Portable Linux Mint 18 install help

[Firefairy]

I have an SSD in an enclosure that I would like to partition into a few drives so as to have Mint and a few other things in a form that I can use on multiple computers without having to maintain multiple copies. The other drives don't need to be bootable, just mentioning them in case it is somehow relevant to my main question, which is:

How do I make a portable Mint install? As in, one that, if I select the correct drive from BIOS, will boot without other setup on the host computer? The various hits I find on Google are mostly referring to the live boot install image or are old enough that I don't feel confident that there won't have been changes in anything since then.

I have the ISO for 18.3, I have my SSD all ready to be partitioned, I have some time... now I just need to know what I am doing. :-J

[sdibaja]

Install on the external drive as you normally would on your internal device, and install Grub there too.

It works, if your Installer cooperates. Some will not.
NOW, once you have that ironed out, you will have to figure out how to get on all of those other computers... and expect continual headaches.

Just dive in, you have nothing to loose but a bit of time.
(I have done it, and worked, but it was frustrating)

[Superannuated]

This procedure by pbear creates a bootable USB drive that will boot on a computer that runs via BIOS or via UEFI. The procedure appears in the second post of that thread.

The procedure assumes you are using a BIOS (or Legacy)-based computer to perform the install. If you don't have one perhaps you can borrow one.

Under Step 6 a series of commands are given. In the 4th and 3rd command the USB drive (sdb) and a partition on that drive (sdb2) are integral to the command. However, check to make sure that your USB drive really is "b" and that the 200 MB fat32 partition destined for the UEFI really is "2". If it isn't then make the appropriate changes to the commands. See What is the Linux drive naming scheme?

[michael louwe]

@ Firefairy, .......

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What you want to do is not difficult if you are using pre-2012 Legacy BIOS computers, ie not modern post-2011 UEFI computers. Note that most UEFI computers can be configured to run in Legacy BIOS mode, ie by enabling CSM(= Compatibility Support Module) or Legacy BIOS in BIOS Setup.
....... Remember not to install any proprietary drivers and kernel updates, in order to use such an external USB SSD on other Legacy BIOS computers. ...
http://linuxbsdos.com/2013/10/23/how-to ... ard-drive/

The same is a bit more difficult for UEFI computers. Please refer to ... https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2147295 (UEFI Installing - Tips; see Two Drives Install)

[For installing Linux on an external USB hard-drive, a workaround is to unplug the Win 8.x/10 internal hard-drive and install LM on the external USB hard-drive = plug in the external USB hard-drive only when you want to boot LM.]

viewtopic.php?f=46&t=266670 (manual install of grubx64.efi bootloader - by fabien85)

https://nwrickert2.wordpress.com/2013/0 ... and-linux/ (notes-on-uefi-windows-and-linux)
https://askubuntu.com/questions/380447/ ... ew-machine (uefi-boot-fails-when-cloning-image-to-new-machine)

UEFI install of LM on an external USB hard-drive ... viewtopic.php?f=90&t=265004&p=1438903#p1438903
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If your SSD needs realignment, repartiton it with GParted before doing the install of LM.