I'm trying to install Linux Mint on my external hard drive for dual booting, but I keep hitting a wall. The hard drive works fine for transferring files, and I prepped it with the Ext4 file system using GParted. During installation, I select the created partition, and also pick it for the boot loader, but I keep getting an input/output error. I'm completely stumped since the drive seems to be working just fine otherwise. Any thoughts on what I might be doing wrong? Oh, and just to clarify, the external drive I'm using is a Seagate Backup Slim.
4 Answers
You might want to double-check your BIOS settings. Make sure the "boot from USB" option is enabled. If you're not sure how to do that, it might be tricky, but just look for something like "Boot Order" in your BIOS setup.
If you're okay with it taking over the whole drive, just let the installer do its thing. That way it can set up partitions and change to GPT if needed. Forcing it to take a specific partition can limit what the installer can do, especially if you're unsure about partitioning.
I do want to limit it to just the external drive and not overwrite Windows, so I’m trying to keep it separate.
When you mention selecting the same partition for the boot loader, that’s something to consider. If you're using UEFI, it typically needs an EFI partition for boot files, so it’s best to keep the drive unallocated and let the installer handle the partitioning. If it’s a legacy install, ensure you’re using the MBR partition table since that also matters.
I had a similar issue trying to boot from my portable HD. I ended up installing Ventoy and added Mint there, and it worked flawlessly for me! Might be worth a shot!
Not sure about that, so probably haven’t done it. Thanks for the tip!