[Dorset] laptop won't boot from USB stick...
Hello, I have a laptop onto which I'd like to install Linux Mint. On my Ubuntu desktop machine, I downloaded the Linux Mint ISO from linuxmint.com. I then ran the 'Startup DIsk Creator' on the Ubuntu system, giving it a 4GB USB memory stick and the linuxmint-13-mate-dvd-32bit.iso file. The Startup DIsk Creator has run apparently successfully and the USB key now shows as a 4GB file system containing directories: /boot, /casper, /install, /preseed, /syslinux, /.disk and some top level files including autorun.inf. However, when I put this USB key into the laptop, although I have set the USB Key as top priority in the BIOS boot menu, the laptop just boots from the hard disk. I am pretty sure the ISO image itself is sound, as I have run the Mint system directly from the image in a VirtualBox VM. The User Guide talks about burning the ISO to a DVD and not to a USB key. Is there anything else I need to do to make a bootable USB key from an ISO image? -- best regards, Victor Churchill, Bournemouth -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday 2012-06-12 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] laptop won't boot from USB stick...
On Mine, Hit Escape or F1 as the BIOS starts (I forget which). Then select the USB drive. On Tue, 2012-06-26 at 10:12 +0100, Victor Churchill wrote: > Hello, > > I have a laptop onto which I'd like to install Linux Mint. > > On my Ubuntu desktop machine, I downloaded the Linux Mint ISO from > linuxmint.com. > I then ran the 'Startup DIsk Creator' on the Ubuntu system, giving it a 4GB > USB memory stick and the > linuxmint-13-mate-dvd-32bit.iso file. The Startup DIsk Creator has run > apparently successfully and > the USB key now shows as a 4GB file system containing directories: > /boot, /casper, /install, /preseed, /syslinux, /.disk and some top level > files including autorun.inf. > > However, when I put this USB key into the laptop, although I have set the > USB Key as top priority in the BIOS boot menu, the laptop just boots from > the hard disk. > > I am pretty sure the ISO image itself is sound, as I have run the Mint > system directly from the image in a VirtualBox VM. > > The User Guide talks about burning the ISO to a DVD and not to a USB key. > Is there anything else I need to do to make a bootable USB key from an ISO > image? > -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday 2012-06-12 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] laptop won't boot from USB stick...
Hail Victor, > Is there anything else I need to do to make a bootable USB key from an > ISO image? No, don't think so. I had a similar problem a while ago. Finally decided the no-brand 4GB USB stick my brother had got for free, not needed, and passed onto me, couldn't be booted from. It took a lot of messing around to suspect it, ending up with ensuring it was byte-for-byte identical with another, Sandisk, that could boot. So have you booted off that USB stick before? Cheers, Ralph. -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday 2012-06-12 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] laptop won't boot from USB stick...
On 26/06/12 10:12, Victor Churchill wrote: Is there anything else I need to do to make a bootable USB key from an ISO image? Does the partition you are booting from on the USB device have the boot flag set? I am pretty sure I have fallen foul of this before and I don't know if the bootable disk creators set it automatically. You can check and correct this with a partition editor like gparted. Sean -- music, film, comics, books, rants and drivel: www.funkygibbins.me.uk -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday 2012-06-12 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] laptop won't boot from USB stick...
Hi Ralph, On 26 June 2012 10:21, Ralph Corderoy wrote: > Hail Victor, > > > Is there anything else I need to do to make a bootable USB key from an > > ISO image? > > No, don't think so. I had a similar problem a while ago. Finally > decided the no-brand 4GB USB stick my brother had got for free, not > needed, and passed onto me, couldn't be booted from. It took a lot of > messing around to suspect it, ending up with ensuring it was > byte-for-byte identical with another, Sandisk, that could boot. So have > you booted off that USB stick before? > No, it's the first time I have done anything with that USB key. It's not a no-name, it's Emtec brand but I dunno what sort of reputation they have. I will try a new SanDisk I have sitting here. FWIW I just tried two things: 1. regenerated the USB Stick using $ sudo dd if=linuxmint-yadyayda.iso of=/dev/sdc bs=4M ; same appearance and same behaviour 2. tried booting same USB key in different laptop, after setting BIOS: same behaviour. 3. checked the md5sum for the ISO against that given on the MInt web site. thanks also to Dominic, but I am getting into the BIOS OK (F2 on mine, as it happens) and asking it to boot from BIOS but it's not doing so. @Sean, thanks for that tip - I will take a look. cheers victor -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday 2012-06-12 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] laptop won't boot from USB stick...
Hi Victor, > 1. regenerated the USB Stick using $ sudo dd if=linuxmint-yadyayda.iso > of=/dev/sdc bs=4M ; same appearance and same behaviour I think the "Startup Disk Creator" programs may do more than this for you, so probably best off sticking to their output. Cheers, Ralph. -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday 2012-06-12 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] laptop won't boot from USB stick...
On 26/06/12 11:12, Ralph Corderoy wrote: Hi Victor, 1. regenerated the USB Stick using $ sudo dd if=linuxmint-yadyayda.iso of=/dev/sdc bs=4M ; same appearance and same behaviour I think the "Startup Disk Creator" programs may do more than this for you, so probably best off sticking to their output. Cheers, Ralph. Agreed. I think some ISOs can be dd's directly to a memory stick, but I've never really investigate the why and how of it. When I need this, I always use unetbootin. -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday 2012-06-12 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] laptop won't boot from USB stick...
On 26/06/2012 14:30, John Carlyle-Clarke wrote: >> I think the "Startup Disk Creator" programs may do more than this for >> you, so probably best off sticking to their output. >> >> Cheers, Ralph. >> >> > Agreed. I think some ISOs can be dd's directly to a memory stick, but > I've never really investigate the why and how of it. When I need this, I > always use unetbootin. On the usb stick you need an MBR in the first 464 bytes followed by a partition table (up to 512). Better off using a tool to do this. Si -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday 2012-06-12 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
Re: [Dorset] laptop won't boot from USB stick...
On 26 June 2012 14:36, Simon P Smith wrote: > On 26/06/2012 14:30, John Carlyle-Clarke wrote: > >> I think the "Startup Disk Creator" programs may do more than this for > >> you, so probably best off sticking to their output. > >> ... > > Agreed. I think some ISOs can be dd's directly to a memory stick, but > > I've never really investigate the why and how of it... > > On the usb stick you need an MBR in the first 464 bytes followed by a > partition table (up to 512). > > Better off using a tool to do this. > A current thread on the Mint forum (*) implies that a dd will do in their particular case: < of= bs=4M >> but I don't know what constitutes a 'hybrid' ISO (nor do I really want/need to). After getting the same negative results with a new 16GB SanDisk key, with both the 'dd' and the 'USB Disk Creator' (**) methods, I ducked the issue and just burned the image to a DVD-R I'm afraid. (*) - http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=105955 (**) - since there are USB Disks that are actually disks that spin, I do think this is an unfortunate choice of terminology. thanks all, -- Next meeting: Bournemouth, Tuesday 2012-06-12 20:00 Meets, Mailing list, IRC, LinkedIn, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ New thread on mailing list: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk How to Report Bugs Effectively: http://goo.gl/4Xue
