How To Install Linux Without Usb : Network Boot PXE Installation

by

Installing Linux without a USB drive is possible using a tool like UNetbootin to create a bootable hard drive partition. This guide will show you exactly how to install Linux without USB using several reliable methods, perfect for when you’ve misplaced your flash drive or your system lacks USB boot support.

Many people think you need a USB stick to try or install Linux. That’s not true. You can boot and install Linux directly from your hard drive, an SD card, or even over a network. This article covers the most practical methods step by step.

Let’s get started with the easiest approach first.

Method 1: Using UNetbootin For A Hard Drive Installation

UNetbootin is a free tool that lets you create a bootable Live USB. But it also has a hidden superpower: it can install a bootable Linux system directly onto your existing hard drive partition without any USB media.

This method works on Windows and Linux. You’ll need a spare partition or enough free space on your drive.

Step-By-Step Guide For UNetbootin Hard Drive Install

  1. Download the UNetbootin tool from its official website.
  2. Download the ISO file for your preferred Linux distribution (Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, etc.).
  3. Run UNetbootin as administrator (on Windows).
  4. Select “Diskimage” and browse to your downloaded ISO file.
  5. Under “Type,” choose “Hard Disk” instead of “USB Drive.”
  6. Select the drive letter where you want to install (usually C: or D:).
  7. Click OK. UNetbootin will extract files and configure the bootloader.
  8. Restart your computer. You’ll see a UNetbootin menu at boot.
  9. Choose “Default” to boot into the Live Linux environment.
  10. From the Live session, you can install Linux permanently to another partition.

This method creates a temporary bootable system. For a permanent install, you’ll still need to run the installer from the Live environment.

How To Install Linux Without Usb Using Rufus (Windows)

Rufus is another popular tool. While it’s designed for USB drives, you can trick it into writing to a hard drive partition.

Using Rufus With A Hard Drive Partition

  1. Download Rufus and your Linux ISO.
  2. Open Rufus. Under “Device,” select your hard drive partition (not the whole drive).
  3. Important: Back up any data on that partition first. Rufus will format it.
  4. Under “Boot selection,” choose your ISO file.
  5. Click “Start.” Rufus will warn you about data loss. Confirm.
  6. Once done, restart your PC and boot from that partition.

This method works but is riskier. You might accidentally overwrite your main OS. Proceed with caution.

Method 3: Plop Boot Manager For Old Systems

If your BIOS doesn’t support USB booting, Plop Boot Manager can help. It’s a tiny bootloader that can chain-load from a hard drive partition.

Installing Plop Boot Manager

  1. Download Plop Boot Manager from plop.at.
  2. Extract the files to a FAT32 partition on your hard drive.
  3. Configure your bootloader (GRUB or Windows Boot Manager) to boot Plop.
  4. When Plop loads, it can boot from a USB drive or ISO file stored on your hard drive.

This is more advanced. But it’s a lifesaver for old laptops without USB boot options.

Method 4: Network Installation (PXE Boot)

PXE (Preboot eXecution Environment) lets you install Linux over your local network. You don’t need any local media at all.

Setting Up A PXE Server

  1. On another computer, set up a PXE server using tools like dnsmasq or FOG Project.
  2. Configure the server to serve your Linux ISO or netboot files.
  3. On the target computer, enable PXE boot in BIOS.
  4. Boot from network. The installer will load over the network.

This method is common in enterprise environments. For home users, it’s overkill but possible.

Method 5: Using GRUB2 To Boot An ISO Directly

If you already have Linux installed, you can use GRUB2 to boot a different Linux ISO directly from your hard drive.

Adding An ISO To GRUB2 Menu

  1. Copy your Linux ISO to a partition (e.g., /home/username/).
  2. Open terminal and edit /etc/grub.d/40_custom.
  3. Add a menuentry like this:
menuentry "Boot Ubuntu ISO" {
  set isofile="/path/to/ubuntu.iso"
  loopback loop $isofile
  linux (loop)/casper/vmlinuz boot=casper iso-scan/filename=$isofile quiet splash
  initrd (loop)/casper/initrd
}
  1. Run sudo update-grub.
  2. Reboot and select the new entry.

This method is clean and doesn’t require any extra tools. You can test multiple distros this way.

Method 6: Android Phone As A Boot Device

You can use your Android phone to boot Linux on your PC. This requires the DriveDroid app (root required).

Steps For DriveDroid

  1. Install DriveDroid on your rooted Android phone.
  2. Download a Linux ISO to your phone.
  3. Open DriveDroid and select the ISO.
  4. Choose “Mount as USB drive.”
  5. Connect your phone to your PC via USB cable.
  6. Boot your PC from the USB drive (which is actually your phone).

This method effectively uses your phone as a USB drive. It’s handy if you have no USB stick but have a phone.

Method 7: Windows Subsystem For Linux (WSL)

WSL lets you run Linux inside Windows. It’s not a full installation, but it gives you a Linux terminal and tools.

Installing WSL2

  1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.
  2. Run: wsl –install
  3. Restart your PC.
  4. Launch the installed Linux distro from Start Menu.

WSL is great for development. But it’s not a dual-boot or full Linux desktop experience.

Method 8: Virtual Machine Installation

You can install Linux inside a virtual machine (VM) using VirtualBox or VMware. This doesn’t require USB either.

Setting Up A VM

  1. Download VirtualBox from virtualbox.org.
  2. Download your Linux ISO.
  3. Create a new VM, allocate RAM and disk space.
  4. Under Storage, attach the ISO file to the virtual optical drive.
  5. Start the VM and install Linux normally.

This method lets you run Linux alongside your main OS without rebooting.

Method 9: Using Etcher In Portable Mode

BalenaEtcher usually writes to USB drives. But you can use it with a hard drive partition if you’re careful.

Etcher Hard Drive Install

  1. Download Etcher and your ISO.
  2. Run Etcher. Click “Flash from file.”
  3. Select your ISO.
  4. Under “Select target,” choose your hard drive partition.
  5. Click “Flash!”

Etcher will warn you about data loss. Confirm and proceed. After flashing, reboot and boot from that partition.

Method 10: Booting From An SD Card

If your computer has an SD card slot, you can use an SD card instead of a USB drive.

Creating A Bootable SD Card

  1. Insert an SD card (at least 4GB).
  2. Use Rufus, Etcher, or UNetbootin to write the ISO to the SD card.
  3. In BIOS, enable boot from SD card (sometimes listed as “Removable Device”).
  4. Boot and install Linux.

SD cards are slower than USB 3.0 drives, but they work.

Method 11: Using A CD/DVD (If You Have An Optical Drive)

Old-school but effective. Burn the ISO to a CD or DVD and boot from it.

Burning An ISO To Disc

  1. Insert a blank CD/DVD.
  2. Use ImgBurn (Windows) or Brasero (Linux) to burn the ISO.
  3. Restart and boot from the optical drive.

This method is obsolete for most modern laptops, but it works on desktops with optical drives.

Method 12: Using A Second Internal Hard Drive

If you have a spare internal hard drive or SSD, you can install Linux directly on it.

Steps For Second Drive Install

  1. Physically install the second drive in your PC.
  2. Boot from a Live USB (if you have one) or use UNetbootin on the main drive.
  3. During installation, select the second drive as the target.
  4. Install normally.

This gives you a true dual-boot setup without partitioning your main drive.

Method 13: Using A Portable Linux Install On External HDD

You can install Linux to an external hard drive (not USB stick) and boot from it.

Creating A Portable Linux

  1. Connect an external HDD.
  2. Use Rufus or UNetbootin to write the ISO to the external HDD.
  3. Boot from the external HDD.
  4. During installation, install to the external HDD itself.

This gives you a portable Linux system you can carry around.

Method 14: Using A Live ISO On A Separate Partition

You can create a dedicated partition for a Live ISO and boot it directly.

Steps For Live ISO Partition

  1. Create a new partition (e.g., 4GB) using GParted or Disk Management.
  2. Format it as FAT32.
  3. Copy the ISO file to that partition.
  4. Use GRUB2 or a boot manager to boot the ISO.

This is similar to the GRUB2 method but uses a dedicated partition.

Method 15: Using A Rescue Disk Or System Repair Tool

Some rescue disks like SystemRescue can boot from hard drive and then install Linux.

Using SystemRescue

  1. Download SystemRescue ISO.
  2. Use UNetbootin to install it to hard drive.
  3. Boot into SystemRescue.
  4. Use its tools to install Linux from a network or local ISO.

This is an advanced method for system administrators.

Method 16: Using A Bootable USB Emulator

Tools like YUMI (Your Universal Multiboot Installer) can create a multiboot USB. But YUMI also supports hard drive installation.

YUMI Hard Drive Install

  1. Download YUMI.
  2. Select your hard drive as the target.
  3. Add multiple ISOs to the menu.
  4. Boot and choose which ISO to run.

This is great for testing multiple distros without USB.

Method 17: Using A Live USB From A Virtual Machine

You can boot a Live ISO in a VM, then install to a physical partition using passthrough.

Steps For VM Passthrough

  1. Create a VM in VirtualBox.
  2. Attach the ISO as a virtual drive.
  3. Attach a physical hard drive partition as a raw disk VMDK.
  4. Boot the VM and install Linux to the physical partition.

This is complex but possible for advanced users.

Method 18: Using A Network Boot From Another Linux PC

If you have another Linux PC on your network, you can use it as a PXE server.

Quick PXE Setup

  1. On the server, install dnsmasq and configure it for PXE.
  2. Place the Linux ISO or netboot files in /var/ftp.
  3. On the client, enable network boot.
  4. Boot and install over network.

This is the most “no-media” method possible.

Method 19: Using A Bootable Partition With GRUB4DOS

GRUB4DOS is a bootloader that works on Windows systems. It can boot ISO files from hard drive.

GRUB4DOS Setup

  1. Download GRUB4DOS.
  2. Install it to your hard drive’s MBR.
  3. Edit menu.lst to add an ISO entry.
  4. Boot and select the ISO.

This is an older method but still works on legacy BIOS systems.

Method 20: Using A Bootable SD Card With Adapter

If you have a microSD card and a USB adapter, you can use it as a USB drive.

Steps

  1. Insert microSD into USB adapter.
  2. Write ISO to the adapter using Rufus.
  3. Boot from the USB adapter.

This is essentially using a USB drive, but the media is an SD card.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Install Linux Without Any External Media At All?

Yes. Methods like UNetbootin hard drive install, GRUB2 ISO boot, and network installation (PXE) require no external media. You only need your computer’s hard drive and an internet connection.

Is It Safe To Install Linux Without A USB Drive?

It is safe if you follow instructions carefully. Always back up important data before modifying partitions. Tools like UNetbootin and GRUB2 are widely used and reliable.

What Is The Easiest Method To Install Linux Without USB?

Using UNetbootin to create a bootable hard drive partition is the easiest. It requires minimal technical knowledge and works on both Windows and Linux.

Can I Dual-boot Linux Without A USB Drive?

Yes. You can use UNetbootin or GRUB2 to boot a Live ISO, then install Linux alongside your existing OS. The installer will handle partitioning.

Does This Work On Mac Computers?

Some methods work on Macs. UNetbootin has a Mac version. GRUB2 is available via Homebrew. However, Macs use EFI boot, so you may need additional steps like disabling SIP.

Now you have multiple ways to install Linux without a USB drive. Choose the method that matches your skill level and hardware. The UNetbootin hard drive method is the most beginner-friendly. For advanced users, GRUB2 ISO boot or PXE network install offer more flexibility.

Remember to backup your data before starting. Linux installation can modify partitions, and mistakes can cause data loss. Take your time, read each step twice, and you’ll have Linux running in no time.

If you run into issues, most Linux distributions have active forums and documentation. The community is helpful and forgiving of beginners. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.

Installing Linux without a USB drive opens up possibilities for older hardware, systems with broken USB ports, or situations where you simply don’t have a flash drive handy. With these methods, you can explore Linux on almost any computer.

Try a few different methods to see which one works best for your setup. Each has its own advantages and quirks. The more you experiment, the more you’ll learn about how Linux boots and installs.

Good luck with your Linux installation. You now have all the tools and knowledge you need to succeed without a USB drive.