BleepingComputer.com: Ubuntu 11.10 on USB? Bring Acer Laptop Back to Life

I had posted over on Windows Vista that the computer will not load Windows Vista. I have installed Ubunto on an old computer which I am using for internet solutions. I am downloading Ubuntu 11.10 which gives the option of loading it onto a USB stick. Will I be able to use F2 in Bios to change the startup order to USB and load Ubunto and get on with life?

Do you still have the medium that you installed Ubuntu with on the desk top?
If so, why are you downloading again and not using that medium to install on the laptop?

I don't know if your laptop will boot from a flash drive or not.

Reading your other post @ Vista forum, it seems you are missing a boot disk but have a backup image of Vista.
I suggest that if you have an Ubuntu CD to first attempt to run Ubuntu in the laptop as a live CD and not installed on the drive.
That is the best way to tell if the computer is compatible with Ubuntu.

You said you are ready to use Ubuntu exclusively on the laptop and give up Vista. Why not just install Ubuntu on the hdd of
the laptop if it is compatible with Ubuntu instead of using a flash drive?

Well I can't say for sure if your laptop will support booting from USB, if your BIOS has support then it will show in the boot menu. If you have a working Windows OS loaded right now I would update your BIOS before installing Ubuntu. To do this go to your computer manufacture, find your model and look for the newest BIOS software, most of the time you can just run the .exe file and it will restart and you will have the newest BIOS. Sometimes even the newest BIOS don't support USB boot, in which case you would have to boot from CD.

To be honest, I have had much less hassle loading from CD, but to each his own. :/