7 replies to this topic

[andoru]

New here, I had a few isos laying around and I thought I could place them all on a pendrive and be able to boot into them and install whatever I need on a PC that doesn't have any optical drives on it.

 

 

Is it possible to do that from Linux? I don't have any Windows version installed.

 

 

I tried this guide, but grub wouldn't install properly on FAT32 here, so it wouldn't boot. Also tried this guide, but for some reason it says "Cannot find the file specified" or a similar error during boot when selecting Windows 7 (haven't tried it with WindowsXP iso yet as I don't know what arguments to add. After pressing enter, I get kicked back to the grub menu Strangely with the latter method GParted live boots with the specified arguments added to the menuentry, but also get the same error as above, just that when I press enter, it boots into the live session.

Edited by andoru, 19 December 2014 - 01:02 AM.

[Wonko the Sane]

Well, right idea , wrong tool .

 

You want to explore the possibilities of grub4dos (which is not GRUB and is not GRUB2), the included bootlace.com doubles as DOS/Linux executable and will allow you to install it alright from Linux, then look into the available data for booting (when possible) from the MS based .iso's (and the little tricks needed, when needed), you want to start from here:

http://reboot.pro/topic/14-grub4dos/

http://reboot.pro/to...b4dos/?p=186085

http://reboot.pro/to...about-grub4dos/

http://reboot.pro/to...required-cddvd/

 

Oldish "general" guide (current version that you should use is the latest: 0.4.5c, that has a number of added commands/possibilities), but the guide is still fine:

http://diddy.boot-la...os/Grub4dos.htm

http://diddy.boot-la...inux.htm#linux4

 

Wonko

[steve6375]

For Crunchbang ISO booting from grub4dos see here

Of course, you can make an Easy2Boot USB drive under linux or Windows and it will easily do all of the OS's you want just by adding the ISOs.

I suggest you format your USB drive as FAT32 if you are using linux as grub4dos often requires or works better if the ISO files are contiguous and the linux defragfs utility does not work on ext2/3/4 or NTFS volumes.

[andoru]

Thanks for your answers guys, I knew I came to the right place!

 

I went ahead with the Easy2Boot method, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to work. It gets stuck with "Checking last sector is accessible..." on screen, not doing anything (I've left it on for over an hour).

 

On another PC I get this instead: https://i.imgur.com/x2cK5Qn.jpg

 

On the E2B site under Troubleshooting says that the former message should only stay on-screen for a few minutes and it usually happens only on NTFS partitions. The weird thing with both of the above is that the partition was formatted as FAT32. Anything to try out to fix this problem before I try a jab at grub4dos?

 

So far I tried following this guide, and afterwards I just ran the fmt.sh script and copied over the files, but got the same result.

[steve6375]

Did you partition the drive using RMPrepUSB or use the  Make_E2B_USB_Drive.cmd script like you are supposed to?

It is usually due to the last partition being too near to the end of the drive.

Try just deleting the \_ISO\e2b\grub\CheckAccess.g4b file like it suggests... to remove the check.

[andoru]

I couldn't use those tools since I only had Linux installed as I mentioned in the first post.

But I solved it by following the guide from scratch and unlike last time I didn't defragment the drive with MyDefrag. Last time I defragged even though the files were contiguous, just to make sure, so probably that's what screwed things up.

[Wonko the Sane]

I couldn't use those tools since I only had Linux installed as I mentioned in the first post.

But I solved it by following the guide from scratch and unlike last time I didn't defragment the drive with MyDefrag. Last time I defragged even though the files were contiguous, just to make sure, so probably that's what screwed things up.

This is an interesting point, isn't there a bash script (or *whatever*) in Linux to make a single file contiguous (like there is in windows contig.exe and wincontig.exe) on a FAT32?

 

The thingy of course if only needed when "updating" a USB stick, when you build from scratch and copy to it the .iso's/images they should come out normally contiguous.

 

From here:

http://ubuntuforums....d.php?t=2180790

it seems like defragfs.pl works on FAT32, while it's Author denies it

 

An attempt was made (abandoned) at the time using the FreeDOS defrag :

http://reboot.pro/to...-using-windows/

maybe you will be interested in it.

 

 

Wonko

[andoru]

Thanks Wonko, will check those lonks out

Tried everything I placed on the USB pendrive, each works like a charm