(SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

Google · 2010-06-24 14:05:42

So here's the deal, I am not sure if this is the best place to post this. I am a newbie so I am just thinking out of my %^& here.

I love Arch more than any other distro, and I want to bring it with me. As of now I use Arch on my laptop and desktop. However it's missing on my work computer. It would be best if I didn't mess with the work computers, so I am curious about installing Arch on a USB.

If I went with a minimal install, keeping things around 1.5gb with most applications and whatnot installed, would I be able to boot it and work with it and not have any problems?

How could this be done, would it be possible to:

- Partition the USB, one partition for the boot (ext 2, primary boot) and another partition for / and home etc.

If this does in fact work, would it be slow as death running completely off a USB? If that's the case how difficult would it be to copy the system to RAM but keep /usr running off the USB so configs and files could be saved?

I know there are other distros that work well off a USB like Puppy Linux (which supports saving configs and files etc.). I have been using lubuntu live because it is similar to my Arch setup, but doesn't support saving onto the USB. I would prefer to stick with Arch the whole way.

Last edited by Google (2010-06-24 14:34:06)

Hetor · 2010-06-24 14:14:36

Google wrote:

If this does in fact work, would it be slow as death running completely off a USB?

I once ran full Ubuntu 9.04 install off a USB. It was a bit slow, but acceptable, so Arch should run pretty fast. I don't recommend it, though, and your boss will unlikely let you boot from USB at work.

Google · 2010-06-24 14:23:21

What first made me do this was because the work PCs are utter crap. They run Windows XP, and loaded with enough virus protection and firewalls to compete with the DOD, and yet they are loaded with malware and god knows what. They take forever to boot and working off a live environment has been much more productive even though I can't save anything (yet).

I have been booting lubuntu from USB at work. I don't work anywhere near my bosses, actually I am out on my own pretty much. I just don't want to leave a lot of personal info and what not on the work PCs, because I won't work there forever and I really don't believe any of it is very safe. Rather carry everything on a USB.

So the process would be the same as a normal install, except using the USB instead of an HD, right?

Inxsible · 2010-06-24 14:30:26

Search the Wiki

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ins … _a_USB_key

Hetor · 2010-06-24 14:31:05

Google wrote:

So the process would be the same as a normal install, except using the USB instead of an HD, right?

Yep, that sounds right. In any case, you can always start from the beginning.

Google · 2010-06-24 14:33:52

Thanks, I will give it a shot. I hope it works!

lilsirecho · 2010-06-24 17:01:16

Calimero has a "live" usb flash that runs archlinux with 540MB .iso in x86_64 or i686.

Original is french but english is obtainable...pacmanfm and openbox with arora and midori ...can add firefox and/or opera. Cp2ram also.

Download is not latest kernel at present...awaiting stability in latest kernel before issuing a new download.

Worth a good look for flash..~15 secs boot time.

.:B:. · 2010-06-24 17:40:46

You shouldn't install on a USB stick. It will destroy your flash chips simply because of the amount of writes. There are better solutions than a normal distro that is tuned for HDD/SSDs (and no, a USB stick is not an SSD). The solution lilisrecho suggests is far better if you want your USB stick to live .

firecat53 · 2010-06-24 21:45:11

I'm surprised no one has suggested Larch yet....it's fast, it's Arch! and uses a compressed filesystem like the other live distros so it doesn't hammer the drive so much. You can also fit a full gnome or kde install in < 2GB and still have some room for files. I've been using it for almost a year now.

Scott

chris200x9 · 2010-06-24 22:18:31

yea it works, I've done it with a 4gb drive in my cs class. Just use ext2 so it doesnt journal and kill your usb drive.

Last edited by chris200x9 (2010-06-24 22:20:09)

lilsirecho · 2010-06-25 01:36:37

Chris200x9:

How long did you run that flash system before it failed?

Last edited by lilsirecho (2010-06-25 01:37:13)

chris200x9 · 2010-06-25 01:46:32

lilsirecho wrote:

Chris200x9:
How long did you run that flash system before it failed?

It hasn't yet, I mean I only ran it for my lab because I hated visual studio. So all together maybe like 20 hours? I've also used it as a regular flash drive although very rarely for about 2 years. So it's hard to say how long it would last, I would assume fairly long though.

Google · 2010-06-25 03:33:28

Thanks,

I am a little hesitant about the French live distro. I think it sounds great with the ability to cp2ram, but I am not even sure how that works. I think I need to do a lot of reading...

larch sounds nice for backing up my system and being able to carry it with me. I am a little afraid about the life of the Flash drive without copying to RAM and using flash for mostly saving user data and configs etc.

The French distro has OpenBox and PCfm, which I use on my home Arch.. I am a LXDE/OpenBox/PCFM user. I think the French distro sounds like an easy fix for what I need, but if I can tweak it entirely on my own with larch I will!

I will have to read more about cp2ram and about tweaking the system for a flash drive (like using ext 2 for non-journaling etc.).

If anyone has any more tips let me know, I am still reading and very interested!

lilsirecho · 2010-06-25 04:21:36

Cp2ram with CTK livearch takes ~600MB of ram. Additional ram would be advantageous for addons, which can be made persistent with a program provided by the system.

This usb flash archlinux Live is ready to go and permits you to add programs in a given session, use them and then reboot to remove.

Most of all it costs you nada to try it and no hassle with package lists.

Internet is wicd.

Good luck with whatever you decide to use.

RichSelian · 2010-06-25 08:17:49

I suggest you try debian. archlinux's packages contains development files and can waste much space of you USB stick.

Gusar · 2010-06-25 08:38:48

RichSelian wrote:

I suggest you try debian. archlinux's packages contains development files and can waste much space of you USB stick.

That's what an exclude file for use with mksquashfs is for. To exclude /usr/include, /use/share/man, /usr/share/doc, *.a (static libraries) and other such stuff not strictly needed for running a system.

yvonney · 2010-06-27 00:08:11

running from USB for me has been WAY worth the learning of grub2 and all the other things. I run a 16 gig stick and an 8 gig stick. standard installs and have grub 2 doing double duty to boot other ISOs when desired. The 8 gig stick has 2 partitions and arch boots sweetly off partition 2. I have gotten good enough at manually modifying the grub2 cfg file. I don't use any of the errr, clever stuff that's spread out in /etc for grub2. heck with that I thought!

Also: I just mount some other drive to save bigger files. Have a vbox file on the internal drive that can esily be moved around as well. Totally totally ARCH works fantastic as a stock install on USB. I figured why complicate/dilute my learning (as I'm only approaching advanced ability) by even thinking about other distro. If there's wasn't ARCH I'd go BSD, which would be very challenging due to drivers, flash, vbox etc. Just My brief though here.

UPDATE: forgot the point somewhat. Thinking to add here: I get (regular install of) ARCH to run on a 1 gig flash stick which coincidentally I'm creating right now. In fact it has a vfat partition 1 and an 800 meg ext2 partition 2. Lots of ways to trim stuff out after install. There's a couple of threads about deleting locals and stuff here. Can save, I think it was 2 or 3 hundred meg quickly.

One thing is running a windows manager and not a desktop environment of course/obviously.
best wishes to all!

Last edited by yvonney (2010-06-27 18:32:20)

Arch Linux

#1 2010-06-24 14:05:42

(SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#2 2010-06-24 14:14:36

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#3 2010-06-24 14:23:21

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#4 2010-06-24 14:30:26

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#5 2010-06-24 14:31:05

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#6 2010-06-24 14:33:52

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#7 2010-06-24 17:01:16

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#8 2010-06-24 17:40:46

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#9 2010-06-24 21:45:11

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#10 2010-06-24 22:18:31

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#11 2010-06-25 01:36:37

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#12 2010-06-25 01:46:32

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#13 2010-06-25 03:33:28

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#14 2010-06-25 04:21:36

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#15 2010-06-25 08:17:49

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#16 2010-06-25 08:38:48

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

#17 2010-06-27 00:08:11

Re: (SOLVED) Full install on a 2gb USB flash drive?

Board footer