Add Ubuntu to the installer settings.
Add Ubuntu to the installer settings.
You have a laptop and a USB SSD. You can place the installer on the drive, but you're looking to make Ubuntu appear as a native system, not just a temporary file. Consider creating a bootable USB that includes a minimal installation setup, or use tools like Rufus or Balena Etcher to format the drive with a custom partition layout. This way, when you boot from the USB, it will behave like a real OS, and you can test Ubuntu without affecting your main system.
Install Ubuntu on a new USB drive by following the official installation steps. Ensure the USB is formatted correctly and then proceed with the setup.
I might have tried it if I had a laptop, a USB SSD, and an extra flash drive. But I don't.
Transfer the image to a different USB drive and ensure the connection is made. Connect the second USB as the installation medium. Confirm it’s a HDD as intended.
You can simply plug in the USB and hit the run button instead of going through the installation process.
Making the drive with determination ensures updates remain. It's still quite slow. To fully install on an SSD, consider creating a partition on one of the drives, placing the installer there, booting from that partition, and installing directly on the SSD.
You should consider alternative boot options besides the one you plan to install. Preparing partitions ahead of time and then placing the media on one can help bypass this issue, although you still require a bootable source. A USB stick or an SD card (if your device supports reading) works well for starting the installation. If the media fits in RAM, some setups let you load it directly into memory during boot, eliminating the need for a physical disc. I’m uncertain about Ubuntu’s current support for this method, especially if the image size exceeds your laptop’s RAM capacity. Even a tiny thumb drive can host any live Linux installation; you could create partitions as before or clone a base system onto an SSD and continue from there. I don’t have confirmation on official Ubuntu guidance for this approach.