Tricky native Zorin installation

Up to now I have been running Zorin in virtual. But now I like to make a native installation to an external 60GB SSD attached via eSata. This SSD is completely empty and NTFS formatted.

I want to avoid that the Grub ends up on my Windows 7 C bootloader. The Zorin installation should be completely independent. And I do not want to have to physically detach the disks in the desktop because that is too difficult for me.

Questions:

1. Is it possible to install to an eSata attached SSD
2. The SSD is formatted in NTFS - is that OK
3. How do I manage to get the Grub on the external SSD

I cannot answer question no1 as I have not tried it.
2. It is OK. The zorin installer will format the external drive to ext4 during installation.
3. When you start the installation and you get to the options screen that says how to install zorin, i.e.:

- Install in parallel with other OS
- Format the drive and install only Zorin
- Something else

you choose "something else". In the new window that will open you scroll down and you will find a drop-down menu where you can choose where to install Grub. You will choose your external drive. It will be named like sdb or sdc. Select it and click "back".
You will get back on the screen with the 3 options. This time choose the option that says to format the drive and install only zorin and ofcourse on the next screen choose your external HDD to install Zorin. The installation will proceed and the system will have kept in memory where to install grub, i.e. on the external drive.
This is a little trick I found.

Also, just to be sure what is the "name" of your external drive, before starting the installation you can open terminal (ctrl+alt+T) and write the following command:

Code:

sudo fdisk -l

You will get a result like the following:

Code:

mike@mike:~$ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000ed2c1

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *        2048   410693454   205345703+  83  Linux
/dev/sda2       968617982   976771071     4076545    5  Extended
Partition 2 does not start on physical sector boundary.
/dev/sda3       410693632   968615935   278961152   83  Linux
/dev/sda5       968617984   976771071     4076544   82  Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdb: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x7c1d718e

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1            2048   976769023   488383488    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT
mike@mike:~$


See the last part i.e. this:

Code:

Disk /dev/sdb: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders, total 976773168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x7c1d718e

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1            2048   976769023   488383488    7  HPFS/NTFS/exFAT

This is my external drive (/dev/sdb). So, if I were to install Zorin on my external I would choose to install grub on sdb.

Hi whs,

it is not wise to install GRUB on any drive other than the master HDD (sda) as it can lead to problems afterwards!.

Read this section "Installing Ubuntu to a Specific Partition ("Something Else"):" here:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2/Installing

Regards Wolfman

Thanks guys. I will study all that. If push comes to shove I'llstay with the virtual system. That works.