[SOLVED] Just want to install to a SSD..

Hello all. I have an SSD 30 gb and a connection cable/dongle and want to be able to just use it with my desktop Dell OptiPlex 760 2.92 Intell c2d and 4gb ram, or one my laptops:Latitude D820 c2d 2 gb intall 4 gb ram, Latitude D630 Intell Centrino 1.86 2 gb ram.
How do I just put Zorin 8 on the SSD to plug into either of these systems?
Have already tied to put it on using YUMI and then installing it to the SSD but it would not offer that as an option.
Could I just use YUMI to put it on a Flash drive, one of the systems with F12 and then installing to the SSD but what installation option would I use/ I saw the "different" parameter but do not want to overwrite the current OS on either of those systems .. Yet,
After I get it installed to either of the Dells I could just use the F12 selective start up and select the USB as the boot device. Would that work or do it another way?
Would rather let use it mainly on the Centrino to start or eventually put it on a hdd or SDD the 820 or 630.
I really like Zorin of all the Linux Distro's I have tried.
Thanks
jsteff

Hi jsteff, and welcome to Zorin. So I am clear in my own head, is the SSD an external device you want to add to each machine when needed?
No experience of SSD - one time you would have to 'trim' the drive before installing - not been watching the development as I never intentionally intend to purchase an SSD (however cheap!). For external install and assuming no other OS on the SSD follow madvinegar's guidance here:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6130&p=29003&hilit=external+hard+drive#p29003

Hi, yoiu just posted a quote without clarification - could you give us some more information please?

No it is an SSD I will either put in an external case or just use with a USB dongle.
And one of the suggestions was to intall Grub. I thought grub was for multi os's for bootloading?
Anyway I went to a site for grub (source forge I believe but could not find any ISO's just tar so I downloaded one of them.
Now how do I use that with the YUMI from penndrive Linux to make a usb to install on the SSD?
Or do I just put it on a CD? Then do what?
Sorry, obvious beginner here.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
jsteff

Hi, no, GRUB is the GNU/Linux bootloader (GRand Unified Bootloader) that will automatically pick up other OS's at point of install. So, you want to put Zorin on an SSD inside an external Caddy and/or you want to install Zorin to a Flash drive/thumb drive? I have not had much success installing Zorin using flash/thumb drives, only DVD installs.

See madvinegar's post on how to install to external drive here:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=6130&p=29003&hilit=install+to+external+drive#p29003

Thanks for the response. I have been able to get it up to the point of install from a flash drive. and just did not elect to install over my Win7 and so aborted that install.
My curiosity/desire now is how to get it installed on a 30 GB SSD. So I guess the next question is how do I install GRUB on a SSD with the hope to then install Zorin on the SSD.
Maybe the real question is how do I just get a copy of GRUB that will install on anything?
With everything else there is a ISO that I can then put on a flash drive or CD\DVD. How do that with a TAR file (which is all I can find)?
Or how to I put GRUB anywhere with no ISO or turn a TAR file into an ISO???
Thanks
Jsteff

This may assist, but bear in mind this is for a different distro - DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK!

http://puppylinux.org/wikka/GRUB#hn_Boo ... _a_Grub_CD

Thanks, I ma try it... but deeper searches on the web in tech groups etc. showed the issue may lie with SSD's themselves and the way GRUB get's placed on a SSD. Those posts seemed to point to the set up of the SSD and not even using the mfg's software.
Two of those that I found recommended getting the SSD to write DATA (like GRUB) in a better location (closer to the first sectors). So the problem may lie with the read of the SSD. Sadly it seems that it is a read problem with the SSD's.
I tried it with MINT and some other Distro;s and all seemed to suffer from the issue
But thank you and will try your recommended solution also.
Thanks
jstefff

HI, no problem, we mods are here to help where we can!

Got it to work! Installed both Mint and Zorin in separate partitions an both work fine.
Original problem was I kept getting the error "No root file system has been defined, use partitioning program....."
Further research told me that SSD's are problematic in general. The second issue as getting a boot loader to install, and finally getting Zorin to install.
Took care of the SSD issue by setting the space before, and after on all partitions to 1mb. Also created a Linux swap file by formatting one partition to that as the format type of that partition.
Then (using what you had suggested) I tried to install Puppy Linux so that it would install the boot loader. That worked.
Of all the distro's Slacko worked best and got it nearly to installing in a Partition.
So then I now installed Mint and when I got the "no root file system defined" carefully watched the control choices and selected the last one about "something other" in the load sequence. Also at one point it asked where I wanted the partition to start one of the places it asked for the placement I put "/" and then went on with the install from there. And it worked so now I tried Zorin and repeated the steps but this time it asked were the boot loader was and selected the choice for the one in MINT and then Zorin went on and installed successfully to the second partition!
Now when I do the F12 with either of my Dell's it presents the Zorin boot first screen and Mint is one of the options to boot. So now I can boot off of Mint or Zorin with no problem.
Tor users getting Linux as an option to get out of Windows, my selection choice would be Mint cause it is more refined in feel to 7 and Slacko or Precise Puppy cause it is clean or minimal and easier to install than Zorin.
Zorin is nice too but NONE of the Linux Distro's will get significant market share until they have a solution like a voice recognition program like Dragon Naturally Speaking or the VR in widows 7. I have MS and typing is very hard for me and it is the main thing windows has over Linux.
VR would capture a large chunk of the user market from windows.
But all in all I am really glad Zorin and the rest exist and forums like you have here make in interesting and fun
Thanks, Now is there an easier way to get ocean wall paper for Zorin?

Well glad you are now sorted friend! The only thing I can remember about earlier SSD's (not sure if it still applies) is that they should be formatted to ext2 (ext2 is NOT a jounaling system) which is why lots of netbooks with SSD's had WinXP home on (FAT32). Ext4 is a journaling system, like NTFS and can shorten the life of an SSD but not sure on scale or whether this still applies.

Now for VR - this might interest you:

http://iloveubuntu.net/speech-recogniti ... 10-default

https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/saucy/+source/pocketsphinx

Now for ocean wall paper - here's one of mine!

http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/ ... ent=153704

Not what you are looking for? If you are thinking of Windows themes (.theme) then you can extract these by installing 7-zip!

One thing I can not figure out or read anywhere.
Win7 and almost all versions before that enabled a user to make a folder on the desktop and put things that were on the desktop (live icons of drives) in the folder (to clean up the desktop appearance. But both Zorin and Mint will NOT allow that simple step of creating a folder and putting the items in the folder?
This is a basic user step in windows 7 and earlier and takes about 2 or 3 clicks and it is done and you can then move the folder where you want.
Why is such a simple intuitive task such a chore in Zorin and most versions of Linux? Can you pass along the simple way to do this?
Thanks
jsteff

And thanks for the tip on the ext2 for SSD's verses the journaling ext's. Good to know.
Thanks