(vanity) Anyone successfully gotten a version of Linux to boot from a USB flash drive?

9/6/06 | marty

[martin_fierro]

I once installed Damn Small Linux on a smaller USB flash drive (512 MB), but it was only operable from within Windows (and then only s-l-o-w-l-y) -- wasn't able to get it to boot on its own.

Just got a deal on a 4GB USB 2.0 flash drive and would like to install a bootable version of Linux on it.

xubuntu ("Ubuntu Lite") appeared to go through the steps of properly installing itself on the flash drive.

Set up my PC's CMOS to boot first from "USB-HDD". Inserted the flash drive and rebooted -- and the drive was ignored in favor of Windows XP.

Has anyone successfully installed a bootable version of Linux on a flash drive? If so, what version and how did you do it?

[martin_fierro]

Seems to me that THIS is the wave of the future, not bloatware consuming gigabytes of hard drive space.

[martin_fierro]

Techie Ping

[mattdono]

Why don't you just burn a Knoppix Linux copy? It will fit on 1 CD and you don't have to reconfigure the boot drive.

[festus]

What version is the microcode on the flux capacitor ? Sometimes you need to ugprade that.

[jdm]

Set up my PC's CMOS to boot first from "USB-HDD". Inserted the flash drive and rebooted -- and the drive was ignored in favor of Windows XP.

UNNNGH..

[martin_fierro]

Because I'd like to be able to preserve customized data (Firefox bookmarks, etc.) somewhere -- live CDs force you to restart from scratch each time.

[martin_fierro]

I hereby stune your beeber.

For great justice.

[doc1019]

But it seems to beat my CD drive to death, just how much can a CD drive take before it needs to be replaced?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

There are quite a number of distros on Distrowatch that say they will fit on various USB devices....

Might try Puppy from Australia:

Puppy will easily install to USB, Zip or hard drive media.

*************************************

Mission Statement

• Puppy will easily install to USB, Zip or hard drive media.
• Booting from CD, Puppy will load totally into RAM so that the CD drive is then free for other purposes.
• Booting from CD, Puppy can save everything back to the CD, no need for a hard drive.
  
• Booting from USB, Puppy will greatly minimise writes, to extend the life of Flash devices indefinitely.
• Puppy will be extremely friendly for Linux newbies.
• Puppy will boot up and run extraordinarily fast.
• Puppy will have all the applications needed for daily use.
• Puppy will just work, no hassles.
• Puppy will breathe new life into old PCs

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I like to use this one from CD:

SLAX - Live CD

And Wolvix is based on Slax which is a slackware derivative.

Slax has some very interesitng capabilities and more about it here:

And it can go on USB devices the guide says....

*****************************************************

Boot Slax from a USB flashdrive

If you want to be able to boot Slax without the disc and with a USB flashdrive, you start by booting Slax with the USB drive plugged in. When you get to the part that says root@slax then type this:

cd /root/

"cd" command changes the directory that commands can be taken from. Next, type:

./create_bootdisk.sh . /dev/sda1 /dev/sda SLAX

The /dev/sda1 tells Slax where the first partition on your USB drive and /dev/sda is the Master Boot Record of the drive. The period after create_bootdisk.sh command tells SLAX to copy all files from the current directory to USB drive; "." Means the current directory now, you changed it to /boot in the previous command

This should make your USB drive able to boot Slax. Now, to boot, you need to set the BIOS to boot from USB.

[martin_fierro]

We're on a wavelength -- was just trying Puppy as you posted.

So far no luck < |:(~

[Mr. Jeeves]

Well, I can boot Xenix from an 8" floppy and run a 20 million line BASIC version of DOOM III on it...does that count? ;)

[martin_fierro]

If you think I'm scrolling through 40 million lines of code to see pr0n, you've got another thought coming.

< |:)~

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Forgot about this one:

What is Damn Small Linux, a.k.a. DSL?

[Mr. Jeeves]

Then you just need a web browser that can load Booble...even DOS/Windows 3.0 could handle that. ;)

[HairOfTheDog]

Inserted the flash drive and rebooted -- and the drive was ignored in favor of Windows XP.

Seems to me you have a perfectly good operating system but you're trying to go around it to use a toy one :~)

[ChadGore]

I use Kubunto on a CD after going into BIOS and setting the proper boot order ( 3.5 floppy, CD, HD)

[VOA]

bump

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Does the bios on your computer allow booting from a usb device?

If so..... may need to change the boot order....

[martin_fierro]

Hey, got Puppy Linux to work (yes, my BIOS supports USB-boot)!

Was getting errors because I hadn't yet mounted the USB drive.

Typing this from Puppy Linux on the USB drive now!

Xubuntu seems to be more user-friendly. Might reformat the drive and try again with that.

But at least I know now that it's possible to boot linux from the pendrive!