help on installing fedora 9 on external disk

[Mikkel L. Ellertson]

Ravi wrote:
> 
>     Hi ,
>      
>        I am planning to install fedora 9 on my external USB hard disk.
>     right now my laptop is having windows vista. how do I manage vista
>     when i unplug my USB hard disk because grub will be stored on
>     external hard disk.
>      
>     I have a dvd with fedora 9 to install fedora 9
>      
>     I should be able to work on fedora 9 when I plug in  my external
>     hard disk by providing options ( 1. fedora 9 2. windows vista )
>     when I plug out and reboot my laptop, it should automatically boot
>     windows vista without any problem.
>      
>     I am very much worried what if fedora 9 installation corrupts my
>     windows vista MBR.
>      
>     I appreciate any suggestions regarding this.
>      
>     Thanks,
>     Ravi
> 
One way to do it is to set up the USB drive so that it will boot 
when you select booting from a USB device in the BIOS. You tell the 
installer to put Grub on the MBR of the USB drive. You will have to 
change the drive mapping that Grub uses, but there is an option to 
do this at the end of the install. You want the USB drive to be 
drive 0, so that the mapping is correct when booting from it. It 
will not be drive 0 during the install, so the defaults will be wrong.

I am not sure, but I think you still have to do an expert install in 
order for the installer to see and use the USB drive.

The advantages to this are that you do not touch the built in drive, 
and you can plug the USB drive into another computer and boot from 
it. That way, you can take your Linux drive with you and run it on 
most other computers.

Mikkel
-- 

   Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for thou art crunchy and taste good with Ketchup!

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