Running a complete Linux system on a compact USB3 SSD card.
Running a complete Linux system on a compact USB3 SSD card.
I finished the entire setup and installed the OS onto a portable SSD. My problem started when it worked perfectly the first time. The live installation USB was still connected. After disconnecting it, the LinuxSSD booted into Windows once, then I reconnected the drive and tried to boot again—this attempt failed. A Grub menu appeared, followed by a prompt asking for a passcode to unlock the hard drive. The screen went blank, then completely. I had to power off the computer entirely. When I tried to restart, Xubuntu displayed an error and shut down. This happened despite using Nvidia's proprietary driver. My goal was either: automatic Grub launch on any external SSD or manually selecting a boot device each time.
Grub must be adjusted each time you switch machines here. This is the direction we should take. Ensure the grub boot setup uses the UUID instead of the SDXP partition, since the latter can vary per machine, while the UUID remains consistent.
It seems there are no simple steps to turn this setup into a portable device just by plugging in and selecting it. The issue with seeing a black screen after booting into Ubuntu might be due to incorrect hardware configuration, power supply problems, or incompatible drivers. You may need to check the BIOS settings for proper boot options and ensure all components are functioning correctly.
Ensure you observe your actions during the installation of Linux on an external storage. Verify that GRUB is present specifically for that drive and not elsewhere. You might need to reinstall GRUB on your system afterward.
What I'm suggesting is that GRUB isn't the best choice for automatically loading operating systems. I've been using a Fedora 34 USB stick with the standard installer, and it works fine. Booting from a USB 2.0 device might take a few minutes, but Ubuntu handles it smoothly by waiting until everything is ready. Double-check that no other displays are connected before starting.
I was just experimenting to discover what I could achieve with a portable SSD. I plan to test it out later.