Some of the SEO recipes that I will be posting on this site require a Unix-based operating system such as Linux. Mac OS/X should also work for those examples, but I’m not as familiar with Mac so you may have to adapt the scripts somewhat.
This post shows a way to install Linux on an external hard drive so that you don’t have to modify your internal hard drive for a dual-boot Linux/Windows setup.
(Sorry about the quality of the image above — it was taken with my cell phone.)
The reason that I recommend having Linux around for SEO is because of the scriptable shell and text processing abilities. For example, if you wanted to find the number of outbound links on a page you could just type the following into a terminal:
lynx -dump "http://pocketseo.com/" | egrep -o "http:.*" | wc -l
That is just a very basic example. There are many great possibilities with Linux, and I will cover more-interesting SEO scripting recipes in the future.
Install Ubuntu on External Hard Drive
I’m currently running my main operating system from a 120 Gb external hard drive that I got at Best Buy for $101 including tax. Here are the steps:
- Download a copy of Ubuntu Linux. I’m using version Ubuntu 7.04 “Feisty Fawn”.
- Burn the CD image to a CD-R with these instructions. You will end up with a Linux live CD.
- Turn off the computer and remove the internal drive(s). Otherwise you risk getting the MBR overwritten when you install Linux.
- Boot the computer from the live CD. As soon as the Ubuntu start screen appears, plug in the external hard drive that you want to install to. Start Ubuntu from the menu that is provided.
- Once the Ubuntu desktop has loaded, double-click on the install icon and follow the installation instructions. The installation process should take between 20 to 40 minutes.
When the installation is done, remove the live CD and reboot the computer from the external hard drive. You should then be running a full installation of Ubuntu. You can put your regular hard drive back in the computer and just boot from the external hard drive when you want to use Linux. You can take your Linux installation with you wherever you go. Any computer that you plug the external hard drive into will have your entire operating system on it.
If you haven’t used Linux before, check out the Ubuntu help docs and the Ubuntu Forums.
If you want to experiment with the latest Linux desktop, try the Sabayon Linux Live DVD. An example is below:
More about Linux and SEO techniques is coming soon.
2 Comments
Ok, after I restart the system, can I re-enable the deselected settings in the Removable drives & media window, so I could use other devices like my ipod or my memory stick
Also, when do I reinsert my internal HDD, and after it is inserted, how will my computer BOOT, and how would others when I connect my USB HDD
AND MOST IMPORTANT, how can I transfer files and data from one drive to another???(In my case Windows to Ubuntu and vice versa)
I’m not sure which settings you mean — are those settings in Windows or Linux?
After you install Ubuntu on the external drive you can turn off your computer an put your internal hard drive back in. Set your BIOS to boot from the USB drive first. That way if your USB hard drive is plugged in it will boot Linux. If it’s not plugged in, it will boot Windows.
I use this program to read my Linux drive from Windows.
To read Windows from Linux you have to mount the Windows drive. I recommend searching UbuntuForums.org for information about how to do that.
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[…] If you have never used Linux before, start with a dual-boot system so that you can go back to Windows occasionally if you need to. It is also possible to install Linux on an external hard drive. […]