i want to install slackware onto my usb hard drive (not FROM it) and i need help deciding where to install the bootloader. Should I choose to install it to the usb drive, or the main hd of the computer i'm using to install it? (usb is /dev/sdc, main is /dev/sda)

Daweefolk> OK, there are somewhat complicated methods to add an installation on one hard drive to a grub menu on ANOTHER. I will even give you a link to help you along, HOWEVER I highly recommend you do not take this route.

I would recommend just installing normally on the USB drive, meaning you'll have two partitions on it: one relatively small [around a GB for swap space] and the rest of the space to the, or separate /home directories, etc... whatever suits you. This should but a new grub menu on to the USB drive, then all you have to do is set your boot priority to boot from the usb drive. Obviously if it boots from the usb drive, you won't get to choose to boot to the other hard drives, but removing the usb drive or rearranging the boot order fixes this problem.

I have an Ubuntu 9.10 installation with all the apps I use, and I did it the above way. The nice thing is that I can plug this USB drive into virtually any computer [that I have tried so far] and it loads and works fine, Compiz 3d rotating desktop and all. [teehee, I just tried it on somebody's netbook the other day and the 3d rotating desktop still worked]...

Anyways, srry this isn't slackware specific, but grub is grub...

Good luck!!

PS: Even though I don't recommend taking this approach, the choice is yours... Here's a page that has links to several other pages relating to dualbooting with two hard drives

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.p...light=dualboot

see this site:
http://linuxconfig.dyndns.org/lazy/L...vable_USB_disk

daweefolk Hi ... google unetbootin with regard to installing Slack13 to a USB pen drive ...
Here is one link http://quantcareer.blogspot.com/2010...netbootin.html

You do not want to use Unetbootin to install Slackware to a USB drive or boot it. This is not only not necessary but will make a USB installation drive from the ISO which is not the same as installing Slackware to a USB drive. It is useful to make an install USB from an ISO but not to enable booting from a USB installation.

Obviously your PC needs to be able to boot from a USB device to start with. Then simply install as normal to the USB device and put the appropriate 'append "rootdelay=10' options in for lilo. You should really edit fstab and lilo's 'root=' lines to handle the fact that the USB assigned device may change in which case you need to have a LABEL or UUID set in fstab and lilo.conf. You can do this with an fstab line like this for ext4 where the label has been set to "root":
and a lilo.conf line like this in the correct stanza:
There are links around to better cover these issues but a quick look at "man lilo.conf" looking for "root=LABEL=" and "man fstab" for "LABEL=" will help. You should first create these labels using "tune2fs" and again "man tune2fs" will show how.

You need to know if your bios detect th external usb HD, if can you caun use Grub to map and boot directly from apartition a the external HD.

Hi,

Sure "Anyways, srry this isn't slackware specific, but grub is grub..." is a valid statement but does not pertain to Slackware since the default bootloader is 'lilo'.

If the OP wants to use 'grub' then it is available in '/extra'.