Ubuntu Cheat Codes, boot options and kernel parameters to help you boot Ubuntu from a USB flash drive on different machines. To append cheat codes during bootup, press the ESC key if you are booting from Syslinux or press E to edit, if booting from GRUB. Then proceed to add one or more of the following Boot options to your existing boot string, and press ENTER to boot.
Ubuntu Boot Parameters to Live Boot with Persistence
Ubuntu Cheat Codes and their intended Boot results
| Cheat Code/Boot Option | Intended Result of setting this Boot Parameter |
| casper-getty | Serial Login Shell. |
| xdebconf | xdebconfigurator (Configure X server). |
| hostname= username= userfullname= |
Override defaults for hostname, username, and userfullname. |
| {live-media|bootfrom}=DEVICE | Specifies location of /casper directory. If nothing is found, block devices will then be checked. |
| live-media-path=PATH | Set a different directory name to use instead of /casper. I.E. /live |
| persistent | Enable persistent overlay image. casper-rw, writable |
| nopersistent | Disable persistent overlay option. Bypass casper-rw, writable. |
| persistent-path=PATH | Provide a specific path to your casper-rw or writable persistent overlay image, or persistent filesystem. |
| toram | Copy the entire read only filesystem to RAM. |
| noprompt | Do not prompt to eject CD ROM on reboot. Useful when running from a Live USB. |
| vga=xxx | Sets VESA mode framebuffer resolution. |
| acpi=off OR noacpi | Disables ACPI if your computer does not support ACPI or if ACPI is causing system reboots or lockups. |
| acpi=force | Force enabling of ACPI. |
| pci=noacpi OR acpi=noirq | Turn off or disable PCI IRQ routing |
| pci=acpi | Enable PCI IRQ routing |
| acpi_irq_balance | Allow ACPI to use PIC interrupts instead of allocating IRQs. |
| acpi_irq_nobalance | Don't allow ACPI to use PIC interrupts. |
| acpi=oldboot | Completely deactivate ACPI with the exception of portions required for booting (oldboot). |
| acpi=ht | Completely deactivate ACPI with the exception of portions required for hyper threading (HT). |
| noapic | Turn off (APIC) Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller. |
| nolapic | Turn off local APIC. |
| apm=off OR noapm | Turn off (APM) Advanced Power Management. |
| irqpoll | Enable IRQ polling. Used when encountering hardware interrupt issues. |
| acpi.power_nocheck=1 OR acpi_osi=Linux | Turn off Power State checking. Needed on broken BIOS to make fan and temperature controls work. |
Here is an exhaustive list of Kernel command line Boot Parameters for Ubuntu based distributions.