Installing MX Linux on USB flash drives or a 2015 desktop computer [Solved]

[jeffreyC]

Realtek is known for the worst WiFi driver stack in their industry, and that is Windows users saying it, Linux is not something they care about.
I would suggest looking for either an Intel or other chipset based adapter.

[Antediluvian]

The main issue is I have exhausted all desktops I have access to now. I can't take the chance and try to install a Linux distro side by side on the same internal drive, because I have a ton of files that need to be backed up/organized. I thought if I could just get working Linux distros on USB flash drives, then it wouldn't matter.

But one question I had before was, isn't it wrong to do this on a USB flash drive because it has to constantly read and write to the USB drive?

So, if MX Linux can work perfectly fine on a 32gb flash drive, what is the magic? Or is the advice to use it on an SSD?

The easiest way to try MX Linux is to make a bootable, read-only USB drive. From the image you posted of the MX Installer it looks to me like you have already done that using Mint's USB Image Writer and the MX Linux ISO you downloaded. And as you have demonstrated you can now insert that USB stick (preferably USB 3.x) into (preferably) a USB 3.x slot on the computer of your choice, press the correct F key to bring up the boot order, and select the USB stick to boot MX Linux. Play around with MX Linux to your heart's content and it won't affect the drives that are already connected to the computer unless you purposely mount a drive and purposely write something to it. However, since this live-USB is read-only any changes you make to MX will not be saved.

A less restrictive way to try out MX Linux that will allow you to save changes to the OS and will also not affect the drives already in the computer is to make a bootable USB drive with persistence (writable). This is what I've been trying to explain how to do because your first post indicated that this was your intention.

Once you create such a USB stick with MX Live USB Maker you can play around with MX, save changes you make (such as installation of new software or changes in how the panel looks) or don't save the changes you make. It is your choice. It can be your choice on a session by session or minute by minute basis, that is, saving changes is flexible. You can also limit the writing to the USB stick by loading your filesystem into RAM and then writing changes (or not) at the end of the session.

After you run MX Linux from a live-USB and you get comfortable with the OS then you will probably want to do a full installation on an internal drive. This comfort may take a day or three or several months. But you are probably not going to run into the problem of over taxing your USB stick in that time and if you do what's the loss, one cheap stick? A full install is more complicated than making a live-USB with persistence in part because you have to deal with stuff that is already on your internal drives, whereas you have free USB sticks at your disposal.

In summary, I suggest you make an MX live-USB with persistence, try out MX without risk of affecting your internal drives, and decide later if you want to install it. Easy peasy.

[Antediluvian]

YouTube video of dolphin_oracle using MX Live USB Maker to create a bootable MX USB stick with or without persistence. [Note: Persistence is set up later (or not) when the stick is booted.]

dolphin is sneaky in this video so you have to watch carefully. That is, he navigates with the file manager to the MX ISO he downloaded and then right clicks on it and selects Open With "MX Live USB Maker". The rest is straightforward.

[progrockfrog]

Should I use 3.0 USB flash drives from now on?

[progrockfrog]

[Deleted by user]

[progrockfrog]

[Deleted by user]

[progrockfrog]

[Deleted by user]

[progrockfrog]

YouTube video of dolphin_oracle using MX Live USB Maker to create a bootable MX USB stick with or without persistence. [Note: Persistence is set up later (or not) when the stick is booted.]

dolphin is sneaky in this video so you have to watch carefully. That is, he navigates with the file manager to the MX ISO he downloaded and then right clicks on it and selects Open With "MX Live USB Maker". The rest is straightforward.

Ok, how do I actually use my mouse with clicky clicky stuff? I have a mouse it has a left button, and OMG it also has a right button. I can go left clicky click and my mouse can go right clicky click. How do we go clicky click and get this "MS Live USB Maker" you speaketh of?

[progrockfrog]

Wouldn't it be easier for you MX Linux people to just give us an .iso file and then it would give us a way to install it? I am not seeing an easy way to install it yet.

[Eadwine Rose]

FB has a timeline I can download. That is why I still use it and some of my friends, especially an Australian mate who refuses to go away from Windows and FB. "Why do you need another OS?" he asks. Nothing I can say will convince him.

I think I can singlehandedly crash facebook if I download my timeline.....