Hey all, I am having troubles figuring out exactly how to install Ubuntu onto an external Hard drive. The internal Hard drive of this machine is pretty much dead. Ubuntu is capable of detecting it, but cannot mount it.

I have a 160 GB External, which is currently connected as "sdb1" and has one large partition on it.

The two partitions on the internal HD are listed as sda1, and sda2.

My problem happens on step 4 of Ubuntu 8.10 installation. It is only detecting the sda1 and sda2 to be partitioned ( which I know will not work, since that hard drive is busted. I have to wait until I get my new one in the mail, which I will likely just install windows XP on anyways. ) and does not detect the external drive as a possible selection ? Seems kind of odd since my external drive is the only one that I can mount and explore files on.

My questions are these:

1. Do I need to do something with sdb1 with Gparted ? All of the data on this external is backed up on a different drive, so I do not mind if it gets deleted. The only option I get ( as in, not disabled ) for sdb1 is "create partition table". Do I need to do something here ?

and

2. I tried this before with a different problem, namely Grub error 21. What can I do to prevent Grub from trying to default install to the main ( internal ) HD and instead pointing to sdb1 ? I really don't want to go through fixing Grub errors again, and would like Grub to just point to the external right away. ( Btw, the name for this external HD is "OMEGA_ZEN" )

I do not know about "seeing" the external drive. I only suppose it'll be USB, and normally Ubuntu should see the drive.

But to "point" to the external drive to boot from is not that difficult.
When you install Ubuntu, and you get to step 7 or 8 (depending on which Ubuntu you are trying to install), the step where it gives the resume of what's it going to do to your system, you can choose "advanced".
Select that, and there you can select where you want grub to be installed.

You might also choose to format your external hard drive "before" you try to install Ubuntu.
GParted will do the trick.
Format as ext3.

Ah, but thats the problem. the mount option is whited out/disabled in the gui. THe only options I can do for it are to "manage flags" and "create partition table". Do I need to do the "create partition table" option first in order to format as ext3 ? Sorry if this is a nub question, I have just never used Gparted before, and I really want to make sure I "get it" before I go ahead.

BEFORE you start Gparted, you have to unmount your USB drive.
Than start Gparted again, and format it.
If you do not unmount first, Gparted will not work.

If you ain't sure how to unmount:
- when you log in or have booted, you'll see the icon for your external drive;
- right click on it and choose "unmount";
- then start Gparted to format.

Alright, I did the formating to ext3, however now I have a new problem which may or may not be fixable.

It's detecting the external drive now at step 4, and I am able to click it. I can then get past step 5 ( putting my name in/password/ect ) but after that I run into a problem. One it starts installing it gets to a point at 5% for setting up partitions for the drive, but crashes. I now have a "crash report detected" "!" point at the top of my screen. I would post the crash report, but unfortunatly when I click on it it just goes away and does not show any report ( I have absolutely no idea where to find the report. take note that I am doing this from the live CD ). I tried again and it gave the same error - 5%, crash.

Specifically:
about 6 minutes later, it crashes. It seems to have done SOMETHING as when I open my external up in Gparted it now shows 2 additional partitions on the external drive: sdb2 ( extended ) and sdb5 ( linux swap )

*I believe SCSI6 is what it calls my external HD


any ideas at all ?
???

Which Ubuntu are you trying to install?

Sorry, I saw: 8.10.
Do you have USB 2.0?

Let me think about it for a few moments. Mayby try it myself, but than I do have to re-arrage some stuff here.
Takes some time.

I know that the forum is meant to help ALL the people on here, but it might be faster to just mail to me at marien.bert@telenet.be or use the same e-mail address for your chat program for msm. Or as I use "Pidgin", but it is still msm you need to log on for.

And come to think of it, you did format the external drive. But did you also create a new partition?

I'm going to try to an external disk myself.
So is might be a while before you hear from me again. Let's say at least 10 minutes.
Keep on line if you can?

Thanks for the help.

I only formatted it as ext3. If anything else had to be done in Gparted before attempting an install, I didn't do it. But thank you for the support !

Although, now that its gone through ( and crashed. ) It shows the two partitions I mentioned in Gparted. But trying to install again had no effect ( It basically did the same thing ).

So now the partitions on /dev/sdb are:

Partition:/dev/sdb1
Filesystem:ext3
Size: 143.26 GB
Used: 2.43 GB


Partition:/dev/sdb2
Filesystem:extended
Size: 5.78 GB



Partition:/dev/sdb5
Filesystem:linux-swap
Size: 5.78 GB

I think I got it.

But reading your previous messege, you also got it.

You need to format the external drive and partition it (which you now seem to have done).

If it doesn't work as your sustem is now, follow these steps:

- format the complete drive (you already know how)
- go: Device > Create Partition Table > apply
- go: Partition > New
and create the 3 partitions you need (system, home, swap)
System (preferably primary)
Extended:
Home
Swap
- apply

After that, the installation should be okay.

I could get passed step 7.

Try it and let me know.

You do not need to thank me (although it is welcome), but helping each other is the Linux way. (Big grin.)