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Rufus (introduction topic)

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#351 Tika Datta Pahadi

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Posted 06 September 2013 - 12:17 PM

Hi Developer. Thank you for your post. I have a problem with the latest Rufus 1.3.4 (also 1.3.3) that when I boot Backtrack(Linux) with Rufus, it says "Write Failed" and the Drives's path is also deleted. What's the reason maybe? I am on Win 8.1 (It happens in 8) as well. The Drive is Adata 8GB. I tried on others also. The iso file works fine for Unetbootin.



#352 Zoso

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Posted 16 September 2013 - 01:43 PM

hi Akeo, I have used v1.3.3 to install WES732 IBW (windows embedded standard)

first install was success, second install the boot cfg folder and files were placed on the USB flash that rufus installed W7 iso so the intended install did not boot until I copied the boot folder to it from the rufus flash.

this happened on the next two installs also.

the way I use rufus flash drive is like this:

in XPsp3 or W7 running VirtualBox with DavidB's VMUSBoot (http://reboot.pro/to...chine-usb-boot/)

first drive (boot) is the rufus flash drive, second is USB HDD for intended install.

start Virtual Box with VM Starter, boots rufus USB Flash and installs W7 onto USB HDD.



now I have a problem with the rufus flash. when inserted to machine it keeps acting as if it is being pulled out and re-inserted over and over. the usb device insert and eject sounds in continuous loop and you can see the drive appear and disappear over and over continuously in drive manger. Ive tried several different systems and OS with same behavior. so now this usb flash seems hosed.


not sure if it is a rufus related issue or not.

so now I am trying to start over with rufus on another USB Flash and no matter what machine or OS I try rufus does not detect anything, when it opens the boxes are empty with no selections available.

I mentioned this several weeks ago but was finally able to get it to work on a system that only had a single partition internal HDD with W7. I have never been able to run it as a portable app from USB or copy to C:/ on a multi partitioned HDD or a multi partitioned USB HDD. it only worked for me on single partitioned internal HDD.

now I dont have a single partitioned internal HDD system available so I tried v1.3.4 and am finding the exact same behavior.

not sure what to try next and dont have a lot of time to experiemnt with it so I am just providing some input from my experience with rufus.

Im glad it worked and allowed me to set up a few mutliboot USB with embedded 7 EWF enabled but I cant seem to recreate this senario now unless I start over with a new internal HDD that has only one partition and I dont have that available to me without wipping one that Ive spent alot of time setting up as mutliboot so Im not willing to do that at this time.

has anyone got rufus to run directly from a USB as portable app or directly from C:/ on multipartitioned internal HDD?

thanks

edit: just realized that all my drives have either DiskCryptor MBR or Ubuntu, none have standard windows MBR. guessing that has something to do with no device showing in rufus?

#353 Akeo

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Posted 17 September 2013 - 12:39 AM

Hi Developer. Thank you for your post. I have a problem with the latest Rufus 1.3.4 (also 1.3.3) that when I boot Backtrack(Linux) with Rufus, it says "Write Failed" and the Drives's path is also deleted. What's the reason maybe? I am on Win 8.1 (It happens in 8) as well. The Drive is Adata 8GB. I tried on others also. The iso file works fine for Unetbootin.

 

I'd suspect a bad connection with your device. Rufus is not doing anything fancy during the copy process - it just tells the system to write a bunch of files pretty much as if you had initiated the same thing from Windows explorer. The one thing is that Rufus is usually faster than other tools, so if your device has a flaky hardware connection, it may be more prone to interferences if the rate at which the data is being sent is higher, especially if you are using an USB 3.0 connection - I've seen quite a few occurences of device disconnection on high rate data transfers with USB 3.0 due to flaky cables/controllers.

 

It would help if you provided a few more details:

1. The complete Rufus log when the problem occurs. Also please run the test a few times to find out if the issue always happens with the same file or not

2. More information about the USB flash drive(s) you tested: Is it an USB 3.0 device? Was it connected directly into the host controller or through an extension cable? Did you try on a different port?

3. Whether you experienced the issue on a different machine or with a different ISO?

4. The EXACT name and download location of the ISO you used so that i can run a test. Unless I can reproduce the issue on my environment, I will have to dismiss it as an environmental problem with your specific setup.



#354 Akeo

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Posted 17 September 2013 - 01:26 AM

hi Akeo, I have used v1.3.3 to install WES732 IBW (windows embedded standard)


I have never tested Embedded Standard so I make no guarantee that it will work. Also, if you encounter an issue, you should always try to check for a new version (here 1.3.4) and use that.
 

first install was success


OK then.
 

second install the boot cfg folder and files were placed on the USB flash that rufus installed W7 iso so the intended install did not boot until I copied the boot folder to it from the rufus flash.

this happened on the next two installs also.


You probably switched your drive between GPT/MBR during these installs and Rufus then automatically switched to select UEFI mode rather than BIOS mode.

Be mindful that Rufus will try to guess the most likely settings you want according to the configuration of the flash drive (which is something that may change according to how you reformat the drive), so, unless you pay very close attention to the options selected, and ensure that they are exactly the same from one run to the next, you may get different results. For instance, if Rufus sees a GPT formatted drive, it will guess that you want to install Windows in UEFI mode, whereas if it sees MBR, it will guess that you want BIOS mode. Please try to re-test and switch between the UEFI/BIOS/MBR/GPT option to see which one produces the result that you want.
 

the way I use rufus flash drive is like this:

in XPsp3 or W7 running VirtualBox with DavidB's VMUSBoot (http://reboot.pro/to...chine-usb-boot/)

first drive (boot) is the rufus flash drive, second is USB HDD for intended install.

start Virtual Box with VM Starter, boots rufus USB Flash and installs W7 onto USB HDD.


Well this is non standard mode so I make no guarantee that this will work, as you will understand that I can't really spend my time running around every possible virtual hardware app to see what happens. I'm only one guy, I can only develop Rufus in my limited spare time, and Rufus is one of many projects that compete for it.

Do you see the same issue when you try oustide of a virtualization setup?
 

now I have a problem with the rufus flash. when inserted to machine it keeps acting as if it is being pulled out and re-inserted over and over. the usb device insert and eject sounds in continuous loop and you can see the drive appear and disappear over and over continuously in drive manger. Ive tried several different systems and OS with same behavior. so now this usb flash seems hosed.


Sounds like a virtual machine issue, not a Rufus one. Also even a poorly implemented hardware detection should not destroy an USB drive. All it does is query the USB bus for device data, which is a read-only operation.

Also see here for a more in depth explanation as to why Rufus is unlikely to damage a device.
 

so now I am trying to start over with rufus on another USB Flash and no matter what machine or OS I try rufus does not detect anything, when it opens the boxes are empty with no selections available.


https://github.com/p...is_not_detected
 

I mentioned this several weeks ago but was finally able to get it to work on a system that only had a single partition internal HDD with W7. I have never been able to run it as a portable app from USB or copy to C:/ on a multi partitioned HDD or a multi partitioned USB HDD. it only worked for me on single partitioned internal HDD.


You're really putting all chances against you: virtual hardware and multi partition. Usually the point of virtualization is to run things in isolation, making multiple partitions rather unneeded. I have to ask: What exactly are you trying to achieve with this setup?
 

not sure what to try next and dont have a lot of time to experiemnt with it

Neither do I, to experiment with virtual setup combinations, I'm afraid. I played with VMWare and Virtual PC, as these are the most popular, and they seemed to be OK, but I can't really test every virtual conf out there.
 

has anyone got rufus to run directly from a USB as portable app

I did. But I tested with real hardware. Running Rufus off the USB from a BartPE WinPE environment seemed to work just fine last time I checked. I think some people found issues when trying to use Hiren, but considering that it works fine with BartPE, and I guess a mini XP may try to remove some of the Windows features that Rufus relies on, it doesn't look like something I want to dwell on. As long as the version of Windows you run it from isn't too crippled, Rufus should work even when ran from an USB drive.
 

edit: just realized that all my drives have either DiskCryptor MBR or Ubuntu, none have standard windows MBR. guessing that has something to do with no device showing in rufus?


Try the Alt-F/Show fixed devices mode I pointed to above. But yeah, if your device is set to conceal some of its data through crypto, I can't exactly make much guarantee that it will work with Rufus. At this stage, I would strongly encourage you to try to keep it simple and close to a standard mode of operation (real hardware, no crypto, single partition). Then once you confirmed that this works, you can try to change one of the parameters and see where your problem is.

#355 badfeet

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Posted 17 September 2013 - 03:48 AM

Hope someone can help.  I've used the latest Rufus to make an XP SP3 install disk but all I'm getting is a flashing cursor in the top left corner when the computer attempts to boot to the USB drive (1GB USB 2.0).

 

 

Thanks in advance,

Patrick



#356 paul.braren

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Posted 24 September 2013 - 04:24 AM

Been wanting a fast and simple utility like this for many years, sure works well. Recently wrote up three handy uses with step-by-step instructions:

Rufus takes 2 minutes to create a bootable USB flash drive for ESXi installation

Rufus let’s you quickly and easily reformat an ESXi USB flash drive back to full capacity

Rufus takes 5 minutes to create a UEFI bootable USB 3.0 flash drive for Windows 8.1 installation


Edited by paul.braren, 24 September 2013 - 04:25 AM.


#357 paul.braren

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Posted 24 September 2013 - 04:35 AM

I've used Rufus on many different USB 3.0 flash drives, and one has me stumped, won't recognize an Adata drive, explained here:

http://TinkerTry.com...ment-1038808315

 

Here's the contents of the log:

Rufus version 1.3.4.270

Windows version: Windows 8 or later 64-bit
Found device 'ADATA N005 USB Device'
A device was eliminated because it didn't report itself as a non fixed USB disk
0 devices found.
 

Pressing Alt+F did help, explained here:

http://reboot.pro/to...e-4#entry174663

 

Is there a way to set this drive to behave differently when inserted, so Rufus can see it by default?  I'm on Windows 8.1 x64, with more details about the ADATA N005 Pro 32GB here:

http://TinkerTry.com...ves-vary-widely

 

Thank you!


Edited by paul.braren, 24 September 2013 - 04:54 AM.


#358 paul.braren

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Posted 24 September 2013 - 04:53 AM

Actually, it will then find the ADATA (once I hit Alt+F), but it won't complete creation of making it a Windows 8.1 x64 bootable installer, ending about 40% through with an error.

 

Here's the beginning of the huge log:

Creating file system: Task 10/12 completed.
Creating file system: Task 11/12 completed.
Creating file system: Task 12/12 completed.
Format completed.
Writing master boot record...
Drive has a zeroed non-bootable master boot record
Set bootable USB partition as 0x80
Using Rufus bootable USB selection MBR
Found volume GUID \\?\Volume{d189fff1-2466-11e3-818c-8c705a6267dc}\
\\?\Volume{d189fff1-2466-11e3-818c-8c705a6267dc}\ was already mounted as E:\
Caution: Opened drive \\?\Volume{d189fff1-2466-11e3-818c-8c705a6267dc} for write access
Writing partition boot record...
Confirmed new volume has an NTFS boot sector
Successfully remounted Volume{d189fff1-2466-11e3-818c-8c705a6267dc}\ on E:\
Copying ISO files...
Extracting files...
Disc image is an UDF image
Extracting: E:\autorun.inf (128 bytes)
Extracting: E:\boot\bcd (256.0 KB)
 
and here's the ending
 
Extracting: E:\sources\inf\setup.cfg (4.2 KB)
Extracting: E:\sources\input.dll (253.5 KB)
Extracting: E:\sources\install.exe (4.7 MB)
Extracting: E:\sources\install.wim (3.1 GB)
  Error writing file: [0x00000015] The device is not ready.
 
0 devices found.
0 devices found.
Found device 'ADATA N005 USB Device'
1 device found.
Sector Size: 512 bytes
Cylinders: 3742, TracksPerCylinder: 255, SectorsPerTrack: 63
Partition type: MBR, NB Partitions: 1
Disk ID: 0x05E1966B
Partition 1:
  Type: NTFS (0x07)
  Size: 28.7 GB (30781864448 bytes)
  Start Sector: 2048, Boot: Yes, Recognized: Yes
 


#359 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 24 September 2013 - 09:10 AM

@paul.braren

 

Please consider how some of the new USB 3.0 "high end" flash sticks are NOT actually flash sticks. :w00t:

They are a USB to SATA bridge + SSD.

In other words they are exactly as an external hard disk box with an SSD in it.

It is very possible (please read as practically sure) that the controller has the "Fixed" bit set (like all external USB hard disk cases) and not the "Removable" bit set (like 99.99% of "common" flash USB sticks). 

 

The error you are having is however seemingly not related to the Fixed vs. Removable status, it seems more like a timing issue (or a glitch in the matrix :ph34r:).

 

:cheers:

Wonko



#360 Akeo

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Posted 24 September 2013 - 10:04 PM

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the articles - much appreciated. :)
For what is worth, you can also count on halving these times with a better USB 3.0 flash drive (such as a Sandisk Extreme). My tests shows that, with such a drive, it takes about about 2:30 for Rufus to create a FAT32/UEFI Win 8.1 bootable disk... ;) Using NTFS/MBR mode it's even faster.
 

Pressing Alt+F did help, explained here:
http://reboot.pro/to...e-4#entry174663


Also explained in the official Rufus FAQ
 

Is there a way to set this drive to behave differently when inserted, so Rufus can see it by default?


Just add option -f when starting Rufus.

Right now I'm not planning to enable this by default, as Rufus is used by a lot of people, some of them less tech savvy than others, and enabling the listing of drives that present themselves as fixed may lead to data loss.

Of course, with manufacturers working around the "One partition is all you'll ever get to see" idiotic limitation of Windows, by disabling the removable flag of their Flash Drive (which by the way is the reason why your drive isn't listed automatically in the first place), I may have no choice but to do something about this...

#361 Akeo

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Posted 24 September 2013 - 10:20 PM

Extracting: E:\sources\install.wim (3.1 GB)
  Error writing file: [0x00000015] The device is not ready.


Mmmmr, this is the 3rd report I get for this kind of error, all of which seem to occur with different ISOs (I got Linux, and now Windows) and all with USB 3.0 UFDs. I guess I will have to try to look into it after all...

Of course, I have yet to see it on any of the machines and/or USB flash drives I test with. My initial thought, knowing first hand that USB 3.0 gear is quite prone to cross talk and flaky cabling, was that it is likely an environmental issue with some people's hardware, but if more and more people start to report the same thing, there's some digging to be done.

I guess it'd help if you could answer a few questions:

  • What is the make and manufacturer of your USB 3.0 controller? Common xHCI include Renesas uPD72020x, VIA VL80x, Intel, Fresco Logic, etc...
  • Was the device connected through an extension cable? Did you see the same error when it was connected to a different port?
  • Do you see the same error when testing from another machine? When using a different ISO?
  • Did you check the Windows even log for any notice around the time when you observed the issue?
  • Did your flash drive appear to be disconnected altogether, or was it only Rufus that saw a problem with it?

I'll see what i can do to test some more on my platforms, but if I can't reproduce the issue, it might be difficult to figure out what is really going there...

 

[Edit] Oh, and the full log would be nice too!



#362 steve6375

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Posted 24 September 2013 - 11:28 PM

It is probably due to a 'power surge' - it happens quite a lot on the starship Enterprise as well.... :buehehe:  

 

For my 2p-worth, the larger the file and the faster the I/O transfer, the more likely you are to get this sort of problem. I have encountered some USB 3.0 extension cables which have caused data corruption when transferring large files to a UFD. Even if you didn't get a 'stop' error, I used to get corrupt files but with no 'error' reported.

It took me ages to figure out why the ISOs weren't booting properly! :dubbio:  I checked the SHA1 checksums after transfer and then chucked the dodgy USB 3.0 cables in the bin - I bought better cables and have had no more problems since.



#363 paul.braren

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Posted 25 September 2013 - 02:47 AM

I guess it'd help if you could answer a few questions:

  • What is the make and manufacturer of your USB 3.0 controller? Common xHCI include Renesas uPD72020x, VIA VL80x, Intel, Fresco Logic, etc...
  • Was the device connected through an extension cable? Did you see the same error when it was connected to a different port?
  • Do you see the same error when testing from another machine? When using a different ISO?
  • Did you check the Windows even log for any notice around the time when you observed the issue?
  • Did your flash drive appear to be disconnected altogether, or was it only Rufus that saw a problem with it?

I'll see what i can do to test some more on my platforms, but if I can't reproduce the issue, it might be difficult to figure out what is really going there...

 

[Edit] Oh, and the full log would be nice too!

Ah, well before another minute goes by where I'm in any way besmirtching your good name/your excellent software, it's confession time. Ready?

 

Yep, I'm using an extension cable.  There, I said it, and I'm so sorry to have wasted your time, or caused you even one iota of grief.  Tried the ADATA again directly plugged into the Lenovo ThinkPad W520, a Renesas Electronics USB 3.0 controller of some sort, using the native Windows 8.1 driver.

 

Here's a reference to the driver needed for Windows 7 and earlier:

http://support.lenov...ocID=MIGR-77006

 

Here's that nasty cable:

Tera Grand - USB 3.0 Docking Extension Cable with Two USB Ports - One for Data, the other for Power - with Magnet inside

http://amzn.com/B0063K0JXY

 

It's strange, because I've used this extension cable so many times without incident, oh well. Even for building the Mushkin USB 3.0 drive that worked fine, and never had the same error.  So something about this ADATA and that cable, I dunno.

 

So I'm knocking that cable off my "what I use" list tonight:

http://www.tinkertry.com/mydesk/

and destroying it (scissors), then responsibly disposing of it. Hoping to find a 5' extender someday that's better (don't really need a USB 3.0 hub), since my laptop is situated a ways from where I work:

http://www.amazon.co...b 3.0" extender

 

Not sure what else to say, other than perhaps a little warning about "device is not ready" or "USB 3.0 extension cables" could go into the FAQ.

 

Carry on with your excellent work, and thank you so much for the rapid response!


Edited by paul.braren, 25 September 2013 - 03:10 AM.


#364 paul.braren

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Posted 25 September 2013 - 02:56 AM

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the articles - much appreciated. :)
For what is worth, you can also count on halving these times with a better USB 3.0 flash drive (such as a Sandisk Extreme). My tests shows that, with such a drive, it takes about about 2:30 for Rufus to create a FAT32/UEFI Win 8.1 bootable disk... ;) Using NTFS/MBR mode it's even faster.
 

Yeah, using the Mushkin for Windows 8.1 is good enough and cheap

http://TinkerTry.com...ves-vary-widely

 

but it is time to try out some of the good stuff for other projects!

 

I'll be publishing a story about Microsoft Windows To Go fairly soon, based on a presentation I just saw this past weekend, pretty nifty:

http://www.kingston....us/usb/bootable

 

For tonight, it's back to my umpteenth install of ESXi 5.5 of USB, refining/streamlining the process...made faster by Rufus!



#365 bblaauw

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Posted 25 September 2013 - 06:55 AM

I'll be publishing a story about Microsoft Windows To Go fairly soon, based on a presentation I just saw this past weekend, pretty nifty:
http://www.kingston....us/usb/bootable


I'm about to give up on Windows-To-Go due to not being officially supported by Windows 8.1 Pro (only Enterprise version) and the refresh timer bomb built in. With Microsoft's native limitations (so no USB tricks etc) this leaves only IDE/SATA + SCSI to boot Windows from on internal busses, and eSATA + Thunderbolt to boot Windows from on external busses. FireWire sadly isn't bootable on PC platform. Going with external SSD on Thunderbolt thus.

It will be a while before USB sticks that don't block other nearby ports (and thus are small) contain SSDs and their corresponding performance.

#366 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 25 September 2013 - 08:07 AM

Just for the record, nothing new, every time a (high speed) data trasmission is involved, the first suspect is the connection/cable:

http://www.msfn.org/...t-11/?p=1041690

 

@Steve6375

Hmmmm :dubbio:, when the (warp) diive fails on the Enterprise, consequences are slightly more serious than a bunch of corrupted files:

http://www.imdb.com/...?item=qt0337457

 

Lt. Cmdr. Data: If the warp drive fails to activate, the results could be... unfortunate.

Lieutenant Worf: Very unfortunate. We will be dead.

 

;)

 

:cheers:

Wonko



#367 paul.braren

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Posted 25 September 2013 - 02:38 PM

I'm about to give up on Windows-To-Go due to not being officially supported by Windows 8.1 Pro (only Enterprise version) and the refresh timer bomb built in. With Microsoft's native limitations (so no USB tricks etc) this leaves only IDE/SATA + SCSI to boot Windows from on internal busses, and eSATA + Thunderbolt to boot Windows from on external busses. FireWire sadly isn't bootable on PC platform. Going with external SSD on Thunderbolt thus.

It will be a while before USB sticks that don't block other nearby ports (and thus are small) contain SSDs and their corresponding performance.

 

About the Windows 8.1 Enterprise comment above, good point, it's a bummer.  For some valid feedback, I'll try to reach the Microsoft guys who presented, and point them to this thread.

 

About external boot devices, here's my zany eSATAp approach (that is no longer an option on many newer laptops, such as the W530):

http://TinkerTry.com/esatap

Yeah, it's SATA2, but it works, and sure beats SATA1 or USB 2.0. The BIOS sees it as just another AHCI drive. Certainly a decent option while we hope/wait for Thunderbolt prices to come down, because wow, those speeds sure look appealing:

http://TinkerTry.com...nderbolt-speeds

 

About blocking nearby ports, anybody tried this 1.5 foot Monoprice extension cable?

http://amzn.to/1eGZyzu

or even shorter lengths available here:

http://www.usbfirewi...nsions_146.html

 

About extension cable alternatives

USB 3.0 hub (very good reviews), as a way of getting distant USB 3.0 ports closer to one's workspace, perhaps safely?

http://amzn.to/16zmx6B



#368 Wonko the Sane

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Posted 25 September 2013 - 02:53 PM

About extension cable alternatives

USB 3.0 hub (very good reviews), as a way of getting distant USB 3.0 ports closer to one's workspace, perhaps safely?

http://amzn.to/16zmx6B

Cannot say specifically, but traditionally USB hubs have been a no-no when booting was involved. :(

 

To avoid "obstructing the "nearby" port, thingies *like*:

http://www.fasttech....ownward-adapter

http://www.fasttech....-angled-adapter

should be more "reliable" than extension cables.

 

:cheers:

Wonko



#369 Akeo

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Posted 25 September 2013 - 07:30 PM

Ah, well before another minute goes by where I'm in any way besmirtching your good name/your excellent software, it's confession time. Ready?
 
Yep, I'm using an extension cable.  There, I said it, and I'm so sorry to have wasted your time, or caused you even one iota of grief.


Ah, but you shouldn't feel sorry about that at all. On the contrary!

You have identified the issue, and probably helped many other users who might run into the same problem, by alerting them about potential issues when using USB 3.0 extension cables.

What's more, you've allowed me to create a new FAQ Entry, and to be fair, I think everyone will agree that it'd probably be a bit nicer if Rufus didn't give up at the first sign of trouble when copying a block of data, so your mishap also gave me an idea for an Enhancement.

All in all, you've helped everyone here, so there's no reason you should feel sorry about that! ;)

#370 Akeo

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Posted 25 September 2013 - 07:53 PM

I'm about to give up on Windows-To-Go due to not being officially supported by Windows 8.1 Pro (only Enterprise version) and the refresh timer bomb built in. With Microsoft's native limitations (so no USB tricks etc) this leaves only IDE/SATA + SCSI to boot Windows from on internal busses, and eSATA + Thunderbolt to boot Windows from on external busses. FireWire sadly isn't bootable on PC platform. Going with external SSD on Thunderbolt thus.

It will be a while before USB sticks that don't block other nearby ports (and thus are small) contain SSDs and their corresponding performance.

 

Actually, I too tried to play with Windows-To-Go less than a week ago, but didn't have much success either.

 

The thing is, if you want UEFI boot support (and maybe if you want MBR, but I was mostly focusing on the UEFI), you need to have both a FAT32 and an NTFS partition on the target, and since only UFDs that pretend not to be removable (which of course none of the UFDs I have do) will let Windows access the 2 partitions simultaneously, this quikcly becomes a massive nightmare, at least if you are trying to create the WTG UFD outside of Win8 Enterprise (don't have Enterprise either, so no idea if it fares better with removable drives).

 

I basically ended up using 2 UFDs (one with a FAT32, the other with NTFS), and had to spend most of the time switching the partitions in Linux and copying data over, to try to get anywhere. And that install.wim extraction? Boy is that slooooooow!!!

 

Best I got was "there is a problem with your hardware, Windows will now restart". Well, if Microsoft want to ensure that nobody uses Windows 8, by making even the new cool features an incredible pain to use, they are doing a fine job with it...



#371 bblaauw

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Posted 26 September 2013 - 11:09 AM

Microsoft wants to have 1 Windows license present per 'machine' , so they're not really a fan of "keep both your data and your operating system environment available with you, wherever you are, no matter if your machine breaks down". That might explain Windows-To-Go as enterprise-only feature (though I'd prefer it as a part of some Pro or Ultimate version of Win8.1 ).

Transplanting an internal boot drive between machines seems to work quite nicely nowadays, but it pales to the flexibility that an installed Linux allows (MBR, GPT on both BIOS and UEFI, generic drivers, generic boot support etc) let alone MacOS X (boots from PCIe, IDE, USB, Firewire, Thunderbolt and target-mode Thunderbolt..but officially only on Apple hardware).

Thunderbolt is a bootable single-cable solution (not yet a single-stick solution) for both power and data, so it's flexible. The drawback is this interface is pretty much non-present on most hardware.
http://www.buffalo-t...t-portable-ssd/ seems like something to go for, initially. Booting the installed Windows should work on Thunderbolt-equipped machines (as externally it's SATA behind PCIe) but USB(3) won't, not without some of the tricks that people on this forum apply.

#372 paul.braren

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Posted 27 September 2013 - 04:08 AM

...
What's more, you've allowed me to create a new FAQ Entry, and to be fair, I think everyone will agree that it'd probably be a bit nicer if Rufus didn't give up at the first sign of trouble when copying a block of data, so your mishap also gave me an idea for an Enhancement.'

 

Wow, that's a responsive developer, of quality software, who really cares. That's what's evident here, and I thank you!



#373 Sunstar

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Posted 07 February 2014 - 02:51 AM

Thanks for your very good tool

 

rufus support multi boot ? Windows ISO + Hiren ISO for example ?



#374 Akeo

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Posted 07 February 2014 - 02:52 AM

rufus support multi boot ? Windows ISO + Hiren ISO for example ?

 

No. See here.



#375 Sunstar

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Posted 07 February 2014 - 08:14 AM

Thanks Master







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