Jump to content











Photo
- - - - -

MultibootUSB Linux OS on award-phoenix 6.00PG. Help needed.

linux

  • Please log in to reply
6 replies to this topic

#1 deckoff

deckoff

    Member

  • Members
  • 76 posts
  •  
    Bulgaria

Posted 01 December 2011 - 06:28 PM

The problem:
My BIOS will not boot USB pen-drives created with Ubuntu USB creator, Unetbootin or pendrivelinux and similar. When the BIOS access the pen-drive, and it tries to boot, the problem will be terminated with simple message:
"boot error"
When installing GRUB directly to the pen-drive, the bios will report that this usb is not bootable.
On all other PCs I tried the USB-sticks will boot and behave as expected, problems are only with this PC
What I want to do:
A bootable USB, which at best, boots different linux ISO images. It is ok for me to boot off a MultibootUSB (or UBuntu Live USB, Unetbootin) stick with another one, prepared just for this case. I would like to boot CD iso just like the iso boots from the Cd-rom, with start menu and config options (if possible).
What I did so far, and what I know:
1) If i format the usb with HP drive utility, and install dos to it, the BIOS will see the USB-stick as hard drive and will boot MS-from it.
2) Adding grub.exe (Grub4DOS 0.44) to this usb will run, and i even managed to boot Ubuntu(and derivates) from it. The only I fail to boot OpenSUSE. Grub4DOS is copied to the partition, I have not tried the other methods like installing it to MBR, dont know if it will make any difference.

this is mu menu.lst file(The drive is split into two)

timeout 10

default 0

title Kubuntu 11.10

find --set-root /kubuntu-11.10-desktop-i386.iso

map /kubuntu-11.10-desktop-i386.iso (0xff)

map --hook

root (0xff)

kernel /casper/vmlinuz file=/cdrom/preseed/kubuntu.seed boot=casper iso-scan/filename=/kubuntu-11.10-desktop-i386.iso quiet splash --

initrd /casper/initrd.lz

boot

title openSUSE 12 2

find --set-root /openSUSE12.iso

map --heads=0 --sectors-per-track=0 (hd0,1)/openSUSE12.iso (0xff)

map --hook

root (0xff)

kernel /boot/i386/loader/linux

initrd /boot/i386/loader/initrd

boot

#kernel boot/i386/loader/linux file=/cdrom/config.isoclient boot=boot iso-scan/filename=/openSUSE12.iso splash=silent quiet preloadlog=/dev/null showopts

title CommandLine

commandline

title Reboot

reboot

title Halt

halt


You can help me with tutorial links, other more suitable tools or step-by-step solutions ( if possible;)

Edited by deckoff, 01 December 2011 - 06:35 PM.


#2 Wonko the Sane

Wonko the Sane

    The Finder

  • Advanced user
  • 16066 posts
  • Location:The Outside of the Asylum (gate is closed)
  •  
    Italy

Posted 01 December 2011 - 06:44 PM

Is the whatever you tried Syslinux based or grub4dos based or GRUB 2? :w00t:
(what you posted is grub4dos, you posted in the Syslinux section and AFAIK modern Linux distros use GRUB2). :whistling:

To make the USB stick bootable use RMPREPUSB (and NOTHING else).
http://reboot.pro/7739/

Make up your mind on which "main" bootloader you want to use (RMPREPUSB supports grub4dos), then we'll talk if needed, and possibly in the "appropriate" forum:
http://reboot.pro/forum/66/
of grub4dos and iso mapping to (0xFF) or (hd32)

:)

:cheers:
Wonko

#3 deckoff

deckoff

    Member

  • Members
  • 76 posts
  •  
    Bulgaria

Posted 01 December 2011 - 07:03 PM

i first tried
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/
Ubuntu Live USB tool (provided with the distro)
http://www.pendrivelinux.com/
As far as I get it, they all use Syslinux, but i might be wrong.
Then I used HP boot utility to install MS-DOS to the USB, and tried with grub4DOS
Then I installed grub2 to the usb.
( I re-formatted all the way, of course ;)
I posted here, cos I thought this is the most appropriate sub-forum.
I will check the tool you suggested.
PS mapping only the Linux ISO file with grub4DOS will not work as expected, if there is a tool to mount the ISO fiel so it can be seen as a CD all the time during install, I will be happy to now. When linux kernel stpes in the way, it will see the flash as flash not as CD anymore, and boot will stop at some stage.

Edited by deckoff, 01 December 2011 - 07:11 PM.


#4 Wonko the Sane

Wonko the Sane

    The Finder

  • Advanced user
  • 16066 posts
  • Location:The Outside of the Asylum (gate is closed)
  •  
    Italy

Posted 01 December 2011 - 08:05 PM

You are mixing "all together" several issues.
You have a problem to have the USB stick bootable using some utilities. This is probably caused by a combination of your BIOS+the utilities+the whatever they use (possibly Syslinux).
You have another problem (using the now deprecated HP USB format utility that works, but probably works because you used a "plain" MS-DOS).
Then you tried GRUB2 (without actually reporting whether it works or not).

RMPREPUSB is not actually "better" in an absolute sense, it simply has put together over time each and every trick/setting found to be the most compatible with various BIOSes/USB sticks, etc. :thumbsup:

Grub4dos - as you should have already seen - can map a .iso allright (and this mapping is "OS agnostic") BUT depending on the actual distro some particular "cheatcodes" or parameters could be needed or - in the worst cases - something inside the .iso must be modified, compare with:
http://reboot.pro/8944/

This line in your menu.lst:
#kernel boot/i386/loader/linux file=/cdrom/config.isoclient boot=boot iso-scan/filename=/openSUSE12.iso splash=silent quiet preloadlog=/dev/null showopts
is just a comment (as there is a # in front of it) BUT it seems like containing the "right" cheatcodes.

These two make vey little sense:
find --set-root /openSUSE12.iso

map --heads=0 --sectors-per-track=0 (hd0,1)/openSUSE12.iso (0xff)

First you find the file openSUSE12.iso (on whatever disk/partition it is) and set root to that drive, then you map a file that is in a fixed location (hd0,1)/openSUSE12.iso

Both these make more sense:
root (hd0,1)

map --heads=0 --sectors-per-track=0 (hd0,1)/openSUSE12.iso (0xff)

find --set-root /openSUSE12.iso

map --heads=0 --sectors-per-track=0 /openSUSE12.iso (0xff)

Another thing, when talking of grub4dos please also ALWAYS specify the EXACT version, like grub4dos-0.4.5b-2011-11-29 as the tool is in perpetual fixing/adding features, etc.

GRUB2 has a "more direct" approach to mounting Linux distro .iso files (but cannot mount non-Linux ones AFAIK).

Nothing prevents you from a "base" "primary" bootmanager to chainload other bootmanagers, and thus use the solution more suited to the actual thing you want to boot.

I posted here, cos I thought this is the most appropriate sub-forum.

Well actually this is the Syslinux sub-forum:
reboot.pro
→ Groups
→ Boot from USB / Boot anywhere
→ The Syslinux Project

so it is pretty "narrow" in scope, the more "generic" one is the "parent Forum":
reboot.pro
→ Groups
→ Boot from USB / Boot anywhere

http://reboot.pro/forum/71/

at least until you have "specific" tool issue (EITHER Syslinux or grub4dos, as GRUB2, for which there is not a sub-sub-forum, should go in "Boot from USB / Boot anywhere" also)

:cheers:
Wonko

#5 deckoff

deckoff

    Member

  • Members
  • 76 posts
  •  
    Bulgaria

Posted 01 December 2011 - 08:37 PM

1)Thank you for your help - I kindly ask any admin to move the thread to the right sub-forum. If I am to re-post or move the thread myself, let me know.
2) GRUB2 installed on USB - the BIos reports that the pen-drive is not bootable(on other PCs it boots correctly)
3) Probably the easiest way to solve my problem is to boot an MS-DOS USB and make grub4dos it boot the syslinux -prepared USB.I dont know if this is possible.
4) I have tried with different settings to boot the OpenSUSE distro, this one that is commented out will not boot as well, I took it out of the config files of the iso. This is simply the last I tried. The Kubuntu entry works for me, though.
5) grub4DOS is version 0.4.4 from 31.03.2009
PS I also tried to boot unetbootin and ubuntu live prepared USBs via plop.iso without success.

Edited by deckoff, 01 December 2011 - 08:43 PM.


#6 Wonko the Sane

Wonko the Sane

    The Finder

  • Advanced user
  • 16066 posts
  • Location:The Outside of the Asylum (gate is closed)
  •  
    Italy

Posted 02 December 2011 - 09:18 AM

I suspect that that particular BIOS may gain with the use of the RMPREPUSB "style of partitioning".
But cannot really say.
Try using RMPREPUSB with a "standard" MBR (the DOS is OK).

The 0.4.4 31-03-2009 is an OBSOLETE version of grub4dos AND it was also a rather buggy one, the "only" GOOD 0.4.4 - let's call it "first series" was 31-10-2009 BUT nowadayas you should update to LATEST (this kind of info is not really kept secret, it is in on of the stickies):
http://reboot.pro/14/
Get LATEST from here:
http://code.google.c.../downloads/list
It has a number of added features and a lot of little bugs fixed.

Once you have the RMREPUSB partitioned stick booting MSDOS OK, you can try Re-using it and attempt installling to it Syslinux (still through RMPREPUSB) or you can create a Sislinux bootsector that you later chainload from grub.exe (or from GRLDR if you later decide to install it to the MBR).
In RMPREPUSB you want - once decided which kind of MBR/boottsector to use) to have "Boot as HDD (C: 2 PTNS)" selected and FAT32 as filesystem.

The Opensuse issue is a "separate" problem, for which as said there may be a solution :) or maybe not, this needs to be set asisde (temporarily) untils you have a "working" base setup.

:cheers:
Wonko
  • deckoff likes this

#7 deckoff

deckoff

    Member

  • Members
  • 76 posts
  •  
    Bulgaria

Posted 02 December 2011 - 01:06 PM

1) Seems google search cannot find google.code. Anyway, thanx for the link. I thought the grub4dos project was dead and 2009 was the latest:) Never thought of searching for newer.
2) All described methods i used for creating bootable Linux USB are actually GRUB2 based ( I checked). This code will boot off

title Boot form HD1

root (hd1,0)

kernel /boot/grub/core.img

savedefault

boot


I did not use the RMPREPUSB tool, since HP boot utility formatted USB with FreeDOS installed will start grub4DOS correctly, and it will correctly will load GRUB2 from the other USB.
3) Since unetbootin and similar tools will auto-configure different distros, this solves the OpenSUSE question. Which I never thought to raise here by the way, this should be asked in OpenSUSE forums;)
4) The only thing I would like to find now is, can I make grub4dos auto-find the USB with pre-installed GRUB2 and chainload(is this the correct word here) it. Since this is Grub4dos specific, I will simply start a new thread where appropriate.
5) I ask once again this thread to be moved where it belongs.





Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: linux

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users