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I've been trying to get Ubuntu 10.04-LTS 32-bit desktop installed onto a 250GB FreeAgent Go drive from Seagate.

I've been able to install onto a USB flash drive and boot successfully from this. I have installed Ubuntu onto the jump drive using Universal USB Installer, and this was a total success in terms of getting Ubuntu to run off a flash drive. I was unable to accomplish this with the portable HDD.

I then, following instructions, attempted to install the OS onto the HDD once booted up from the flash drive. After installing the OS on the HDD, the computer would simply not load the OS when the HDD medium was selected for booting from.

However, as there is no System-> Preferences-> Removable Drives and Media I could not complete this step. Is this vital? How do I do this under Ubuntu 10.04?

I have formmated the MBR on the HDD and repeated the above, still with no success.

I have also browsed some forums that mention there may be something related to spin-up speeds, but nothing explained in detail the issue or how to solve it, and I'm not familiar enough with system booting to understand if this could be an issue.

Basically, what I'm trying to do is get Ubuntu to boot off the HDD, I've attempted several things, and the result is, after selecting the HDD from BIOS, the OS never starts booting (after waiting upwards of ten minutes). I just have a white cursor blinking. I can always get it to boot from the jump drive.

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Community
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Incognito
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2 Answers2

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The instructions you used are ancient, your incomplete step is likely irrelevant now. I don't see anything else wrong with the process. I'm thinking grub wasn't properly installed. What you'll need to do is boot into a live environment and install grub. This guide has the relevant info:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RecoveringUbuntuAfterInstallingWindows

For reference, the command you need to run is:

sudo grub-install --root-directory=/media/0d104aff-ec8c-44c8-b811-92b993823444 /dev/sda

You just need to replace the long 0d104* string and sda with the UUID and /dev name (respectively) for your system. You can find the info by matching the name in /media with the output of df.

djeikyb
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You can do a full install on a portable HD, like you would do a regular install on your regular HD, except you would select your portable HD instead. The downside to doing it this way is that you can't take it to another computer plug it in, and then use it, unless the hardware is EXACTLY the same.

TheXed
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