I'm planning to install Linux Mint and have been looking into different USB sticks for the process. I've seen conflicting opinions—some say that as long as the USB stick has good storage, any stick will do, while others warn against using SanDisk or USB 2.0. What have you all experienced? Which USB stick do you use for installing Linux?
5 Answers
I've noticed sometimes that certain USB drives might not be compatible with specific motherboards, especially for booting. It's really hit or miss—I've had good luck with Lexar Jumpdrives myself, but it's kind of trial and error with others.
I prefer USB 3.0 drives for faster boot times, but overall, it usually doesn't matter too much after that since the ISO loads into RAM anyway, speeding up the process once it kicks off.
It doesn't really matter much, just use something decent. I've found that as long as the drive isn't too cheap, it should work fine for installation. Just make sure it’s not an ancient, worn-out one!
In my experience, any working USB stick should be fine for installing Linux. Just grab one that isn’t too worn out and you'll likely be okay.
Honestly, I've used a really old SD card in a USB adapter without any issues. If you're planning to run a full Linux OS from a USB, then the quality does matter for better performance, though.
Yeah, older systems can be quirky about which drives they boot from. Having a backup USB 2.0 drive around with a few ISOs can save you some hassle.