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I am completely new in using Ubuntu. I have windows 10 on my machine running and my idea was to install Ubuntu 16.04.1 on external HDD because I don't have enough space on local disk. I am using VMware Workstation for installation. Using pure UI. When I choose to install "something else" option on UI window I can't see my external HDD, only my local disk. What can be the issue?

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George Udosen
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Vytautas
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    Click on the down arrow to see other options for devices. – George Udosen Feb 09 '17 at 12:30
  • If you're using VMWare then you're not actually installing it. It's just a virtual machine and, as such, the virtual drive is always seen as internal and as sda regardless of the physical location of the the VM file that could well be in any external drive you have read/write permissions to. If you want to dual boot that's a different story. –  Feb 09 '17 at 12:34
  • Have you created the desired virtual media in VMWare Workstation and attached it to the virtual machine? – Melebius Feb 09 '17 at 12:40
  • There is only one option when I click arrow. CelticWarrior if you are right then how the hell this guy installed ubuntu on his external usb? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqilFYN1sKA – Vytautas Feb 09 '17 at 12:54
  • See the tips at the following link: https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2230389 – sudodus Feb 09 '17 at 13:34

1 Answers1

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I understand that you want to create a VMware virtual machine which boots Ubuntu from an external USB drive, as opposed to creating a normal VM which lives in a folder on the external drive.

Note: Generally I would say that you should simply create a regular VM in a folder on the external drive. But, if you absolutely want to boot the VM from a USB drive instead of a virtual hard disk, you can.

Proceed as follows:

  1. Prerequisites:

  2. Create a VM without a virtual hard disk. Make sure that the virtual machine has a (virtual) USB 2.0 controller, and that the virtual DVD uses the Ubuntu ISO. You probably want to edit the .vmx file and add bios.bootDelay="3000" in order to give you some time to go into the BIOS setup menu.

  3. Plug the USB drive in an USB 2.0 port.

  4. Boot the virtual machine, making sure that it boots from the Ubuntu ISO.

  5. Choose "Try Ubuntu".

  6. Connect the USB drive to the virtual machine. Check that it is /dev/sda.

  7. Run the Ubuntu installer and install Ubuntu.

  8. When the virtual machine reboots:

    • Connect the virtual DVD to the PLOP ISO.

    • Go into the BIOS setup and make sure that the machine boots in preference from the virtual DVD.

  9. The USB drive should be still connected to the virtual machine. Use the PLOP menu to boot from it. (Note that without PLOP VMware VMs cannot boot from USB, and PLOP only boots from USB 2.0 drives.)

AlexP
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