I am trying to create a new stick to create a new ssd for a another computer. I need some help so I don’t screw it up.
So far I have, I think, taken my old creator and cleaned it up. I re-formatted it. It is currently mounted in discs. It also doesn’t want to un-mount. The partition is 31gb and so is the stick. So, I think I have a memory stick that can do the job it I do the rest right. What I want to do is to end up with a stick creator that will create 1 or 2tb ssd that I can use to install 25.04 and need to know, step by step what I should do to get this done. I think I want to download desktop ubuntu. However, there are two different ones: ARM 64-bit architecture and Intel or AMD 64-bit architecture. I have no idea which I should choose. Its been over a years since I have done this stuff and need help before I start. Once I can get this done, and my stick working I can handle pretty much handle the ssd as I have two things - the stick and a blank 1 tb ssd so that’s pretty simple.
Anyway, any help would be apreciated. I have read quite a bit about this but its the little stuff that has me a bit confused and I messing it all up.
< ARM 64-bit architecture and Intel or AMD 64-bit architecture. I have no idea which I should choose./>
Let’s keep it simple - one question at a time.
Arm64 or Amd64, it depends on which processor your intended device has installed.
Do you even know which processor you are building this bootable usb device for? If so, please advise.
What do you mean by your ‘old creator’? Is this a usb drive on which you had a live/install iso of Ubuntu written to? If you formatted it, you basically deleted everything on it. Was that your intent?
How did you attempt to unmount? It won’t unmount if any file on it is open.
You probably want the AMD. You can do an online search for the differences in ARM and AMD.
Intel & AMD 64 bit processors use the AMD 64 ISO. A few new lightweight systems are now using the ARM processor.
What PC are you installing to? Some have unique settings in UEFI, or you may even need some settings in the system you are using to install to SSD. Hopefully both are UEFI. IF old system very old and not UEFI and new is UEFI, becomes much more difficult.
Systems since about 2012 are UEFI. Many laptops after 2020 are UEFI only. My Dell says BIOS but once in “BIOS” it says UEFI boot only.
You have to use Something Else or manual install and may have to partition in advance. Or disconnect or disable in UEFI settings current internal drive. Requirement is to have an ESP - efi system partition FAT32 on new SSD, default is to use existing ESP on the system you are installing from. So any default type installs, will not give you a bootable drive.
UEFI installer also adds UEFI entry for boot, so once in new system you have to do a grub install or create with efibootmgr an ubuntu entry into new systems UEFI for boot. But you still should be able boot boot new install just like you boot live installer by choosing a drive entry. It just will not have an ubuntu entry until you create it.
@drufus2002 Probably best to start at the beginning. This is how I read your request. You have 2 computers. One is working and you wish to download and create a startup disk on this machine so you can get the new one up and running.
We therefore need to know what sort of processor the new machine has.
Intel, AMD or ARM ?
That then dictates the image type you need to download, it is then your choice of Ubuntu flavour (straight Ubuntu/Kubuntu/edbuntu/Lubuntu etc. etc.)
Once you have determined that, post again and we can assist you through the process.
The stick I am dealing with is one that I used to make some ssd’s over a year ago and thought it was time to update it. The stick is, as far as I can tell completely cleaned up and ready to go. If necessary I can move to gparted and move on.
The machine I will be dealing with is:
HP Desktop Computer Intel i5-7500 3.4GHz PC SFF 8GB RAM 500GB HD Wi-Fi, No O.S.
HP is one vendor that does not recognize UEFI boot menu order changes with efibootmgr. Grub uses efibootmgr to add & make ubuntu entry first in boot order. HP reset to have Windows first or gives error on no boot loader if no Windows.
You just have to go into HP’s System settings and change boot order there. Or manually select Ubuntu from one time boot menu every time.
So, I need to press what key to get to the HP’s system settings to change the boot order. with a Dell the key is F2 I suspect that HP might be f12 but am not sure. Then there is list (first to last). Do you happen to know what that might be as well (hope I am not to nosy).
I have done this on an HP before but forget (I forget a LOT these days).
Thank you for the reply. i am going to download ubntu 25.04 (Intel or AMD 64-bit architecture) and proceed with that, I assume its the right one only because its what I did with 24.04 a year ago. Hopefully I am right on that one. Then I will be on my way to creating what I need for a 25.04 ssd.
I will assume that hp-escape+f9 is the one to use since I will be booting off a new created ssd (let me know if I am wrong!). Its gonna get interesting. The SSD will be for 24.04 this time (when i get it done). I am assuming that I want the ssd in first place. Be a while but I will get there
The keys indicated by oldfred above are pretty standard on an HP but varies depending upon the type computer. For a one time boot, you may be able to access by just tapping the F9 key but I would tap Esc first which should show you several options including F9 and F10.
I will try to keep you informed for the heck of it. It will be a while as I don’t even have the machine in my hands yet. I just hope this works. If it does I can also make some other ssd’s and then just update my other machine too. its a lot easier to deal with the computer itself than the programs I have to setup, ie. sabnzbd, sonarr, etc. I am resetting those, right now, in my working machine as it had a bunch of old stuff on it I couldn’t use and decided to remove everything and start from scratch as I had to do that on the other one and this is good exercise.
I have another machine but it quit on me. I tested some existing older ssd’s that work on my existing system but on the one that does nothing they do not, but used to. I fear that there is something todo with the sata connection as I turn it on and it does absolutely nothing. Oh well, stuff happens…
Ok, I have moved the ubuntu 25.04 to the old stick that did ubuntu 24. for me and I cleared out. I have just checked it. I now have a stick with 4 partitions. The first has the iso file in it, the second has 5.2mb-contents FAT, the third has 307kb-contents unknow, and the fourth has 25kb unused. I suspect that its also, now, bootable.
Before I go to the next step I thought I had best post this and make sure that everything is dandy and, possibly get advice. Given that this now has 4 parts, etc. I am not sure what I really have and wonder just, exactly, what the next step is. Has, for instance, the actually already created the stick, etc. I was just planning on moving the iso to the stick and, instead, I got a whole different stick than I started with.
You do not directly boot an ISO unless you are using grub’s loopmount or Ventoy. You need to use an install tool to extract ISO to FAT32 partition with esp,boot flags. See links posted above.
thanks for the reply. You are quicker than I and added some to my last that I had forgotten. I may have my stick which I can use to create another ssd but am not sure.
I’m going to make a run on a new computer hopefully this afternoon and see what happens. Its kinda strange. Disk has it Mounted at /media/greg/Ubuntu 25.04 amd64 and seems to be treating it much differently from other sticks. I cannot take ownership and its read only. Interesting…
If you have written the Ubuntu 25.05 iso to a usb stick using software designed for that purpose (Rufus, Etcher, etc.) then it will be read only as it is an iso9660 filesystem. What exactly do you want to do and what do you want to modify/change with it?
Thank you for the reply. My plan was to complete the startup disk creator then create the ssd then put it into the machine and proceed setting stuff up.
I assume one of my main problems is that I simply have no idea what “iso9660 filesystem” When dealing with the hp machine it tells me that my new 1tb ssd is a eufi 1tb. All this is a mystery.
I did everything but the last step. I have the ssd and its recognized as such when I put it into the machine. My problem it kinda stops there. It just doesn’t seem to know what to do. I am not sure whether I did it wrong (I only had one way, create the stick and then use the stick to create the 1tb ssd. I can do that again and maybe it might change but I doubt it.
On top of all of that my systems all went down and I finally figured out it was my monitor. I have another and I am using that one now and kinda starting all over.
I am now cleaning stuff up, etc. Then I will decide what to do next.