USB Linux

[Celsius]

I created a bootable Linux Mint on my USB stick. It works well.

 

I am confused, however, if I can use this stick to boot it on any computer or will it work only on mine. Can I simply plug it in on any PC compatible computer and have access to my desktop?

 

 

[3NUMBAS]

i find they can vary to not working

[JayClay]

How do you mean "created"?

 

If you used a bootable live/installer image from the Mint website then it should work just as-is on other machines.

 

If you did a full install, then cloned the OS disk into a bootable image, then it will be more tailored to your system, driver wise. It'll probably still work on another machine but there may possibly be some odd quirks. That being said, with online updates being the way they are now, even an image of an installed OS will probably work just fine with no major issues.

 

(edit) re-reading the question it seems that you have installed the OS and want to use it as a system you can boot from various computers and continue to have everything working. While you may see success with this approach, you would be better off creating an installation in a virtual machine using VMWare Player or Virtual Box. This was you can run it on any computer without having to worry about hardware drivers or any other kind of conflicts.

Edited April 9, 2023 by JayClay

[AndyAndyAndy]

You can use it on any computer, but it will always create a fresh copy of the system. Meaning if you save any files or change any config you will always lose it when turn of/restart/change computer.

[OneMoreFarang]

36 minutes ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

You can use it on any computer, but it will always create a fresh copy of the system. Meaning if you save any files or change any config you will always lose it when turn of/restart/change computer.

No, not necessarily.

I have a version on a stick which keeps my personal files on the stick.

But that doesn't have to be like that. It depends on the setup. 

[AndyAndyAndy]

28 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

No, not necessarily.

I have a version on a stick which keeps my personal files on the stick.

But that doesn't have to be like that. It depends on the setup. 

On default, every "turn on" of computer it's a clean OS installation. Anything beyond is out of his current range of understanding.

[gamb00ler]

I will assume you have created a live Mint installation on a USB stick and hope to just plug into some other computer, boot from the stick and run it.

 

It will most likely run on most Intel based computers that are less than about 8 years old.  You will need to be able to access the BIOS and be able to change the normal boot sequence to use the USB stick as the boot drive.

 

It's difficult to give an absolute answer to your question because we don't know the details of the software that was installed on your USB stick.

[Celsius]

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

I used Yumi app that I downloaded from pendrivelinux to create a bootable stick.

[KannikaP]

7 hours ago, Sticky Rice Balls said:

ive used mint before and works best on DELL pcs

What makes DELL PCs so much more amenable to Linux please?

It runs fine on my NUC, and my 'home-made' jobbie.

[BigStar]

11 hours ago, AndyAndyAndy said:

You can use it on any computer, but it will always create a fresh copy of the system. Meaning if you save any files or change any config you will always lose it when turn of/restart/change computer.

Not if he created the stick with persistence.

 

https://www.fosslinux.com/60398/create-a-linux-mint-usb-drive-with-persistence.htm

 

I like Rufus for this, and a dedicated stick, but supposedly Yumi will do it also.

 

 

 

[BigStar]

3 hours ago, Celsius said:

Thanks for the replies guys.

 

I used Yumi app that I downloaded from pendrivelinux to create a bootable stick.

That, just the "live" version, should boot on a wide variety of machines, legacy to UEFI. Without persistence, your desktop will always be the same. If you want an installation with a larger variety of useful software included, you might try PCLinuxOS. I like it better than the ol' Knoppix.

 

Ventoy seems more convenient for running a variet of ISOs. Just copy them over and the appear on a boot menu.

 

Installing Mint on USB stick that'll run on a variety of machines and update is very different proposition.

 

https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=252351

 

Best use an external SSD for that. Wear on a stick is too much, and it's slow.

 

[watchcat]

On 4/9/2023 at 4:48 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

I have a version on a stick which keeps my personal files on the stick.

So have I, it's called Tails.