Linux on External Bootable Drive?

[JosephDuffy]

Hey,
Upgraded my MBP to have a 500GB HDD, and have the 200GB spare 🙂
Can I somehow install Linux (Ubuntu 9.04) on the external disk?
It's connected via a USB cable.
I've got Ubuntu on a Disc.
Is this possible?
If so, how? 🙂
Thanks
Joseph Duffy

 

[JosephDuffy]

I've just managed to swap the HDD over.
Success.
So I've now got the 200GB HDD free to use. Any ideas?
I'm thinking it may be added to the list when you hold alt, like when to boot into Windows?
Thanks
Joseph Duffy

 

[Winni]

I'm thinking it may be added to the list when you hold alt, like when to boot into Windows?

Yes, it will - but it will appear as "Windows" in the boot menu. If you want it to have an own icon, install rEFIt.

The Linux installation itself should be painless and easy. Just make absolutely sure that you DO NOT install Grub on your main hard disk - leave it on the external disk, it'll work from there just fine and you certainly do not need or want to use Grub to boot OS X.

 

[JosephDuffy]

Yes, it will - but it will appear as "Windows" in the boot menu. If you want it to have an own icon, install rEFIt.

The Linux installation itself should be painless and easy. Just make absolutely sure that you DO NOT install Grub on your main hard disk - leave it on the external disk, it'll work from there just fine and you certainly do not need or want to use Grub to boot OS X.

So, I can download "rEFit" on the external drive?
It's very "patchy" instructions @ http://refit.sourceforge.net/doc/c1s1_install.html :S
I don't want to add anything to my main drive, atleast not under Mac.
Will I boot in Win, then choose to boot in Linux under external drive?
I'm very confused by all this :S
Thanks for the support.
Joseph Duffy

 

[Drag'nGT]

I wanna bump this because I wanna do the same thing and the thread isn't complete with an answer. I wanna keep Ubuntu on an external hdd that I have. Load absolutely nothing onto my internal drive and have the option to flip the external on and boot to it if I feel like it. Should work fine right?

Winni, or whoever can answer, what is this about Grub not being installed on the main disk? I know Grub is used to dual boot linux and windows... Since we are installing to a remote drive can't we just put our Ubuntu disc in our Mac, select the drive that we want to install to and let the CD do it's normal install as if it had rights to that entire external hdd?

Or is there more to it than that?
Do we format the drive in GUID, FAT32 ect...?

Thank you!

 

[Drag'nGT]

Okay, I took a break and came back. I found this http://www.pendrivelinux.com/create-a-ubuntu-9-10-live-usb-from-cd/
I haven't tried it yet. I doubt it would be any different on an actual hdd.