A few days ago I downloaded the new ISO of Linux Mint 8. I wanted to update my USB flash drive from Mint 7, but figured I should rebuild the whole OS from scratch due to some problems I had with upgrading Ubuntu 9.04 to 9.10.
The process was simple. First I made a backup of my data and second partition to my Ubuntu 9.04 PC at work. I downloaded from pendrivelinux.com a copy of USB-Installer-For-Mint8.exe and saved it to a folder called Mint 8 on my Windows 7 Enterprise Desktop and copied over the Mint8 ISO file too.
To have the 4GB persistent file I formatted the USB drive at FAT32. I ran USB-Installer-For-Mint8.exe and followed the directions making sure I chose the correct drive to install Mint 8. A few minutes later I was done.
I booted from the USB drive and in no time was running Linux Mint 8. I changed the wallpaper to the black pinstripe, enabled Desktop effects, and installed my HP Color LaserJet 2605dn laser printer. Connecting to wireless was a snap. I also like the fact all the codecs we installed by default. Watching the Mac ads at Apple.com, checking in with Facebook, and watching videos on Youtube.com worked like it should. In my opinion, this is the way Linux should be presented to the public. Everything works, no need to install a bunch of drivers or codecs just to get basic functionality.
One thing that is confusing, the OS boots with the LiveUser account ALL THE TIME! I’ve tried to disable it, but on every reboot the PC will logon with the account mint. Even if I had to keep the account on the PC, I want to be able to pick who I am going to logon as. I was able to configure GDM to display the logon screen so I can choose which account to use.
If you haven’t had a chance to try out Mint 8, start Virtualbox-OSE or follow the directions provided by linuxpendrive.com to have a bootable USB flash drive and give it a run.
ratedmaxpower 
2 replies on “Booting Linux Mint 8 from USB Flash Drive”
Hi George! I also tried your method and yes, liveuser comes up everytime. I’m quite a newbie with linux, and I’m glad that mint 8 is friendly out of the box. Could you elaborate on how can I configure it to remember my account, or could you point me to any resource in the internet? Thanks
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Jon –
I was not able to configure Linux Mint 8 to remember my account on every boot from my USB jump drive. If I remember correctly I modified it to display the GDM logon screen so I can choose which account I want to use.
I will admit I’ve been very busy at work with little time to look into resolving the issue i had with Mint 8. I would suggest looking at the Mint Forums by clicking the link.
Good luck with Mint 8. I like it a lot, and plan on introducing this distro to my family when I purchase a new PC.
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