Jtdcftul

I have created a USB flash drive with the latest Ubuntu version, but it is not persistent.
How can I make it persistent without repeating the whole process?

As shown in this guide, you can reduce size of FAT32 partition on your flash drive then make ext4 partition labeled casper-rw and it will be treaten as persistence file. If Gparted fails to reduce the size of FAT32 partition, you can do it in Windows program EaseUS Partition Master.

It seems to me that you can also create file named casper-rw and create ext filesystem in it with mke2fs -t extX /path/to/casper-rw so it will be persistence file too.

Also, you need to change isolinux/txt.cfg adding word persistent to boot options like this:

default live

label live

  menu label ^Try Ubuntu without installing

  kernel /casper/vmlinuz.efi

  append  file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper cdrom-detect/try-usb=true persistent noprompt floppy.allowed_drive_mask=0 ignore_uuid initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash --

label live-install

  menu label ^Install Ubuntu

  kernel /casper/vmlinuz.efi

  append  file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper only-ubiquity cdrom-detect/try-usb=true persistent noprompt floppy.allowed_drive_mask=0 ignore_uuid initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash --

label check

  menu label ^Check disc for defects

  kernel /casper/vmlinuz.efi

  append  boot=casper integrity-check cdrom-detect/try-usb=true persistent noprompt floppy.allowed_drive_mask=0 ignore_uuid initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash --

label memtest

  menu label Test ^memory

  kernel /install/mt86plus

label hd

  menu label ^Boot from first hard disk

  localboot 0x80

2017

Persistent partitions have not worked in syslinux Live Ubuntu systems since 14.04. This includes SDC, UNetbootin, Rufus etc.

If you really want to make an existing install persistent, you can build a casper-rw file in Windows and add it to the root of your flash drive, see https://www.pendrivelinux.com/casper-rw-creator-make-a-persistent-file-from-windows/

The casper-rw file will be limited to 4GB and only works on a FAT32 partition.

If you want the boot to be persistent press Shift, select language, press F6, hit Enter and type persistent, (For UNetbootin press Tab then F6)

if you want every session to be persistent, modify isolinux/txt.cfg as Danatela shows above (or for UNetbootin install modify syslinux.cfg the same way).

Probably easier to re-make the persistent drive using mkusb, it makes persistent partitions automatically.

Changing Live Pendrive to Persistent Pendrive

That works with both BIOS and UEFI

Many people prefer a Persistent pendrive that will save changes.

• Create a Live pendrive using Rufus or similar.




• Boot the pendrive toram to make the drive editable, (press shift when booting, press Esc from language, press F6, press Esc, type {space}toram after "quiet splash ---", and press Enter.



• 
  

  Create a casper-rw file:

  
  
  

  sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=casper-rw bs=1M count=512

  
  
  

  sudo mkfs.ext3 -L casper-rw -F casper-rw

  
  

(where count=512 is persistence size, with max 4GB).

• Move the new casper-rw file from home to the root of the Live Pendrive.




• Edit /isolinux/txt.cfg, (for BIOS boot persistence) and /boot/grub/grub.cfg, (for UEFI boot persistence), add a space and the word "persistent" after "quiet splash ---".




• Shut down and reboot the persistent drive.

I am not aware of any way to do this. You would have to just reformat the usb, and reinstall the os back on to it with persistence enabled. I use Pendrivelinux to install a live os onto a pendrive with persistence. It should be relatively easy to do. Hope that works.