Boot the USB drive using the toram option, that is at boot, press shift if it is a SDC install, if It is a UNetbootin install press tab at the boot menu.

Type " toram", (that is space toram) after the three dashes in the boot script.

After Ubuntu boots, download mkusb ( https://help.ubuntu.com/community/mkusb ) and the Ubuntu iso of your choice.

I prefer going to GParted or Disks to unmount the usb drive partition so I can see what is happening. Unmount it using your preference.

Start mkusb, select 'Install...' select 'Persistent live...' and point it at the downloaded iso, select persistent and select the USB drive to be installed to.

At persistent live drive settings, Select 'Use defaults' and then select percentage of space for persistence. Allow mkusb to complete the install.

Not too hard and hopefully useful for someone without a hard drive and only one flash drive and a good internet connection. Method also works if there is an internal hard drive.

C.S.Cameron
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  • I'm glad you worked it out :-) – sudodus Dec 01 '16 at 18:13
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    When I do the corresponding task, I do not unplug and re-plug the pendrive. It works without those extra operations, which means that you can move a hard disk drive to another computer, install a live system into it, move it back, boot to RAM, and if you wish install 'a conventional installed system' without any DVD disk, USB pendrive or memory card. This might be useful with very old computers. (But if you make a mistake there is a long journey back to where you were, because you must make a new live system in the drive - so you had better use a check-list.) – sudodus Dec 01 '16 at 18:27
  • @Sudodus, Reference to remove pendrive removed, thank you. – C.S.Cameron Dec 02 '16 at 05:35
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    When installing into another drive - and if the running Ubuntu version and flavour is your choice, you can use the image in partition #4 as the source file, /dev/sdx4. (You need toram for it to work.) – sudodus Dec 03 '16 at 12:56
  • That is handy, stands to reason as the cloned iso makes it like installing from a multi-iso booter. – C.S.Cameron Dec 04 '16 at 01:58