Newb Help with Installation

[will.w77]

Hello,

So I'm attempting to install qubes to a usb stick. I've copied the iso onto the usb by using the dd command specified in the user documentation in ubuntu virtualbox (host os windows 10). I'm wondering if the fact I used a virtual machine to copy the iso versus a native linux os makes any difference? I attempted to boot into the bios on my lenova t430 and nothing happens when I go to boot. The boot menu comes up I select the usb and hit enter and the screen simply refreshes with the boot menu again. Again I've used linux before and can run basic command line but am a novice compared to most in this group I'm sure. Any ideas? Thanks

[John Smiley]

On Sunday, December 23, 2018 at 10:06:26 PM UTC-8, will.w77 wrote:
> Hello,
>
>
>
> So I'm attempting to install qubes to a usb stick. I've copied the iso onto the usb by using the dd command specified in the user documentation in ubuntu virtualbox (host os windows 10). I'm wondering if the fact I used a virtual machine to copy the iso versus a native linux os makes any difference? I attempted to boot into the bios on my lenova t430 and nothing happens when I go to boot. The boot menu comes up I select the usb and hit enter and the screen simply refreshes with the boot menu again. Again I've used linux before and can run basic command line but am a novice compared to most in this group I'm sure. Any ideas? Thanks

Copying ISO images to USB sticks with dd in a virt can certainly be done, but there are things that could have gone awry. If the reason you're using a virt is to get an isolated environment, there are any number of live Linux distros that you can boot into and then create your Qubes Boot USB.

Of course, you'll still have to create a USB from an ISO to make the live Linux USB. :)

Are you sure you ran sync after dd and let it finish?

[seshu]

I tried the USB install. It worked, but was phenomenally slow for me. It took over 5 hours for the install to take place on a 128gb PNY USB 3.0 stick. And it would take 20 minutes to boot up.

After buying an Samsung 970 m.2 SSD and installing on their, I realize why the USB option is so slow. The amount of work the OS has to do on the filesystem is so extensive it is just slow. USB 3.0 is better than 2.0 (I heard there may be a bug or issue where Qubes operates as if a 3.0 drive were actually a 2.0 drive?). I would say the USB option is not really a viable option (at least from my experience). If anything I would suggest trying a thunderbolt 3 drive. But, not sure what sort of driver issues you would have.

[John Smiley]

I would be more concerned about security than drivers. I connected a Caldigit Plus TB3 hub to my Qubes laptop and it worked fine, but now I had a new threat vector since TB has direct access to the PCI bus. As someone else here noted, there may be a time when they vector is secure, but not yet. I promptly removed the TB3 dock after that.

[John Smiley]

I install from USB3 stick all the time and it’s fast. Even if it is dropping back to 2.0, it should not be as slow as you describe.

[seshu]

On Tuesday, December 25, 2018 at 7:49:17 PM UTC-7, John Smiley wrote:
> I install from USB3 stick all the time and it’s fast. Even if it is dropping back to 2.0, it should not be as slow as you describe.

That is good to hear. I might have just had other problems with my desktop setup that I couldn't quite figure out.

[awokd]

seshu wrote on 12/26/18 11:05 PM:

> On Tuesday, December 25, 2018 at 7:49:17 PM UTC-7, John Smiley wrote:
>> I install from USB3 stick all the time and it’s fast. Even if it is dropping back to 2.0, it should not be as slow as you describe.
>
> That is good to hear. I might have just had other problems with my desktop setup that I couldn't quite figure out.
>

I think you both might be talking about different scenarios. One is
installing Qubes from USB3 which is a typical use case. Installing Qubes
to a USB drive instead of an internal fixed disk is not typical, and
some experience problems with that.