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Sometimes you can’t avoid using someone else’s computer. Some airlines limit how much baggage you can bring. Occasionally you have to leave your machine at home. If your computer breaks, you might have to use someone else’s while you wait for a replacement. Except before that happens, you need a way to save your data.
The Linux distro ISO images written to the USB flash drive can’t be booted in UEFI mode, you need to enable legacy BIOS support in order to boot them. To install MultiSystem on Debian and Ubuntu based Linux distros, open up a terminal and run the following command. Quicktime player for mac 10.5 8. Porteus is a Linux distro that is optimized to run on CD, USB flash drive, hard drive, or other bootable storage media. Porteus is based on Slackware and is designed to be portable and lightning fast. It comes with a 32 and 64 bit version and you can select the desktop manager (RazorQT, KDE, Mate, XFCE, LXDE) of your liking. These days, it only takes an increasingly-cheap USB thumb drive and a program like UNetbootin to create a portable Linux desktop you can run on any computer that can boot from a USB port.
A bootable USB drive is the best way to install or try Linux. But most Linux distributions—like Ubuntu—only offer an ISO disc image file for download. You’ll need a third-party tool to turn that ISO file into a bootable USB drive. First, we need to correctly install the Grub bootloader onto the boot partition of our external portable drive - turning it into a truly portable installation. The second and last step will be to remove the ‘dual boot’ configuration from the computer you are using to create this new external and portable drive.
What can you do in this situation? Shove a version of desktop Linux onto a USB stick and boot into it as required. But what’s the best live USB Linux desktop you can install?
1. Linux USB Desktop for Any PC: Puppy Linux
For some time, Puppy Linux has been seen as little more than a curiosity. Designed to be used on the most austere hardware, it could comfortably chug away on early Pentium machines without breaking a sweat. But it wasn’t that practical. Many installed Puppy Linux on their antique hardware to just to see if they could.
But Puppy Linux never went away. Updates and new versions are still regularly released. Sure, it’s still stripped down and meant for low-end or underpowered hardware. But you can now install Puppy Linux on a USB stick and get stuff done.
Puppy Linux isn’t a single Linux distribution. It consists of multiple versions based on different code but using the same tool and philosophy. One version is based on SlackWare, which is one of the most well-established Linux distributions.
People continue to use it as their day-to-day operating system. People understand it. Then there are multiple options based on Ubuntu, the most popular version of desktop Linux.
2. A More Modern Desktop Experience: elementary OS
Are you a newcomer to Linux who just wants something simple and attractive to keep in your pocket? Check out elementary OS.
elementary OS offers a cross between the popular GNOME desktop environment and what you get on a Mac. The resulting experience is so intuitive, you can pick it up on your own with a few clicks.
AppCenter provides apps built only for elementary OS along with other essentials, like the LibreOffice suite, the GIMP image editor, and the Audacity sound editor. This way you can hit the ground running even if you have no idea what software is available for Linux.
Since elementary OS shares a lot in common with Ubuntu, you can be confident you won’t have to deal with any hardware compatibility gremlins. Plus, it proves to be buttery-smooth, even on low-end hardware, like laptops and cheap Atom and Celeron-powered machines.
This is important when you’re also dealing with the inherent performance bottleneck that comes with booting your desktop from a live Linux USB drive.
3. Tool for Managing Your Hard Disk: GParted Live
Hard drives consist of chunks called partitions. Your computer’s hard drive might have just one partition for all your files and folders. Or it might have one partition for your programs and another for your documents. From time to time, you might need to resize these partitions or wipe them entirely.
GParted is a common Linux tool used to manage these partitions. Many distributions come with this pre-installed. But if your computer doesn’t boot, that does you no good. You need a copy you can load from a USB stick.
It’s called Gparted Live, a USB Linux distro for your flash drive. Loading up this little program will let you reshape your hard drive as you require. Be careful though, as one mistake could potentially render your hard drive unbootable.
4. Educational Software for Kids: Sugar on a Stick
Sugar is a free software project built with kids in mind. The goal is to provide an experience that fosters collaboration, reflection, and discovery. Sugar began as part of the One Laptop Per Child project, but Sugar Labs has since found a home as a member project of the Software Freedom Conservancy.
Sugar developers design the software for use in areas where ubiquitous broadband can not be taken for granted. Aspects of the interface can function peer-to-peer and do not require an internet connection at all.
While you have the option to install Sugar directly to a hard drive, you can also run a copy as a live Linux USB desktop. The team actively encourages this and has created a version of Sugar with this in mind known as Sugar on a Stick.
With Sugar on a Stick, you can let a kid temporarily use any computer in the house without fully designating a PC for the job. This is also a way to expose them to the values of free and open software early on rather than the consumption-based experiences found on commercial operating systems.
The screenshots don’t really convey what using Sugar is like. Fortunately, you can actually demo Sugar inside of your browser!
5. A Portable Gaming Setup: Ubuntu GamePack
Live Linux USB sticks aren’t all about getting work done and saving PCs. Sometimes you just want to have fun. With Ubuntu GamePack, your flash drive is like a portable gaming PC. True, you’re limited by the specs of the machine you’re borrowing, but as long as you stick to titles with modest requirements, you shouldn’t have many problems.
Ubuntu GamePack comes with software that makes gaming on Linux easier. This includes Steam, which lets you download your existing library of Linux titles. There’s also Lutris, an open source platform that simplifies game installation. Alternatively, you can use PlayOnLinux or Wine to fire up supported Windows titles.
If you’re at a friend’s house for a LAN party, but you don’t have your own PC, Ubuntu GamePack can serve in a pinch. You can also keep copies around on different flash drives as an easy way to ensure everyone is using the same game version with the same configuration.
Are Linux USB Sticks Practical?
How does using Linux on a flash drive work in practice? You might have concerns that running a desktop operating system on a USB stick would be an exercise in frustration. But actually, it isn’t too bad.
Modern USB standards mean there’s far less lag. Plus prices have crashed, while storage quantities have soared. You can now get a 256GB stick with as much storage as your laptop, and it won’t cost you much money.
You aren’t limited to having only one Linux desktop on your flash drive. As is the case with your computer, you can dual-boot multiple live Linux desktops from a single USB stick.
Read the full article: The 5 Best Linux Distros to Install on a USB Stick
This article is for those of you looking for a Linux distro which is USB persistent so that you can run Linux using just your USB flash drive.
Let’ go ahead and explore what choices we have and analyze their differences of the best USB persistent Linux distros! Almost any Linux Distro can be installed on a USB flash drive and made persistent, but we need to do some hacking and install software like TimeShift and a full install to get that done! Also they usually require large USB’s (64GB or 128GB) the price of which matches traditional external hard drives and SSDs.
Let’ go ahead and explore what choices we have and analyze their differences of the best USB persistent Linux distros! Almost any Linux Distro can be installed on a USB flash drive and made persistent, but we need to do some hacking and install software like TimeShift and a full install to get that done! Also they usually require large USB’s (64GB or 128GB) the price of which matches traditional external hard drives and SSDs.
Our focus will be to do this with a space flash drive we already have with limited space, so this article’s focus will be on distros that are
- designed to be able to run from USB on your flash drive while being persistent between sessions. (so that we don’t need to do too much hacking)
- consumes minimal space so that we can do this on relatively smaller USB drives
Let us start by look at the short version of the answer for those of you in a hurry!
The Short Version Of The Answer
Best Middle weight USB persistent distro: MX Linux
2nd Best Middle Weight USB persistent distro: Antix Linux
Best Lightweight USB persistent distro: Puppy Linux
Comparison Table
The table below summarises the main features of these 3 distros
Distro | ISO image size | Installation space | RAM needed | Pros | Cons |
MX Linux | 1.5GB | 5GB | 512MB | Support recent hardware | The footprint is very big as MX Linux needs 5GB of hard disk space |
Antix Linux | 700MB | 2.7GB | 256MB | Good support for older hardware through AntiX Magic software | Hard to install some apps that doesn’t come directly with the OS |
Puppy Linux | 354MB | 1GB | 300MB | Lightest of the options | The GUI feels a bit dated |
That is just the short version of the answer, let’s go ahead and look at the longer and more informative version and learn what were the factors considered, what other choices you have and see why the above distros are chosen as the best USB Persistent Linux distros!
Let’s start by looking at the answer to the basic question “What does USB Persistent mean?”
What are USB Persistent Distros?
Most distros can be booted up and run from a USB flash drive these days to test them out or do system repair jobs without affecting the contents of the hard drive. But what is the meaning of USB persistent?
USB persistent distros are those which can store user data in the USB flash drive so that on next boot all the software you have installed will not vanish like traditional USB Live sessions do. When you are booting up from a Live CD image burnt to a USB (like Ubuntu and Fedora Live CD’s) all the changes you make are written to the RAM and once your session is over and you shut down the machine, all the data is gone. For example, when you are trying out a distro using Live CD’s and you wish to save some text file or install an application, you will not be able to see those files and apps on the next boot. This is because USB persistent distros run off read only images on your USB flash drive and as such are unable to write information on the USB flash drive. Instead they use the RAM to write the session data.
This is where USB persistent distros come in handy. The USB Persistent distros write the changes you make onto the flash drive so that your USB flash drive can act like a traditional hard drive. This way you can
- Run Linux from the USB drive for a longer time without touching your main hard drive
- Have several distros in different USB drives and choose which one to boot based on your requirements, etc.
Best Usb Bootable Linux
![Adapter Adapter](https://cozexs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Dropshipping-USB-Flash-Drive-For-iPhone-X-8-7-7-Plus-6-6s-5-ipad-16GB-5.jpg)
USB persistent distros are usually lightweight to accommodate the space constraints of a USB flash drive as compared to a traditional hard drive or SSD installation. Let us next look at the differences between lightweight and heavyweight distros!
Lightweight vs Heavyweight distros
As a beginner to the Linux world you will often hear the words “Lightweight distros”, but what does it mean?
What are Lightweight Distros? Lightweight distros are Linux distributions specially made keeping old and resource constraint hardware in mind so that the user can have a responsive and lag-free computing experience even on your old hardware that has low specs in terms of processing power, disk space, and RAM.
What are Heavyweight Distros? “Heavyweight distro” is a subjective term made up by users of Lightweight distros. These distros are usually at the other end of the spectrum, with the latest and greatest feature, built keeping the best computing experience in mind and the user is expected to have a computer very good processor, lots of RAM and disk space to run it.
All the normal distros are usually considered heavyweight distros!
Some people even use the term “middle-weight” distros to denote the distros which are a mix of both!
Quick Glance At Their Differences
When you hear the term “Lightweight distros” and a number of questions will pop into your minds
Is it their ISO image size?
Is it their about their resource requirements?
Is it because they don’t come with a lot of apps?
The short answer is, generally all the above-mentioned factors like ISO image size, resource requirements, number of preloaded apps, etc are used to differentiate these 2 classes of distros. The table below shows their differences in more detail.
LIGHTWEIGHT DISTROS | NORMAL/HEAVYWEIGHT DISTROS |
Smaller ISO, usually a few hundred MBs. | In the order of GBs |
Needs very low resources like less Disk Space, less RAM, and a simple processor to run | Needs more resources |
Better suited for older hardware and comes with driver support for the older hardware. | Better suited for newer hardware |
They come with only the absolutely necessary software to run the system. | They come with everything a general user needs like LibreOffice, Calc, Browsers, etc. |
Has a simplistic desktop environment, like Xfce and LXDE | Has a fancier desktop environment like GNOME 3, Unity, etc. |
Even the apps installed are lightweight, for example, you will often find Firefox replaced by lightweight ones like Midori | The latest and greatest apps are usually used here as defaults. |
They usually have very little background services to keep the system responsive. | No such restriction is imposed on background services |
They can usually be loaded entirely into RAM and run from there for a lag-free experience. | Usually, install sizes are too big to be run from RAM |
These are the main differences between these 2 classes of distros. To learn more about their differences I suggest reading the article below where I have explained the sacrifices and trade-offs lightweight distros make in terms of usability and computing experiences to make them more suitable for use in resource-constrained hardware!
Next let us get back to the focus of this article which is a list of distros options we have which are USB persistent.
Distro Option#1: MX Linux
According to mxlinux.org MX Linux
“is a midweight OS designed to combine an elegant and efficient desktop with simple configuration, high stability, solid performance and medium-sized footprint.”
MX Linux comes with USB persistence feature built in and all you need to do is configure this feature during boot and you are good to go! The article in the link below explains how exactly to do this in detail.
Pros
- Very popular distro based on Debian
- Stability and performance
- Support for recent hardware
- Elegant modern looking desktop
Cons:
- The footprint is very big as MX Linux needs 5GB of hard disk space
Distro Option#2: Antix Linux
The community behind Antix is the one that is responsible for the MX distro we saw above. They combined with the former MEPIS community (MEPIS a distro no longer under active development) to make MX distro. Hence antix shares a lot with MX Linux, the main feature of interest to us here that is being shared between the 2 distros is inbuilt the USB persistence!
According to their official website
“antiX is a very flexible linux distribution. You can run it live from a cd, live from a usb stick (with persistence ie changes are saved on reboot) as well as setting up a frugal-install from an internal or external hard drive. Of course, you can install to internal and external drives, sticks, cards etc. You can even run it live, add/remove applications, customize it, remaster it and then install. All your changes will carry over to install!”
You can see the YouTube video below on how exactly to make your Antix installation USB persistent, it’s a 10 minute project and will just involve changing some settings as the main needs for USB persistence are already baked into the Operating system!
Pros
- Relatively popular distro (ranked 11 at distrowatch.com for popularity)
- Lighter than MX Linux at just 2.7 GB of required disk space
- Good support for older hardware through AntiX Magic software
Cons:
Portable Linux Usb Drive
- Hard to install some apps that doesn’t come directly with the OS
Distro Option#3: Puppy Linux
Puppy Linux is one of the best light weight distros out there.
![Drives Drives](https://www.pendrivelinux.com/wp-content/uploads/Uni-USB-Installer3.jpg)
Unlike the other 2 distros above, for Puppy Linux you will not find a option inside the Operating System to make it persistent. But because
- it is fairly easy to do (say a 10minute project kind of difficult) and
- this is a fairly popular Lightweight distro
I have decided to include this option in this article. You can install it on your USB in either one of the 2 below ways
- Write Puppy Linux to a CD/DVD/USB drive and boot with it, then insert another USB drive and install Puppy Linux onto that drive
- Use a tool called unetbootin and write your Puppy Linux ISO file onto the USB you wish to use and voila! USB persistent Puppy Linux is ready to use!
Pros:
- Smallest footprint at just 1GB of space needed
- Runs best on older hardware
- Runs from RAM hence really fast
Cons:
- The GUI feels a bit dated
Conclusion
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The above distros are the best ones that come with will easily fit inside your spare USB and with as little effort as possible. As I said in the beginning of this article, if you have a big enough USB device you can theoretically make any of the distros USB persistent, so if you have a favourite distro which you wish to carry along in a USB then you can do that with a little bit more effort (instead of 10min project, say it will be a project that can last from a couple of hours to sometimes a couple of days!)
I leave it to you on researching how to achieve that!
And with that, I will conclude this article!
I hope you guys enjoyed this article and learned something useful.
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