Booting from External Drive

Booting from External Drive Booting to Win 7 or openSUSE

#1 Rob the Newbie

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Posted 17 September 2010 - 06:36 PM

Okay, I am a newbie to Linux and wanted to try something, yet it seems that the things I want to do always sound simple, but seem to not be possible or easy to do for a newbie. So, tell me if this is not easy:

My computer can boot from a USB drive; I used an install disk to install Linux to the external drive. However, the GRUB (or whatever) that it put on made it so that I could not load Windows 7 (on my internal drive) unless the external drive was attached. So I used EasyBCD to restore my Windows bootloader.

So, I just want to do this: set up a kind of dual boot option so that if the external drive is plugged in, it sees a Linux MBR (or whatever) and loads that; otherwise, it continues with Windows 7 if it is not plugged in. Yet it would seem that if I make the usb drive the first that the BIOS sees, it does not see anything to boot off of the external.

Do I make any sense at all to anyone?!

#2 cryptodan

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Posted 18 September 2010 - 01:02 PM

Why not just download a Live Linux CD, and use that because what you are wanting to do would require the WIndows HDD to be removed each time you want to use Linux.

Only one drive can store the MBR.

My work schedule is as follows: Mon and Tues 1800 to 0600, Friday - Sunday 1800EST to 0600, and Wednesday to Thursday 1800est to 0600. So if I do not respond right away I am at work.
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#3 buddy215

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Posted 18 September 2010 - 03:26 PM

Maybe this is what you want.
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/

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At Pendrivelinux, we provide simplified portable Linux flash drive installation tutorials and USB Linux installer scripts, making is easy for anyone to install, boot and run their favorite Linux from a flash pen drive!