I am trying to install qubes onto a usb. I got to the installation usb just fine, but as I try to select the installation destination, I keep running into the same problem. My first try I was trying to install to a 64 gig flash, and it kept saying the volume was too small. So I tried wiping and reformatting the drive a few times, but the same issue persisted. I then I went out and got a new 126 gig flash, and freshly plugged in it had the same problem. I confirmed the iso before installing, so I’m not too sure what is going on. As a note, I am new to qubes, but I have had experience with tails.
Also, I have been attempting to reclaim the space, but it just reverts back
-you need to delete partition
-you need to mark as either GPT or MBR
-you need to format either exFAT or FAT32
-Change uuid for disk
Also when doing a full format. Depends on size can take a while
I used rufus to format the usb im trying to install on as a MBR and a exFat. The installer still only veiws my 126gig usb as 1000 kb’s
Maybe we could use this post to as a chance for people to give qubes specific justifications and wisdoms for different file systems and partitions tables [fs and pt] for different use cases? Such as:
Internal SSD hosting Qubes OS: use this fs and pt if you want x because, and if you want y, use this fs and pt because…
Internal HDD hosting Qubes OS: use fs and pt if you want x because, and if you want y use that fs and pt because…
External USB SSD mass storage: use this fs and pt if you want x because, and if you want y use that fs and pt because…
External HDD storage: use: this fs and pt if you want x because, and use this fs and pt if you want y because…
If you need that data set to be readable by windows use this fs and pt because.
Someone could argue the case for having one set of backups saved to one fs and pt, and a duplicate set of backups saved to a different fs and pt.
A lot of us are coming into this OS at the same time as learning linux in general, either because we’re foolish or because circumstances dictate that we have no other choice in life but to jump in at the deep end and swim as hard as we can.
File systems and Partition Tables may not be Qubes specific, but their use case related to qubes could point to a specific rationale.
Sorry, but I have to ask the annoying questions to get them out of the way… 
Are your USB ports alright? They’re not showing any errors?
Was this USB stick by any chance one of those ones on eBay that claim to be super high-capacity, but have a price that looks “too good to be true”?
If it was, there’s a small chance that the firmware on the USB stick has been told to tell the computer that its capacity is 128GB, when in actual fact, there’s nowhere near that much in NAND storage on it…
If it’s not, then that’s peculiar…
You shouldn’t have to do any of that. The Qubes OS installer should do all of that for you, anyway.
I mean, feel free to still do it, but you’re basically doing the same thing twice
-
Internal SSD hosting Qubes OS: It’ll be fast, but you can’t really take it with you without having to create UEFI entries in every machine you put it into.
-
Internal HDD hosting Qubes OS: For all intents and purposes, identical to Option 1, but slower, because the drive has moving parts in it.
-
External USB SSD mass storage: Sure, you can take it with you, but you won’t be able to do USB passthrough without giving a VM your entire USB bus, and causing your machine to “recursively implode”…
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External HDD storage: For all intents and purposes, identical to Option 3, but slower, because the drive has moving parts in it.
If you want to have a backup that you can boot into, then yeah, that might be useful… But Qubes Backup is a pretty nice solution for that, too.
…then your only options are exFAT, vfat, or NTFS, unless you want to install third-party software on Windows to be able to read and write other filesystems.
Also, do NOT use any of the filesystems I just mentioned on your Qubes OS install partitions. 
If you’re interested in what different filesystems are good for, give this a go:
They all have advantages and disadvantages. I should point out that you don’t really get a say in your filesystem on a standard Qubes OS install. But you’re right, it’s still good to know 
…which is awesome, by the way. It’ll be very difficult for you to go back
You’re not foolish. If you knew that this was actually possible with computers when you first started using them, I can guarantee you that you’d have made the switch long ago.
…and you’ve got plenty of people swimming near you who will gladly help you with your technique
The only thing is, unless there’s an obvious linear progression with your understanding of how computers work (ie. you don’t ask the same stupid questions more than once), you’re unlikely to get any meaningful help from the community. That’d be one of the things that would make their patience disappear…
I guess you could say that about everything in life… 
My Usb ports are perfectly funtioning, I bought the usb stick at a brick and mortar store, and I put a different os on it (Kodachi) that works fine, (but I have problems with for a different reason). I’ve wiped and reformated via rufus, so any data on there should be turned to dust.
I reinstalled the ISO image, just in case there was some glitch in it or something, im going to try reinstalling it on the usb and trying again. Maybe it will decide to do something different this time.
Ok, good. I didn’t think that was the case, but I had to check.
Hopefully it goes well this time.
Well, it worked this time, I appreciate you trying. Maybe you’d like to try again? another problem arose, and I am at a loss
https://forum.qubes-os.org/t/problem-booting-qubes-4-1/10867