Ultimate Ubuntu Dual Boot
I have had a lot of problems dual booting Operating Systems in the past and for the last 4 years i have left my corporate or vender provided OS installed on the desktop or notebook HD and used VMware Player to run Ed/X/Ubuntu VMs on my PCs ! but i have just discovered another way if your corporate lets you have access to the BIOS and hasnt glued up all your USB ports !
Ubuntu booting from an external USB disk !
You'll need
- BIOS access enabled (to check/set the following settings)
- BIOS CD/DVD boot support enabled
- BIOS USB boot support enabled
- Check BIOS boot order is CD -> USB -> HD
- A spare USB port
- An external unused USB HD
- An ed/x/ubuntu CD/DVD
How to build Ubuntu on your external USB HD
- Insert CD and plug in your USB HD
- Boot from CD
- Choose MANUAL partition options
- Check which disk is which (typically internal hd is /dev/sda and external is /dev/sdb)
- Install Ubuntu to /dev/sdb
- Install GRUB to /dev/sdb (VERY IMPORTANT esp if you want to plug USB HD into other PCs as well !)
- Reboot from USB HD
You should now see Ubuntu running with your original OS and HD completely UNTOUCHED !
So now your friends have two ways to try a free libre open source OS instead of any pre-installed proprietary one !
- Install VMware Player and run an Ubuntu VM
- Install NOTHING and run Ubuntu from an external USB HD
I have tried this with Ubuntu, Xubuntu and Ubuntu Studio but any varient of ED/X/Ubuntu should work fine ! 
