kids encyclopedia robot

Live USB system creator facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Live USB system creator
Live USB system creator.png
Live USB system creator
Original author(s) Simon Peter
Preview release
0.1.0
Operating system Ubuntu
License open source

Imagine having a whole operating system, like Ubuntu, that you can carry around on a USB stick! That's what a "Live USB" is. It lets you run Ubuntu directly from the USB without installing it on your computer's hard drive. The Live USB system creator is a special computer program that helps you make these handy Live USBs. It works by taking the Ubuntu system from a running Live CD and putting it onto a USB stick.

What Does the Live USB System Creator Do?

This tool is designed to make it easy for you to create a bootable USB drive with Ubuntu on it. A "bootable" drive means your computer can start up using the operating system on that USB stick, instead of the one usually installed on your computer. This is super useful for trying out Ubuntu, fixing computer problems, or having a portable operating system you can use anywhere.

How Does It Prepare Your USB Stick?

The Live USB system creator does several important steps to get your USB stick ready:

  • It finds any USB flash drives connected to your computer.
  • It gets your USB stick ready by dividing it into one main part, called a partition.
  • It makes sure this part of the USB stick is marked as "bootable," so your computer knows it can start from there.
  • It puts a special starting program, called the MBR, onto the USB stick. This MBR helps your computer find the operating system.
  • It formats the USB stick using a common file system called FAT32. This makes sure the USB stick can store files correctly.

How Does It Install Ubuntu?

After preparing the USB stick, the tool then installs the necessary parts of Ubuntu:

  • It adds a program called a "bootloader" (specifically, syslinux) to the USB stick. This bootloader is like a guide that tells your computer how to load Ubuntu from the USB.
  • It creates a special file that tells the bootloader how to work.
  • It copies all the important files from the Ubuntu Live CD you are currently using onto the USB stick.
  • It makes sure the language and keyboard settings on your new Live USB system match the ones you were using on the Live CD.

Extra Features You Can Choose

The Live USB system creator also has some cool optional features:

  • Adobe Flash Player: You can choose to have it download and add Adobe Flash Player, which helps you watch videos and play games online.
  • Persistent Home Folder: For Ubuntu 8.10 and newer versions, you can choose to have a "persistent /home" folder. This means that any files or settings you save while using Ubuntu from the USB stick will stay there even after you restart your computer. Normally, when you use a Live USB, everything you do is erased when you shut down, but this feature lets you save your work!

Related pages

kids search engine
Live USB system creator Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.