Install ubuntu using USB Flash Drive

[GoPool]

How can I install ubuntu on my IBM x21 using a flash drive? I do not have a dock or a media slice. I have tried all the tutorial I can find online, but the root of my problem is I cannot get the little guy to boot from a USB drive formatted at a usb hdd or super floppy. Is there another way? Any help would be greatly appreciated, I just want to get ubuntu on my ibm x21.

PS: the bootable USB i made using the tutorial I found online work fine on my ibm t42

http://pendrivelinux.com/2007/01/25/usb-x-ubuntu-610

Moderator note: Moved to the Linux forum for better exposure.

[The Spirit of X21]

Unfortunately, you cannot boot the X21 from a USB pendrive because the BIOS does not support it. In fact, it has been my experience that one can't boot from a USB CD-ROM either. What you CAN do is boot from a floppy with the appropriate CD-ROM driver and then execute the installer on the CD-ROM. Unfortunately, I have only done this to install Windows, but the idea would be the same for Linux.

By the by, have you tried looking at ThinkWiki? They have all sorts of resources for getting Linux going on ThinkPads. There is even a page dedicated to installing on machines without CD-ROM drives:

http://thinkwiki.org/wiki/Installation_ ... -ROM_drive

[GoPool]

I do not have a floppy drive, so I cannot try the boot from floppy option. I found this program called wubi that can install Ubuntu from within windows as an application. I could try that, and then if i like it, I can transfer the files to their own partition using a sister program. Thanks for your help though. Well let you know how it turned out.

[Elwyn]

What about the X30?

I tried it yesterday with a USB Pendrive with Ubuntu Gutsy but for some reason I couldn't get it to recognise the O/S on the pendrive?!

Ubuntu 7.10 on Pendrive

It wasn't just me either, I had a friend make up the CD and Pendrive on another linux thinkpad, T41 I think, but it wouldn't work

I don't have a USB HDD, nor the media slice... but would be interested in getting USB Bootable if possible?!

Is it possible to boot off the built in CF card?! If so, how?? TIA