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Everything on how to make a persistent Live USB Linux, pen drive linux, install linux on a flash drive, from Windows or Linux...<br/>{{red|This page is completely crap.}}
Everything on how to make a persistent Live USB Linux, pen drive linux, install linux on a flash drive, from Windows or Linux...


== References ==
== References ==
Line 17: Line 17:
* Launch ''Startup Disk Creator'' in menu ''System'' &rarr; ''Administration''.
* Launch ''Startup Disk Creator'' in menu ''System'' &rarr; ''Administration''.
* Select ISO you want to use
* Select ISO you want to use
* Select a free '''FAT32''' partition on your USB drive ({{red|BEWARE! Don't let it erase the partition, because that b*tch will erase the '''WHOLE''' disk}})
* Select a free ''FAT32'' partition on your USB drive ({{red|BEWARE! Don't let it erase the partition, because that b*tch will erase the '''WHOLE''' disk}})
* Select size of ''casper'' file for persistent
* Select size of ''casper'' file for persistent
* ... and let's go.
* ... and let's go.


In case you want several partitions, first create your partitions yourself with e.g. '''gparted''', allocating a free ''FAT32'' for the Ubuntu partition. Eg:
⚫
== Manual recipes ==
{| style="margin-left:2em;" class="wikitable"
|-
|sdb1||NTFS|| || || Data partition
|-
|sdb2||FAT32|| 2850MB || || Ubuntu (850MB) + Casper-rw file (2000MB)
|}


Alternatively you can also use a separate ''casper-rw'' partition:
=== 1st recipe ===
{| style="margin-left:2em;" class="wikitable"
⚫
* Extract Linux CD in USB root
|-
* Delete folder [ROOT]
|sdb1||NTFS|| || || Data partition
* Copy the files to USB root:
|-
menu.c32
|sdb2||FAT32|| 850MB || || Ubuntu
syslinux.cfg
|-
ubnfilel.txt (list of all files on the cd - probably useless)
|sdb3||ext3|| 2000MB ||<tt>casper-rw</tt>||persistent storage
ubnpathl.txt (list of all dir on the cd - probably useless)
|}
⚫
* Copy /casper/vmlinuz to /ubnkern
* Copy /casper/initrd.lz to /ubninit


Note that ''Windows XP'' (and maybe later) only shows the first partition on USB drive (because it is seen as a removable media, see [[USB]]). So you should create your data partition as the first partition on the disk.
* Use "PDL-Casper-RW-Creator.exe" to create the casper file
* Then edit D:\syslinux.cfg (where D: is the drive letter of your usb stick), and add "persistent" at the end of the line that begins with "append":


⚫
== Manual recipes ==

=== Recipe based on Universal USB Installer (Windows) ===
Assuming we install '''Ubuntu Lucid 10.04.2''' on '''H:''' drive
* Install SysLinux
⚫
<source lang="bash">
⚫
syslinux.exe -maf H:
</source>
⚫
* Extract linux ISO in USB root
<source lang="bash">
# Exclude directory [BOOT]
7zG.exe x ubuntu-10.04.2-desktop-i386.iso -o"H:\" -y -x![BOOT]*
</source>
* Create configuration files:
{|style="margin-left:2em;"
|-
|<tt>H:\isolinux\</tt>||&rarr;||<tt>H:\syslinux\</tt>
|-
|<tt>H:\isolinux\isolinux.cfg</tt>||&rarr;||<tt>H:\syslinux\syslinux.cfg</tt>
|}
* Create file <tt>H:\syslinux\text.cfg</tt>, with as content (from <tt>ubuntu1004text.cfg</tt>):
<source lang="text">
<source lang="text">
default unetbootin
default live
label unetbootin
label live
menu label ^Run Ubuntu from this USB
⚫
kernel /ubnkern
⚫
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
⚫
append initrd=/ubninit file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper quiet splash persistent --
append noprompt cdrom-detect/try-usb=true persistent file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper initrd=/casper/initrd.lz splash --
label live-install
menu label ^Install Ubuntu on a Hard Disk
⚫
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
⚫
append cdrom-detect/try-usb=true file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper only-ubiquity initrd=/casper/initrd.lz splash --
label memtest
menu label Test ^memory
kernel /install/mt86plus
label hd
menu label ^Boot from first hard disk
localboot 0x80
</source>
</source>
* Create casper file <tt>H:\casper-rw</tt> (see below)


=== Another way to create the persistent file ===
=== Create the CASPER file / partition ===
To create a persistent file (4GB file):
To create a persistent file (here 4GB file), assuming USB is at <tt>/media/PENDRIVE</tt>:
<source lang="bash">
<source lang="bash">
dd if=/dev/zero of=G:\\casper-rw bs=1M count=4090 --progress
dd if=/dev/zero of=/media/PENDRIVE/casper-rw bs=1M count=4096 --progress
mke2fs -b 4090 -L casper-rw G:\\casper-rw
mke2fs -b 4096 -L casper-rw /media/PENDRIVE/casper-rw
</source>
</source>
Also works on '''Windows''', but requires <code>dd.exe</code> and <code>mke2fs</code> (see for instance ''Universal USB Installer'')


To create a persistent partition:
To create a persistent partition:
<source lang="bash">
<source lang="bash">
sudo mkfs.ext3 -b 4096 -L casper-rw /dev/sda1
sudo mkfs.ext3 -b 4096 -L casper-rw /dev/sdb3 # mkfs.ext3 is the same as mke2fs
dd if=/dev/zero of=/media/hda1/casper-rw bs=1M count=128
mkfs.ext3 /media/hda1/casper-rw
</source>
</source>


=== Yet another way ===
=== Variants ===
We have by default:
* Created partition: 1 for extract iso, 1 for casper-rw
{|style="margin-left:2em;"
* extract the .ISO to usb
|-
* make the drive bootable:
⚫
| ||<tt>/isolinux/isolinux.cfg</tt>
⚫
<source lang="bash">
|-
⚫
syslinux -maf X:
|&rarr; includes &rarr; ||<tt>menu.cfg</tt>
|-
|&rarr; includes &rarr; ||<tt>text.cfg</tt>
|}

So we can simply add a file <tt>/syslinux.cfg</tt> (necessary for ''syslinux'', the boot used on USB):
<source lang="text">
include /isolinux/isolinux.cfg
</source>
</source>
* delete [BOOT]
* created /syslinux.cfg
⚫
* include /isolinux/isolinux.cfg

Latest revision as of 13:46, 1 June 2011

Everything on how to make a persistent Live USB Linux, pen drive linux, install linux on a flash drive, from Windows or Linux...

References

Using Automatic Tools

Universal USB Installer (Windows)

See Universal USB Installer on pendrivelinux.com.

UNetbootin (Windows, Linux)

Startup Disk Creator (Ubuntu)

This is an utility on Ubuntu.

  • Launch Startup Disk Creator in menu System → Administration.
  • Select ISO you want to use
  • Select a free FAT32 partition on your USB drive (BEWARE! Don't let it erase the partition, because that b*tch will erase the WHOLE disk)
  • Select size of casper file for persistent
  • ... and let's go.

In case you want several partitions, first create your partitions yourself with e.g. gparted, allocating a free FAT32 for the Ubuntu partition. Eg:

sdb1 NTFS Data partition
sdb2 FAT32 2850MB Ubuntu (850MB) + Casper-rw file (2000MB)

Alternatively you can also use a separate casper-rw partition:

sdb1 NTFS Data partition
sdb2 FAT32 850MB Ubuntu
sdb3 ext3 2000MB casper-rw persistent storage

Note that Windows XP (and maybe later) only shows the first partition on USB drive (because it is seen as a removable media, see USB). So you should create your data partition as the first partition on the disk.

Manual recipes

Recipe based on Universal USB Installer (Windows)

Assuming we install Ubuntu Lucid 10.04.2 on H: drive

  • Install SysLinux
syslinux.exe -maf H:
  • Extract linux ISO in USB root
# Exclude directory [BOOT]
7zG.exe x ubuntu-10.04.2-desktop-i386.iso -o"H:\" -y -x![BOOT]*
  • Create configuration files:
H:\isolinux\ → H:\syslinux\
H:\isolinux\isolinux.cfg → H:\syslinux\syslinux.cfg
  • Create file H:\syslinux\text.cfg, with as content (from ubuntu1004text.cfg):
default live
label live
  menu label ^Run Ubuntu from this USB
  kernel /casper/vmlinuz
  append noprompt cdrom-detect/try-usb=true persistent file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper initrd=/casper/initrd.lz splash --
label live-install
  menu label ^Install Ubuntu on a Hard Disk
  kernel /casper/vmlinuz
  append cdrom-detect/try-usb=true file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper only-ubiquity initrd=/casper/initrd.lz splash --
label memtest
  menu label Test ^memory
  kernel /install/mt86plus
label hd
  menu label ^Boot from first hard disk
  localboot 0x80
  • Create casper file H:\casper-rw (see below)

Create the CASPER file / partition

To create a persistent file (here 4GB file), assuming USB is at /media/PENDRIVE: 

dd if=/dev/zero of=/media/PENDRIVE/casper-rw bs=1M count=4096 --progress
mke2fs -b 4096 -L casper-rw /media/PENDRIVE/casper-rw

Also works on Windows, but requires dd.exe and mke2fs (see for instance Universal USB Installer)

To create a persistent partition: 

sudo mkfs.ext3 -b 4096 -L casper-rw /dev/sdb3        # mkfs.ext3 is the same as mke2fs

Variants

We have by default:

/isolinux/isolinux.cfg
→ includes → menu.cfg
→ includes → text.cfg

So we can simply add a file /syslinux.cfg (necessary for syslinux, the boot used on USB): 

include /isolinux/isolinux.cfg
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