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Goal: Install ubuntu 14.04 to my 32gb usb (not persistence/live-usb), and be able to boot with this usb on different computers.

What happened:

1) Used a small 3gb usb and format it to live boot ubuntu

2) Restarted Windows 10 laptop and booted with usb

3) Inserted 32gb usb

4) 3gb usb booted up to GRUB Boot loader

5) Clicked install

6) Chose "Something else"

7) Found by 32gb usb (sdc I believe, sda was my SSD, sdb was the live usb I was booting it off of)

8) Create new partition table, used ext-4, drop down selected "/"

9) Made SURE that the bootloader drop down menu pointed to sdc

10) Successful installation!

Result: If I plug in my USB to the laptop I installed it on, boots like a charm. If I remove it, I get stuck on GRUB command prompt screen. So I changed the boot order menu to: Windows 10 (SSD) -> Ubuntu(SSD), then I realized that Ubuntu boot was written onto my SSD. Checked my theory by putting USB into an older laptop, boot is stuck at flashing "_"

Question: How do I get it so that I can boot Ubuntu with this USB, do I need to redo this whole process or is there another way? And what's the correct process? I obviously missed something.

EDIT: This is the pastebin link from boot repair: http://paste.ubuntu.com/12116317/

sda = SSD on laptop (Upgraded from Windows 8.1 -> 10)

sdb = Small usb used for live-usb

sdc = 32gb usb that has ubuntu installed in it, but cannot boot by itself

quidproquo
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1 Answers1

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I'm not sure what went wrong for grub to get installed in the wrong place, but you shouldn't need to redo the whole install. grub2-install DEVICE can be used to install grub to any disk.

1) Boot into the system on the 32G ssd

2) Make sure you have the right device for the usb drive by looking at partition tables or something. (I'll call this /dev/sdc, if yours is different adjust commands below accordingly)

3) Run grub2-install /dev/sdc as root to install grub on sdc.

Faxn
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